I ordered my Solidoodle Workbench on 11-13-2014 and received it on 2-5-2015... only after a friend in Moscow called the CEO of the company and convinced him to get it shipped. (And from what I understand, many customers are still very frustrated that Solidoodle keeps backdating their original shipping estimates, with no real explanations.) The machine seems to be fairly well-made, especially for the $1,300 price tag... however, Solidoodle remains to be a headache to deal with, at best.
My machine arrived packed in expanding foam shipping bags, and there were tiny foam particles covering every inch of the printer. I did not receive the colors of ABS filament that I ordered (not even close). The glass bed had obviously been printed on 2 or 3 different times, but I assumed that could be from test prints prior to shipping.
There are no instructions are documentation with the machine... everything I have has been found online, and mostly from various forums (not the Solidoodle website). SoliPrint still does not support the Workbench, so I downloaded Repetier-Host Solidoodle v0.85b. The Solidoodle website does have information on how to set up various older models of their printers, so I used some of that information (mixed with information from various other resources) to finally get my printer working. But it's still not right. My MakerBot Thing-O-Matic printed better than this machine does... but I'm certain that I'll get the bugs worked out.
I've tried to contact the company with setting information for Repetier-Host software, but I only received a very simple email that pointed me to the exact same links that I used from their website... NONE of which refer to the Workbench model (only the 6x6 and 8x8 models... not this 12x12 model), and one of the links is actually not available anymore. Again... trying to receive information from this company is EXTREMELY frustrating.
On the positive side of things, I must say that I was surprised that the Workbench comes with a nice 15-element LED light strip built into the top of the chassis (something I certainly didn't expect, and isn't mentioned in their ad for the machine). It also comes with 3D-printed side handles attached to the top of the frame, which are a nice touch (if not really necessary). The wiring is done very nice and neat, and most of the exposed wiring harnesses are covered in cable wrap.
Once I got my machine set up, and the drivers and software installed on my computer, I fired it up and jogged the axes around... to find that the Y axis would not move. The stepper motor simply made a grinding noise. I assumed that the drive belts were too tight, so I adjusted the tension and alignment of them. No help. What I eventually did to fix this problem is loosen all 3 drive belts of the Y axis and force the carriage fore and aft on the slide rods. It was very stiff at first, but loosened up after just a few repetitions. I then re-tensioned all 3 drive belts, and all axes now work great.
There are a lot of 3D-printed parts on this machine, which is something I'm NOT particularly fond of. Some of the printed parts aren't all that great to look at, but I'm mostly concerned about the alignment and proper geometry of the parts, versus machined or off-the-shelf parts (which would increase the cost of the machine, undoubtedly... but make for a much better machine). 3D printed parts that I really don't care for include the carriage that the dual extruders sit on (which includes the X-axis slide-rod bushing holders, the filament cooling fan body, and even the Z-axis limit switch that is part of their "Soli-Touch" technology, and seems very spartan at best)... and both of the Y-axis carriages (which include the Y-axis slide-rod bushing holders).
The 3D printed parts that I don't mind are the nice little side handles, and a couple of clips that hold the wiring harness onto the back of the printer chassis. And on a very odd note, I will add that the rear-mounted spool holder brackets are actually injection-molded plastic (as is the control board housing). I'm sure that these are off-the-shelf parts, and not something that Solidoodle farmed out to a production company... otherwise, why are the X and Y axis carriages 3D-printed? Probably the most high-tech component of this machine is the 3/4" PVC pipe that is supplied as the spool-holder rod. But it is comforting to know that if you have any plumbing issues in your home or office, you have 9-1/2 inches of pipe available to help with repairs. :)
The control board housing is covered with a nice piece of acrylic (or Plexiglas), so you can see everything... and again, the wiring is done quite neatly. The 360-watt/30A power supply has no apparent way to be fastened to the machine, so it's sitting on my desk right behind the machine. I'd much rather it be mounted to the printer... which it will be, eventually.
During recent print attempts I have noticed that both of the Y-axis belt idler gears (the gears that are not powered, at the front of the machine) move up and down ever-so-slightly in their adjustable-tension brackets during operation. This movement is not something I like. This is something I'll remedy, if for no other reason than to make me feel better.
I do have quite a few photos of the machine on my Facebook page, which include the entire process of setting the machine up... if anyone is interested in seeing what your own machine will look like. It's in a public album named Workbench 3D Printer, and the link to my Facebook page is in my profile.
At any rate, I simply wanted to share this information with anyone who is interested in (or still waiting for their) Solidoodle Workbench. If there is anything I can answer for anyone, please just let me know... because the company isn't too keen on answering questions. And hopefully this thread can be a help to Workbench owners from other Workbench owners in the future.
