Printer to replace Z18

[pa9k]

Hi Guys,

Weve been having a lot of issues with out Makerbot 5th gen Z18. Imagine that!! Anyway I think were about ready to dump this thing and get a replacement printer for it. So I'm looking for suggestions.

Heres what we are looking for in a printer.

1. Large build volume. The z18 has a 12"x12"x18" build volume and sometimes even that wasnt enough. Doesnt really need to be bigger but cant be too much smaller than what were working with now.
2. Ease of use. Must be relatively hassle free, push a button and print operation. I dont mind tweaking some settings or whatever but this is for work so I cant be spending hours working on this think like I am with our Z18.
3. Speed. The faster the better. I do not care at all about how low of a resolution it will print because well never use it. I print at the largest resolution our Z18 can do because we want stuff printing fast. With an average print time of 8+ hours and many 20+ hours faster speeds would be really nice.

Any suggestions will be appreciated and considered. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

[Umpa]

Wanhao D5 might be worth a look if you want to go PLA.

[Magicolor]

WANHAO D5S MINI seems fine, but I don't think the D5 is a good option,
it is too tall and there is no support structure in front of the frame,
I am afraid it shakes in printing process.

Why not considering Ultimaker 2 Extended ?

[pa9k]

WANHAO D5S MINI seems fine, but I don't think the D5 is a good option,
it is too tall and there is no support structure in front of the frame,
I am afraid it shakes in printing process.

Why not considering Ultimaker 2 Extended ?

EDIT (Sorry just realized the following question has already been answered): I agree with you on the D5S, plus being open means we could not do abs or nylon correct? Not that that alone is a deal breaker but seeing as most printers can do those materials its something worth considering.

The ultimaker 2 seems like a quality piece, however i noticed that the filament is 2.85mm. I have never seen this size before and dont want to get locked into a situation of were the only ones that make the filament for this printer so we can charge whatever. Are there other options for 2.85 filament, or would we be able to run 3.0 filament in the ultimaker instead?

[Magicolor]

To print with ABS and nylon, high temp hot end, hot bed, enclosed printer body are a must,
or else you can only print with very small objects.
So Wanhao D5S series are not for you,
they are not equipped with hot bed, and have a not easy to enclose printer body.

And for Ultimaker 2, 2.85mm filament is not a common specification indeed,
I think you can confirm the compatibility to them.

[Nicos.s]

I checked Wanhao D5, it should be unavailable for ABS because of the open room and build plate.

[Umpa]

I checked Wanhao D5, it should be unavailable for ABS because of the open room and build plate.

Yes thats why I said if you go PLA. The open cover and the fact it has no HBP. the D5 mini has the same limitations. Do you really need the build volume of the Z18 ?

[curious aardvark]

have a look at the other: 'what to replace z18 printer with' thread.
Think we covered most options.

Although as the forum search says z18 is too short a word to search for - good luck finding it :-)

[pa9k]

have a look at the other: 'what to replace z18 printer with' thread.
Think we covered most options.

Although as the forum search says z18 is too short a word to search for - good luck finding it :-)

I found this thread, not sure if its the one you meant but it has some good replys.

http://3dprintboard.com/showthread.p...er-build-areas

[Estela]

Do you really need this big build size12"x12"x18" ?

If the size is not the big problem, I think you can find one easily.