Would a Robo 3d R1 be a good starter printer?

[swoop_ds]

I've been doing a lot of reading, youtube watching, and forum creeping lately.

I think the printer for me is a robo 3d R1 printer. Are the printers that ship now still plagued with little problems that need to be fixed? (there are a bunch of youtube videos about fixing little problems) and do the units still take a long time (multiple weeks) to ship?

Would this printer dissapoint me for a first printer or would it be a good start?

Thanks,
-Dave

[Auz]

Hey Dave I have an old Robo3D as well as the new Robo "R1" I got a month ago. They've made great improvements on the machine I noticed so many changes rite out of the box. Didn't have any problems what so ever. All I had to do was calibrate my z offset and she was printing beautifully. The new R1 is a whole new machine compared to my first one.

Don't let the bad reviews scare you as most are outdated. I love my R1 and it's incomparable for the price. Plus the 30 day return warranty and the 90 day parts replacement means you don't have much to loose if you don't like it. Hope you find what your looking for!

[swoop_ds]

Thanks Auz. . . I went ahead and ordered one today so fingers crossed it all works out great!

Is the software that comes with it all I need to get started? If not, what's some software that I should look into?

[Auz]

Yea it comes with "MatterControl". It has a simpler UI compared to other programs but still powerful.

It also comes with a "Getting Started" video to walk you through MatterControl and setting up your printer.

I watched many youtube video tutorials before I even touched a printer and it saved me a lot of time. look up videos on "slicer settings". I use the Cura slicing engine over Slic3r any day everyday. MatterSlice is just as good as cura just a couple different settings.

As far as which programs to look into.. I go back and forth between RepetierHost and MatterControl all the time.

I use matter control to slice my parts into .gcode files and use repetieir for running my prints most of the time. Each program is capable of standing on its own tho I just use both.

It'll take a bit, but once you get the hold of MC and RepeteirHost I would recommend the more advance software "CraftWare". Craftware has a built in slicing engine that is more in depth than Cura or Slic3r and has perfect breakaway support settings but is far more complicated.

If you don't know at all what Im talkin about you will know real soon haha it looks and sounds intimidating at a distance but 3D printing is a fun experience once you have the basics. The beginning may be some trial and error but you'll pick it up quick especially with a Robo!

Keep us updated on when you get your printer, how long it took to arrive, first prints. Robo3D has their own forums which have a nice little community growing your sure to get more responses posting about your Robo on there. There's also a Facebook page called "Robo3D Owners" run by customers that's usually active too. Hope your Robo comes soon! Happy printing!

[paradiddle65]

I've been doing a lot of reading, youtube watching, and forum creeping lately.

I think the printer for me is a robo 3d R1 printer. Are the printers that ship now still plagued with little problems that need to be fixed? (there are a bunch of youtube videos about fixing little problems) and do the units still take a long time (multiple weeks) to ship?

Would this printer dissapoint me for a first printer or would it be a good start?

Thanks,
-Dave

I've have an R1 for about 9 months now. I received my machine before any upgrades were made by the ROBO team. The ROBO 3D is an excellent machine for the money. Its by no means the best but its the best option at this price point.

Since you just purchased it, you'll receive the upgraded bed and linear bearings, as well as SD card capability I believe. This is a drastic improvement over my original. The only other problems I've had is the wires for the heating cartridge and thermistor breaking. When my thermistor broke I emailed the team and they sent me two new ones for free. I made the repairs to the heating cartridge myself without bothering to contact them.

Overall, the ROBO 3d is a great starting printer. Problems and a steep learning curve are a guarantee with any machine, so this is a great place to start. Also the ROBO3d forums are fairly full and active so, post there with any questions or problems.

-Brian

[ssayer]

I'm currently considering this model. Does anyone have any updated thoughts or opinions on it?

[swoop_ds]

I bought one and have since returned it. Their support is awful and the printer arrived broken...

I would not recommend them. Visit forums.robo3dprinter.com and check out how many threads there are of people trying to fix their printer and/or return it.

[paradiddle65]

I'm currently considering this model. Does anyone have any updated thoughts or opinions on it?

I still consider it a great purchase. The current revision of the machine looks solid, much more so than when I purchased mine. They're upgraded many aspects since its initial launch. There are also plenty customer created upgrades (printable and not printable) that are available on Thingiverse. The forums on robo3dprinter.com are great and a lot of information has been compiled on general use/ troubleshooting of the printer.

When I was initially looking into this printer I was also looking at the solidoodle of a similar price. I'm not as familiar with it now, but it may be helpful to check that line out as well. They were very similar to the Robo3d at one point.

[spaceman]

I still consider it a great purchase. The current revision of the machine looks solid, much more so than when I purchased mine. They're upgraded many aspects since its initial launch. There are also plenty customer created upgrades (printable and not printable) that are available on Thingiverse. The forums on robo3dprinter.com are great and a lot of information has been compiled on general use/ troubleshooting of the printer.

When I was initially looking into this printer I was also looking at the solidoodle of a similar price. I'm not as familiar with it now, but it may be helpful to check that line out as well. They were very similar to the Robo3d at one point.

What would be the next best printer then the Robo 3D with same build area????

[LambdaFF]

Printrbot has real good support. The Metal plus I own has been great from the start.