Very bad experience with Noble. I own a 3D Portrait Studio in Florida called Cool Dims. We scan and 3D print people and their pets. In January 2016 we contacted Noble to test out their consumable 3D printing products. In February we rec’d our first order and began using their binder and cleaning solution. We later tested their powder as well. Detailed review below.
Noble Binder
We use the 3DS Projet 660. It has 5 reservoirs (for each printing color CYMK and W for clear). All together they hold about 8 liters of binder. We didn’t want to empty out all of the manufacturers binder (from 3DSystems) and buy 8 liters of Noble binder as this would be very expensive so we asked a Noble tech if we could mix the two together. He said we could. So we mixed in Nobles binder to the tanks and started our first print job with about 1/4 Noble Binder and 3/4 3DS binder. The first print and several print jobs after were satisfactory. So we ordered more binder from Noble. A month or so later we mixed in another 1/4th of Noble binder so our next print job had about half and half. Again, the next print and several after were satisfactory. At about the end of April through May we mixed in the rest of Noble binder and that is when the issues began. We noticed the models were coming out much weaker…ears and fingers would blow off during de-powdering. We also noticed a white residue on the figurines that could not be removed even after spending up to 45 minutes sanding. After troubleshooting this issue with Noble they determined that because their binder has salt as an accelerator and 3DS powder uses salt as an accelerator that the white residue we were experiencing was actually salt protruding from the model. Noble’s solution to this problem was to use their powder.
Noble Powder
Upon receiving Nobles “new and improved” Graphenite powder we noticed the instructions indicated to set the 3DS print software powder settings to ZP130. My machine is only a few years old so my software doesn’t have that setting. ZP130 is an older discontinued version of 3DS powder. It is not as strong and colors are not as vibrant as the new powder they currently sell which is the Visijet PXL. After receiving no responses from Noble regarding the printer settings we decided to give Noble’s powder a try with the PXL settings. The results were horrible. The colors were completely inaccurate and the models were even weaker then before. However, noble was right…there was no white residue on these models.
Noble Tech Support/Customer Service
Throughout having these issues I was in direct contact with Edward Aylward who is the owner of Noble. On some occasions he was very helpful and helped troubleshoot and resolve issues we were having. But on many occasions he did not respond to our emails, requests for updates, or phone messages. Most of the time we felt like we were just left hanging not knowing when we would receive our orders, answers to our questions, or our issues would be resolved. Finally, on 8/26/16 I rec’d an email from Mr. Aylward titled “The problem you are having with the consumables is our fault”. He further explained that due to a raw material problem on his end the products he had sold me were defective and that they were analyzing their formula and would be replacing the products. As of the date of this review I have never received replacement products or a refund, even after many requests for updates and status. Conclusion As of today I only use 3DS products in my machine. And since going back I’ve never had one issue with weak parts, color accuracy, or residue that cannot be removed. I don’t know any business owner who would admit to a customer that their products were defective and then do nothing to resolve the issue. I would never treat my customers that way. Is 3DS products expensive…yes. Are Nobles products much cheaper…yes. But in the end I ended up spending much more money throwing away models that broke during de-powdering because they are weak or faded due to the residue issue. The savings are just not worth it.
Hi chris, i order any powder from noble, and see that this powder didnt sepend well on the machine…the pieces literally broken…
I’m sorry you have also had a bad experience…was very frustrating and time consuming for me.
Chris hello,
Sorry this is not regarding Noble, but wanted to ask you if you can recommend me a good place to buy used Projet 660 printers?
I am in Mexico and have a 3d print service, but want to start doing full color 3D selfies. I only print right now in FFF monochrome.
Thank you,
