Following on from this, I’ve gone back to the standard software and noticed there’s been a few updates, the basic side of it is now far more user friendly. For what I do with it, it works well, maybe not the best but then it was around a third of the price of anything else on the market at the time. I probably wouldn’t buy one again as I know its limitations but I would suggest it be added to a short list for a new user.
Hardware wise, I only really use mine for about 5 hours every 2 weeks and hardly ever change the filament so its not getting a particularly hard life, I imagine someone using it much more frequently may well find its limitations much sooner than me.
As a follow up: The unit I got via kickstarter had known bad parts. They sent me replacements along the way, but really just strung me out until the warranty was up and then said, “You are on your own.” Note that it never worked, even poorly, in the first place. I have a degree in chemistry, work as a chemist and make a lot of the equipment I need for my work. So I qualify as a Maker. If I can’t get this to go, then I feel confident that I had a bad unit, especially given the feedback in this post. The problem is much more with company than the product. The concept is great, I really put a lot of time into trying to get this to work, and still want it to. However, with a company that is still seriously teething not providing a level of service on a bad unit to get it working, you need to cross this one off your list until they are able to support it properly. I think they will get there, they just are not there now.
Each 3d printer has different problem zones. No printer is “perfect”. The M3D still runs better (less problems) than my Prusa i2 3d printer. Without spending time for locating and circumvent the issues you are never satisfied with any printer. If the vendor would honestly mention their gathered issues and possible solutions it COULD be a good entry 3d printer. Here are my findings about the M3D: Positive: * still very cheap * auto bed calibration * sticky bed surface (using raft or wave bonding setting) * good extruder head and nozzle (using pla filament only) * long time prints can be left alone * cute design Negative: * internal filament spool feeder not reliable * diameter of filament spools to small (feeder issues) * few bugs in (slicer) software * slow bugfix iterations for software * no easy alternative software replacement * best print result not with highest quality setting (medium is best compromise) * only one part can be printed at a print run * no heated bed for reliable ABS filament prints Although the cons are much more, I appreciate having backed the Micro M3D. Because, I follow some simple rules: * printing only PLA filament * using only external filament spool on a turn table and with greater diameter (min. 750g spools) * analysing and fixing foreign designs with Meshmixer before I print it (* designing my own parts with OpenSCAD) Of course, the M3D is beta and it took much more time than they thought. But, in my opinion they did a good job for their first product. Build your own 3d printer at that price point and you will value the M3D from another point of view.
I feel terrible because I heard a bunch of good about these and a friend that isn’t really into 3d printing that just wanted one to make little toys and fun bought one and he hates the machine. He has really had nothing but problems. It’s a shame.
I got my Warranty replacement after some waiting. It was to be a refurb, but it looked new to me. Had a different extruder mechanism than my original Kickstarter model. I updated the software and firmware and printed the 0.4mm calibration without issue. I then went to print a quick test print that was small, 3 x 5 x 2 cm model. The raft printed fine and the first few mm, but then stopped extruding. I tried removing the filament and replacing it, but it would not feed. Tried 2 other colors and nothing would load. Removed the ink, cleaned the nozzle per their directions, and still nothing. Empty, I tried heating it to 275 via manual GCode. It was never able to hold the temp. it would reach 275 and then drop down and go back up. Plus, the fan made a load grinding noise that would subside when I would tap the center of the fan. Just like a cooling fan on a CPU or power supply that is about to fail. Serious QC problems. It is worth noting that they failed to stand by the original printer, and made me pay for a refurb. I only did so because I had a pretty good investment in their filaments. Still a beta company.
