looking to purchase a 3d printer, looking for advice

[J5iveD]

Hello,

I’m looking at 2 printers currently, the Markforged Onyx One and a Raise3D (either N1 or N2). What I’m after is the ability to make high resolution, quality prints using CF impregnated materials. I feel like the Onyx One would be the higher quality of the two, and though it would be a large additional expense, it can be upgraded to the Pro version down the road and add the ability to inlay fiberglass into the prints- very big plus. The Raise3D offerings seem to have a very nice overall package and dual extruders at or below the price point of the Onyx One.

Does anyone have experience with both? Or any insight into the direction I should go? This will be my first 3d printer, but I’m pretty savvy and a fast learner. In the past few months I’ve gone from zero CAM/CAM/CNC experience to modeling and operating a CNC router successfully without any formal training, so while I understand there will be a learning curve, I’m not intimidated by it at all. And I’d rather overbuy initially and be set up better down the road than have to upgrade because a machine won’t fit my standards, but was a cheaper price of entry.

[bvandenbroeck]

Never used an Onix but you find plenty of Raise3D users here. I love my raises and use them for service printing due to their high reliability. With that said, I’m also a reseller and would rather not cause a conflict of interest (especially since I have no experience with the Onix.) Curious to read the responses though. If you’re near Kentucky, we’re happy to help in person if needed. Good luck!

[beckatt]

Hello,

It is exciting to see you are considering a couple of really great options. Please feel free to contact me at mstorey@beckatt.com. I have experience with both and will be happy to give you my thoughts on advantages/disadvantages.

Regards,

Mike

[mkeenan]

Our company has used both but have recently moved to the Ultimaker 3. The best printer for the money. Excellent print quality and reliability. The Ultimaker is half the price but every bit as good. We use the nylon material with PVA (water soluble) supports and the parts are very strong. Just as strong as the carbon filled parts without all the hassle in my opinion. We bought ours from these guys https://www.ems-usa.com/products/3d-printers/ultimaker/ultimaker-3/ - ask for Christian. He is a great guy and will help you out.

[bvandenbroeck]

I would also recommend ultimaker if you’re looking for a hassle free, but smaller, machine than the Raises.

I buy my nylon through Breathe3D, another product my company resells as well, but it’s the easiest nylon to print (in my opinion) and the nylon infused PLA++ is insanely easy to print with without the brittleness of regular PLA. You should try it!

[3dpmti]

I have an original Markforged One. Their support is horrible so if you will rely on any of their products as your primary source of income I would suggest to buy several so you won’t get put out of business like me. Their techs are clueless have no knowledge of basic logical troubleshooting skills and barely know the products. The president of the company is unresponsive as well as upper management. You will basically get canned answers and promises not kept with no follow up. It usually takes 2 days ormore to get a reply. Then they threaten to close a tech support ticket if you don’t answer them within 24 hours and only by email. I begged for a phone call to get my printer fixed after 2 months trying it their way. They refused. I lost customers, ran out of $$, had to close my office and now my resume is on the street looking to go back to work for someone else. They grew too fast and have big customers now that have spent $millions buying their products leaving the little guy to basically be happy with what little they offer which isn’t much or spend thousands to upgrade the machine or keep throwing guess parts at it till maybe it works again. I have also talked to others from this site that have Markforged machines and its the same thing. Warranty parts are not shipped over night costing others to loose work even on brand new machines. Its sad actually because I was a huge fan and promoted their products heavily. If you are new to 3d printing especially, I would suggest a machine with great phone tech support to at least get experience first and then take on the more expensive and sophisticated units.

[bvandenbroeck]

I’m sorry to hear that dude. That sounds like a nightmare. I saw this potential from many of the kickstarter printers having helped out on two successful projects in the past. This sounds mighty familiar to the other stories I’ve both seen and read after delivery. Many will argue that it’s because of the prototype status of the tech (which is BS.) It’s just honestly very costly to provide good, robust support. I worked heavily with Raise3D days into their kickstarter back in 2015. Once they were funded, we had a robust local support plan in place even though I didn’t work for the company. They accepted my offer and we piloted through my company. Now there are a dozen locations in the US providing that same local 3rd party support. I always argued that the best way to retain customers long term is to shake their hand first. This rare feature of low cost 3D printers has (in my opinion) really helped with the brand itself stay relevant outside the tumultuous world of FDM.

[beckatt]

I wholeheartedly agree that Ultimaker, especially the Ultimaker 3, is a tremendous product line. The reliability, quality and versatility of materials is second-to-none in that price range, from my experience. The dual extruder (allowing for water soluble support material, as mkeenan said) is a cut above. We recently brought a Ultimaker 3 in house in October, and have had great success with it.