5th Gen - Review and Head to Head with Rep 2

[American 3D Printing]

I've been really busy so I haven't been back here in a week or so.

Waytoomanyhobbies, you're welcome, and I tend to agree.

Geoff, thanks for following along and commenting. I appreciate it.

Saifprints, you can download and print a tabletop spoolholder that I designed that will fit Makerbot's old 2kg spools and Lulzbot spools from our account on the thingiverse here, and you can download one that i designed for Taulman spools (and also works for Filament Central spools) here.

As I wrote above, Makerbot support has shifted to a model where they really want you to buy their Makercare. I will say that in general, they have been (tried) to be helpful to me, and on a number of occasions they have sent me free replacement parts for our Rep 2s and instructions on how to perform the repair.

I seriously doubt anyone can build with Ninjaflex on a 5th Gen. After having dissected the extruder, I just don't see how that design will accept it. The Rep 2 might be able to be modified. I saw a video somewhere about how to modify the Rep 2 nozzle to accept Filaflex, which I believe is substantially similar to Ninjaflex. I had to buy a specially designed extruder for our Lulzbots to build with Ninjaflex. The issue with it is that you can't really "push" it because it is so flexible.

[saifprints]

Hello Jeff

I found on this blog, that they printed with ninjaflex on 5th gen printer. Also, more on the same blog.

thanks

[Assaf]

Hi,
Here are my thoughts and questions...
I saw a post of MB in Linkedin that promote Gen 5 owners to buy a spare extruder, I find it disturbing and even kind of ridiculous - they sell their printers in the high prices range (some would even say overpriced) and except their customers to buy an extra extruder??? Its like an automobile company asking you when you buy your car to buy an extra motor...

Sailprints, the pic shown in the blog showing prints of Ninjaflex cannot be considered (too my taste) a good print but I think they do suggest that with some tweaking of the profiles some good prints are achievable.
Jeff, do you have first hand experience with Taulman Bridge or t-glase with the 5th Gen Makerbot?

[American 3D Printing]

Hello Jeff

I found on this blog, that they printed with ninjaflex on 5th gen printer. Also, more on the same blog.

thanks

Interesting, I am surprised that the guy got it to extrude at all. Ninjaflex is so limp you really can't "push" it like you can with a more rigid material like PLA.

[American 3D Printing]

Hi,
Here are my thoughts and questions...
I saw a post of MB in Linkedin that promote Gen 5 owners to buy a spare extruder, I find it disturbing and even kind of ridiculous - they sell their printers in the high prices range (some would even say overpriced) and except their customers to buy an extra extruder??? Its like an automobile company asking you when you buy your car to buy an extra motor...

Sailprints, the pic shown in the blog showing prints of Ninjaflex cannot be considered (too my taste) a good print but I think they do suggest that with some tweaking of the profiles some good prints are achievable.
Jeff, do you have first hand experience with Taulman Bridge or t-glase with the 5th Gen Makerbot?

Hi Assaf, no. After Makerbot support told me that using ANYTHING other than genuine Makerbot PLA would void the warrantee, I have decided I don't want to do anything to my customer's machine that might void his warrantee.

[American 3D Printing]

I did find a crude workaround to the problem where the auto-homing at the beginning of each build doesn't work right.

Basically, you wait until the first layer is being laid down and observe it. If it looks okay, then leave it. But if it is too high and isn't sticking, you take a pair of slipjoint pliers and turn the threaded rod (from the bottom where the threads will never be used). Same thing when it is too close and jammed against the bed, not extruding, turn the rod the other way.

As viewed from above, clockwise on the rod reduces the Z gap and CCW increases it.

[American 3D Printing]

HOLY MOTHER OF NON-SUPPORT!!!!!!

Pardon the all-caps, but I just got this email from Makerbot:

Thank you for working with MakerBot Support
Case Number: 00222903

---

Hi there, We haven't heard from you since the Technical Support Expert you were working with reached out about 10 days ago.
Has your issue been resolved? Let us know if there’s anything else related to this issue which we can do to help. If you do not, this case will automatically close in 5 days, at which point you’ll need to open a new one in order to proceed. Please note that should you need to open a new case due to inactivity you will need to provide us with case #00222903 in order for us to relate that case with this one. If this is a Single-Issue Support case, you will need to pay the $100 fee once more.
Best, MakerBot Support

$100 for one support case? Who do they think they're kidding?????? How am I supposed to sell their gosh darn printers if they won't even stand behind their product when it is DEFECTIVE?????

[wpilgrim]

HOLY MOTHER OF NON-SUPPORT!!!!!!

Pardon the all-caps, but I just got this email from Makerbot:




$100 for one support case? Who do they think they're kidding?????? How am I supposed to sell their gosh darn printers if they won't even stand behind their product when it is DEFECTIVE?????

As much as this should surprise me…. It doesn’t, at least not with the type company Makerbot has morphed into. What I find funny however is the fact that they can take days, and weeks to respond to support tickets, but if you don’t respond in two weeks then they shut it down and would ask for a repayment to reopen.

How about they refund the 100 if they don’t answer in a timely manner? Or even a more novel idea, how about they don’t ask you to pay money to fix the broken thing you already paid money to own. As much as I absolutely love my rep 2, I loathe what this company has turned into..

[WayTooManyHobbies]

I really actually feel bad when I look at our Rep2X churning out parts. We passed on the 5th gen machines when it was time to add capability, and I don't see us going back to Makerbot. The new software is poor, and the machines don't live up to the cost.

Incidentally, I teach evenings at a local University. The Engineering department purchased several 5th gen machines, and for the last week one has been sitting idle with its detached extruder lying in the center of the build plate.

[Geoff]

HOLY MOTHER OF NON-SUPPORT!!!!!!

Pardon the all-caps, but I just got this email from Makerbot:

$100 for one support case? Who do they think they're kidding?????? How am I supposed to sell their gosh darn printers if they won't even stand behind their product when it is DEFECTIVE?????

Pure insanity...