Bavilo
January 11, 2017, 12:33pm
1
Hello everyone!
I work for a company that develops luminaires. Our development department is now looking for a 3D-printer for rapid prototyping. The printed parts need to be as precise as possible.
I have been checking out several reviews and have picked out three printers:
Ultimaker 2+
Makerbot Replicator+
Zortrax M200
We have no experience with 3D-Printing so keep this in mind please.
Which of the printers would be recommended? Perhaps even other printers in the same price segment?
Thanks!
Mike
cobnut
January 11, 2017, 2:54pm
2
Hi @Bavilo all three of those printers will serve you very well, and it’s difficult to pick between them. The only real differences are that the Zortrax, while being a very good printer, is not open source and requires its own filament. This many not be a problem if you’re aiming for consistency in prototyping in-house rather than offering a printing service, but it’s worth bearing in mind. The other difference is that the Makerbot is a dual-head machine; whether you need dual heads is really up to you, I don’t imagine you’ll need to do dual-colour printing for prototypes, but it may be useful for support material.
One other thing to consider is whether you need to spend this much on what I assume is your first printer. The Flashforge Creator Pro is a very popular Makerbot clone (I have one) and it’s half the price; it’s impossible for me to say whether the quality of its prints are lower than an original Makerbot, but they look fine to me (and apparently my customers). The Prusa i3 Mk2 (original) is also a very good machine, offering 50 micron layers, again at less than half the price of the machines you’ve listed.
What specific aspect of “precise” is most important? Surface quality or dimensional accuracy?
Lulzbot is also a good brand, like the ultimaker it is open source and works with lots of different filament types.
I would stay away from the Makerbot, it is not worth the price and since it has no heated bed it can really only print pla. Also without a heated bed you will likely have prints that the edges curl up on.
6 Likes
cobnut
January 11, 2017, 3:12pm
4
@keebie81 the Makerbot does have a heated bed, in fact the manufacturers claim it’s “optimised for printing ABS”:
https://store.makerbot.com/printers/replicator2x/
Bavilo
January 11, 2017, 4:27pm
5
Thanks for the replies everyone.
I will not be buying the printer, the company will, so the price doesn’t really matter if it’s up to 2500 €.
What we need is a printer that just works. We will not be printing 24/7, but when we need it, it needs to work without having to spend hours and hours tweaking the printer just get prints working.
Precise as in, dimensional accuracy. Of course it should not warp or deform the print in any way.
As of now I am leaning towards the Ultimaker 2+. But like I said, we need a printer that just works with repeatable printing results.
Could someone narrow down the list for those requirements?
Thanks!
I would vote for the Zortrax M200, its a good work horse with still really great quality, Its closed source printer but the complete service you buy from them(own brand filament etc.), will guarantee that it will produce nice prints.
Their software is a bit slow with slicing but will generate really good support structure if needed for the print, witch will almost not leave any visible mark on the print after it was removed.
Check this review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGPWSye7eto
T
Bavilo
January 11, 2017, 5:05pm
7
Ok after watching the review I am now in favor of the Zortrax M200. The surface finish is incredible!
I don’t really think that the proprietary filaments are a problem. If they work, then that’s just fine. Since the company is going to have to restock the filaments
So who favors the M200 keeping in mind that it needs to work reliably and with repeatable results.
Yes the 2x did but he is asking about the replicator+ their newest model. Replicator+ Desktop 3D Printer | MakerBot
6 Likes
Bavilo
January 12, 2017, 7:08am
9
I just checked out the Software for the Zortrax M200 “Z-Suite”. Is there a way to display the printing time of the build?
I am currently getting quotes for the Ultimaker 2+ and the Zortrax M200. We still need to decide which one suits our needs better.
Hi Mike!
Regarding the Zortrax M200, it can print with Z-GLASS material, which imitates the glass surface. It is precise with it’s 0,14 mm layer thickness and has repetitive, finest quality of the prints in a good price, so it is perfect for the industrial prototyping. Of course, our printers are accredited to industry leading standards.
As for the Z-Suite, after adjusting the print’s settings, you can see how long it will take and calculate the cost of the single print.
Personally, I recommend you to see the video of Zuzanna Lamp printed with Zortrax M200: Zuzanna 3D Printed lamp - YouTube .
If you have any questions regarding Zortrax M200, please contact us i.e. through the form https://zortrax.com/company/contact/ .
Best regards,
Marta
Bavilo
January 26, 2017, 5:59pm
11
We have decided to purchase the Zortrax M200.
After setting everything up and running through the calibration we were ready to start out first print.
I loaded up benchy and these are our results:
http://imgur.com/a/XLUTv
Printed with Z-ULTRAT, no supports, 0.19 layer height.
What do you guys think?
