Unfortunately yes. The managerial speak trying to make it sound like it will benefit me as a hub and big warning across the top of my dashboard saying it’s happening tells you all you need to know.
It’s getting towards the point where I’m considering if I want to be associated with 3Dhubs as the requirements are starting to pile up for the little cash you get back from the job.
Well, as far as dimensions are concerned, any decent slicing program will report the printing dimensions of the sliced model, so there’s no need to guess. In terms of getting the prints right (accurate to those dimensions) why shouldn’t they be? I know all my prints come out well within the tolerances suggested by 3DHubs so I don’t see the concern. I always check with a customer what the purpose of their print is anyway, and if I now have to remember to also specifically ask about tolerances, that’s really no big deal - heck, we could all easily put together a stock “first question” to cut and paste for any print order that covers things like this.
To be honest, I’m not seeing a problem here. If I were a customer, not a Hub, I’d expect there to be controls like this and I’d expect the printer to deliver me high quality prints that match the model I’ve uploaded. If my model is unprintable, or I want a dimensional accuracy that’s unrealistic, then that’s another matter, but the tolerances being suggested here seem very reasonable and totally what I’d expect from a paid service.
Sorry if this isn’t a popular view, but I can’t see the problem with wanting to produce high quality prints that match the customers’ requirements. Have I missed something here? Do the majority of Hubs often print models with inaccurate dimensions? Does no one else discuss the print with their customer to get an understanding of the job and any specific challenges?
It is really bad form to request feedback on a guidelines, then release the guidelines while still in discussion. It certainly sends a signal that 3dhubs is not listening. Especially when there are really a shortage of replies from 3dhubs for the things being discussed. It implies you asked for feedback to make the hubs FEEL like they have some input, but don’t really have input. With so many of your customers discussing it, and 3dhubs just implementing it during that discussion, it surely seems like you are not listening to your customers. I would like to remind 3dhubs that their customers are the 3d printers, NOT the folks that order the prints. Those are OUR customers. Many that we bring to 3dhubs on our own. Many of OUR customers ask us to work around 3dhubs, but I always push them TO 3dhubs, because the interface, software, and my payment protections are all worth the fee. But make no mistake, I am the 3dhubs customer, not MY customer, who ultimately gets the print.
Serious mistake here in handling your customers, asking for input while implementing the guidelines during the input phase.
I asked what the purpose of the new guideline are, and what problem they are trying to solve. This is key to me liking or not liking the guidelines.
I think the wording is still bad.
Several folks have asked for specific responses from 3dhubs in this discussion, and have not received it.
Folks are interested in how they handle ABS and Nylon prints, that can easily change size by over 1% due to shrinkage or humidity.
Several people asked how the guidelines might be enforced, and how the measuring could be verified.
Some folks stated they felt that they were not being listened to, and this was reinforced by a lack of response by 3dhubs to them.
All in all, I am for the new policy, but this is truly bad form, and a serious mishandling of the situation here by 3dhubs and their customers, in my humble opinion. I am all about increasing the quality of the 3d printing that is going on out there. I have customers who have brought me prints from other hubs, and I am shocked at some of the quality of the prints. So I am all for some better rules. That is not what I am talking about in this post.
It is hard for me to understand how during an ongoing discussion, 3dhubs could just go ahead and implement.
I think you and @Vienna3DPrint have hit the nail on the head. 3D Hubs has forgotten it’s role in all of this. The reality is my customers will come and go with me, especially if I discount 12.5% from my prices if they place orders outside of Hubs. Like you, I try to keep all my orders through 3D Hubs, with the very small exception of those who need to pay by other means (which is common with younger students). Hubs is supposed to be what Etsy is to their shops; Etsy just provides a site and a gateway, the shops do all the rest. Etsy does not own the customers, the shops do, and if the shops leave, so do the customers. It is very much the same here, but 3D Hubs seems to have forgotten that, or doesn’t care anymore because they got their funding.
Either way, the entire handling of this situation has left a very bad taste in my mouth, and I am very displeased to say the least.
From what I’m reading here, it only strengthens my opinion on this as I see I’m not the only one operating this way. I too have requested to do deals outside 3D hubs but I push people to use it for its interface and organization. The way you guys put it is exact. The hubs are 3D hub’s customers, not the people buying parts! Unless they want to hire their own massive sales department to replace all us hubs I suggest they start listening. Until now I’ve not had reason to look into other platforms, and I’ve promoted 3D hubs a lot. This may incline me to look elsewhere to do business.
Hi
Well, that´s all a good intention, but poor execution. Why ? Because since now I was on the lower end of the price range. I could do that, because I have a full time job (that provides me and my family) and offer my 3D print services in my spare time. Therefore I asked my customers if they want to remove the support material themselves (to get the prints faster) or if I should do it (and they would have to wait a little longer). Often I didn´t even charge the support material for smaller prints. Only for bigger objects with a lot of support and time taken to remove it, I charged a small additional amount. You could say, the time spent for it was for free. Because average EU/US hourly rates for labour would be like twice to five times of the value of the print (guessed…)
It was good that the people could choose, because often they wanted (or had) to improve the print by sanding, painting or other methods. Now this choice is gone. And due to the nature of the producing machine (desktop home use) and method (FDM is the least accurate!) it will cause only disputes printing with non-dissolve-able support material. That makes it about impossible to use a single print head machine.
On the one hand it would be the logical next step for me to upgrade to a dual head machine. On the other hand it will make 3D prints MUCH more expensive for 3D hubs customers. Water dissolve-able support material costs 3-4 times of PLA filament. The dissolving takes about 12-24 hours (if I am correct). Higher and high priced hubs may print already that way and will keep their high price. But the possibility for cheap and fast prints (with customer removing the support) is gone with the change of guide lines.
That is NOT supporting the spread of 3D printing.
I don´t even want to speak about tolerances. It´s quite the same as with 2D prints. What kind of quality can you expect from a €/$ 50,- Printer ? People are then disappointed. Prints are not seamless, have wrong colors, are washed-out, a.s.o. You still have to invest at least 10-20 times more for a decent quality.
So, how can you expect extraordinary results from a €/$ 800,- 3D Printer ? (This average price is a guess. You might have better statistics).
A really awesome FDM print needs a CAD model that considers the abilities of the used 3D printer. It has to consider physical laws. The 3D printer has to be set up in terms of even and balanced print bed, correct space between needle and bed for the chosen resolution, prepared (sticky) print bed, correct temperature for the used filament. The slicer have to be tuned for optimal feed, speed, calculation of the g-code. The filament have to be of good quality. Maybe stored in costly ways (vacuumed). The print environment can have a big impact on the printed results (temperature control, humidity). And maybe more I haven´t considered here and now.
It makes the impression that DIY tools should reach top-professional high end industrial standards.
I don´t want to say that the aim doesn´t impress me, but now the vision has to meet reality.
It is not possible, for a reasonable price, to fulfill the announced standards. If you want the requirements to be met (seriously), then the hub must charge hours of pre processing with a lot of information transfer. Maybe some information is not even available because the customer has also only the stl file. Very often the stl is not water tight. So you need additional tools to repair it. Then, to finally meet the tolerance, a couple of prints (which blocks the machine naturally) to maybe recognise that the tolerance CAN NOT be met. And you can only tell after the support material is removed.
All that costs the hub time and money.
A small 10x10x10cm object could cost likely more then €/$ 250,- if requirements must be met.
This results in three bad things: High prices for FDM 3D prints. Less orders and revenue for hubs. Less profit for 3D hubs.
I would strongly suggest to not activate the guidelines for FDM by Jan. 5th, 2017. Rethink the role of 3D Hubs as a broker between clients and maker.
Refine the platform to be able to choose between instances of print quality. Collect and present possible print outcomes for customers. Not for hubs; they know them just too well.
Thank you and happy new year.
