This hack can refill your Stratasys 3D printer

[greg southerland]

http://hackaday.com/2012/09/19/this-hack-can-refill-your-stratasys-3d-printer/


Sent from my iPhone

[Mark Sullivan]

Greg, is it true that the resolution output quality of the 1200 is comparable to a Makerbot? When I've purchased SLAs, they have been near injection-molded quality and what I've seen from the lab's extruder machines is not anyplace near that.

- Mark -

>
> http://hackaday.com/2012/09/19/this-hack-can-refill-your-stratasys-
> 3d-printer/
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone

[greg southerland]

I don't think that you can compare the machines the makerbot is not a professional quality machine with out post processing your item. I mean that you have to blend the item with abrasive sanding or chemical blending or both .

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[Tensai Teki]

Mark,

 The Dimension 1200 is an FDM machine, not an SLA, apples and oranges. If you wan't SLA quality and finishes, use an SLA machine.

In one of the other threads about this (why do we have so many?) someone from Wisconsin mentioned that the difference in quality between the 1200 and a late model makerbot is very small and closing. Here's another link that supports that position: https://groups.google.com/d/msg/makerbot/hRo0BfABED4/US4IuMM3EtMJ

Don't judge the quality of "hobbyist" based on that machine at the lab. It is poorly adjusted, badly maintained and based on a design and tech that is several generations old.  I got to see a lot of prints from modern makerbots and others at the makerfaire and, frankly, I can't imagine that FDM prints could get much better than those, even if they were to be done on "professional quality" machines.

Greg,

Even assuming there are no software or contract licensing issues from the manufactuer, there is still the problem of operating costs. 

Sure, we could save money by using the cartridge refilling hack you posted, but did you read thorough it? It looks like a lot of trouble to go through just to circumvent a "feature" that shouldn't be there in the first place. Besides, I've read that even with that hack you can't use the cheap filament without lots of clogs, you have to buy better quality, more expensive stuff. Is it still a "professional quality" machine if we have to hack it to make it useful?

Further, the filament isn't the only consumable, the build tables are also consumables and have to be replaced regularly, if not every print.

The only advantage the Dimension would seem to have is the soluble support. But with a dual extruder makerbot, even that seems like a quickly fading advantage: http://www.3dppvd.org/wp/2013/02/soluble-support-material/ 

I'm thinking that, for the price, we'd be better served with a MakerBot Replicator 2X (for FDM) and a Form1 (for SLA). There's also the idealogical advantage of supporting a company (MakerBot) that was itself started from a hackerspace.

Don't get stuck thinking that just because something is big, shiny, expensive, and "professional" looking that it is really worth the cost.

-Chris K.

[Mark Sullivan]

You know what, you're right.  I take it back.  I completely failed to understand that it was an FDM machine and not an SLA.  I guess I just thought all Stratasys were SLA.   And it doesn't help that they specify the capacity of the machine in gallons ;)

 

I'd rather spend the money on a Form 1.

 

- Mark -