MakerBot 5th gen - Less than impressive results. Advice?

Hi all,

First, this is my first post on this forum.. so hello :)

We recently obtained a new MakerBot 5th gen and were really excited, but everything I've printed has not looked good at all. We tried to print a couple things off Thingiverse and they were very rough and stringy. The preloaded nut and bolt that is installed on the MakerBot itself also printed rough and stringy - so bad that you couldn't put the nut on the bolt. I've tried to reprint using different temps and speeds but have had no luck. I also tried using the exact settings we are using on a MakerBot Replicator 2 in a different part of our company and it still hasn't worked. What I find most frustrating is we also purchased a $320 M3D and its printing 10X better than the MakerBot... How can this be? I even had to send back an extruder after 4 prints / 24 hours print time.

Below are some pictures of our results. I've tried using rafts and support but our problems are with the parts that don't require support... The blue objects were printed on the MakerBot and the orange was printed on the M3D.

Thanks in advance.


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That does look really bad. I've rad (here and elsewhere that the Rep 5th gen is a good doorstop. Don't really know if it can be improved...

Well I called MakerBot and they recommended changing the x/z axis. I explained that it extruder is dragging a bit. After adjusting it twice - adjusted one click, printed... adjusted another click, printed - the prints are the same. I think you may be right about the doorstop option, which they conveniently left out ;)

While everyone's mileage varies with the 5th Gen series I've been getting decent results after my Z18 got it's 4th Smart Extruder. It's never going to compete with a liquid resin printer but that's not what we purchased it for. I use it for the occasional art project and building custom brackets and mounts.

6" tall trophy representation
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Bracket mount for a Mac mini
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If you can't get the extruder replaced by Makerbot take a look at the aluminum core where the brass nozzle is screwed in. If you have obvious gouges on the aluminum then the metal plate on the bottom of the extruder needs to be checked for a sharp edge on it's inner surface. A sharp edge digs into the soft aluminum and stops the extruder core from settling into the metal bracket correctly. This throws the calibration of the nozzle out the window, my first extruder was having similar problems to what you have shown.

Taking apart a Smart Extruder will void it's warranty but if you can't exchange it then you're kinda screwed anyways. Below are pictures of what my first extruder had suffered after less than a month of printing. It got to the point where it would home once in 15 tries. After sharing these photos with Makerbot support I was eventually sent a new extruder, but it was delayed for a month while my printer was down. After I polished the metal bracket and cleaned up the gouge in the aluminum I was able to use it for a month while I was waiting.

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I am never using Makerbot again. Their printers are bad compared to its earlier models and generations and they have a horrible customer support service.

Never say never, for you they may be dead but if they (eventually) build a Gen 6 that is totally amazing I'll definitely take a look at it. By the time I contacted them about my fourth Smart Extruder their support had gotten their second wind and was phenomenal. The extruder arrived the next morning, it had been pretested and has been working for over 1,100 hours. When my camera stopped working I received a new camera overnight, when that didn't fix the problem because of a pinched internal cable they sent the cable. I was told to keep the new camera.

While I have a reasonably functional Z18 there are many users who are still struggling. Have them fix the problems of the Gen 5 printers and roll those fixes out to their users, free or at cost to make amends. I'd like to see them come back with a more realistic growth projection and rebuild the trust of their installed base. I just hope they haven't buried themselves.

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Originally Posted by wkarraker

Never say never, for you they may be dead but if they (eventually) build a Gen 6 that is totally amazing I'll definitely take a look at it. By the time I contacted them about my fourth Smart Extruder their support had gotten their second wind and was phenomenal. The extruder arrived the next morning, it had been pretested and has been working for over 1,100 hours. When my camera stopped working I received a new camera overnight, when that didn't fix the problem because of a pinched internal cable they sent the cable. I was told to keep the new camera.

While I have a reasonably functional Z18 there are many users who are still struggling. Have them fix the problems of the Gen 5 printers and roll those fixes out to their users, free or at cost to make amends. I'd like to see them come back with a more realistic growth projection and rebuild the trust of their installed base. I just hope they haven't buried themselves.

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This right here. We've had our Z18 at work for only a few months, and already had to call support for a faulty motor and a bad extruder. Could not be happier with their support. I truly don't know what the big fuss is over them. I guess time will tell.

it is a real shame. Given how many people copied the original replicators (got two clones) that the company has come out with a product that has gone backward in many areas and overly complicated in most others.

When you look at the price of the 5th gen machines. They don't even include a heated build plate and the build area is easily the smallest in the price range.

When the chinese don't immediately rush to copy your printer - you know you've shot yourself in the foot !

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Originally Posted by curious aardvark

When the chinese don't immediately rush to copy your printer - you know you've shot yourself in the foot !

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Very true! I'm glad to see Taker-Bot auger into the dirt.

Hey all, just installed a Smart Extruder+ on the Z18, it's printing better than new. Flat surfaces are smoother, curves are nice too (left print old extruder, right print new extruder in photo). Looks like they did a rebuild of the hot end alignment mechanism, no more metal plate on the bottom and zero side to side movement. They also added a new top entry guide, I can now print with the lid back on!

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