Well, not at all meaning to put down Prusa because I know little about them except they “look” cheap and made from printed parts (reportedly prone to parts frequently breaking), but I consider the knockoffs to be the machines coming out of China with broken-English assembly instructions (containing errors) and poor-quality parts. MakeIt is American-made and metal construction. I looked up the specs for a Prusa and it tops out at 50um, same as a better-made Sigma R17. Pharaoh prices are in their specs document - they’re very expensive machines with little to no reviews (same for the MakeIt) but fully-enclosed, large volume, active leveling, 10um resolution, better UI (to me) than antiquated push-knob LCD, and look pretty. The MakeIt printers are the only ones I’ve seen yet with 10um XY precision and 0.5um Z precision from the stepper motors (that old “you get what you pay for” thing?). “Mostly snake oil”…“mostly”, but not absolutely. I’ve seen 20um and 10um prints and they’re incredible - no layer lines and look injection molded. I’m not opposed to saving a few thousand dollars on a printer, but I must say I’m not keen to building and calibrating one myself, especially one that might not achieve the resolution I want. Most people seem to shop relative to price and printing speed. I’m shopping for print quality. I don’t mind a 10-hr print job that could have come off something like a Prusa in 2-hrs if the longer time yields a better print. I’ve looked at the TAZ 6, but that thing’s a beast and I don’t know where I’d put it. Maybe I could get some pros and cons opinions on things I’ve been evaluating as well as printer suggestions? I’ll start looking at Prusa reviews, but to be honest I’m not really a fan of that machine.
Single extruder versus dual extruder?
My last printer (Dremel Idea Breaker) was only single extruder and there were several times when I had wished for dual to print dissolvable supports. I’ve read dual can be as much a pain to calibrate as it can be a godsend for support material. I’ve been told a second extruder can knock into printed layers (probably only if not calibrated properly), but try including conductive or dissolvable layers in a print without dual extrusion. I don’t really have interest in multi-color printing, so color bleed (or “ooze”) isn’t as much a concern as keeping an open door for projects benefiting from a second extruder.
Delta versus Cartesian?
The stationary build platform and low inertia of a delta is mighty appealing and looks to produce much higher-quality prints (no Z artifacts or ringing) but I’m told they require more calibration (if not a pre-assembled machine).
1.75 or 3.0 filament size?
They each seem to have their pros and cons depending on who you ask and what material is being printed.
What I think I’m shopping for is: high-resolution (< 100um, < 50um preferred), dual extruder, active (or at least assisted) leveling, > 200 build volume (all directions), reliable, modern user-interface, and responsive customer support (at least Dremel was good at one thing). I even considered an SLA machine but ultimately dropped that idea due to build volume, the extra steps needed for curing and stuff, and the ongoing expense of resin and trays compared to filament spools. Name any printer and there will be good things about it as well as things it lacks. I’d already have a Sigma R17 ordered but don’t want to end up with the “Betamax” version of filament diameter, its firmware seems a little glitchy, and alas, it’s delayed from BCN3D with no ETA (preorder only, and who knows for how long). I’d already have a MakeIt ordered but it seems too much of a Prusa “kit” printer for its price despite the motor precision and resolution claims, practically zero product reviews, and I don’t like the UI. I’d already have a Pharaoh ordered but dang they’re expensive, no product reviews at all, filament spools are inconveniently located behind the machine, and they ship from Latvia with no customer support (scary). I’ve reached out to all 3 manufacturers and the only one who has responded (albeit intermittently) is MakeIt. BCN3D and Mass Portal…nothing. Not a good first impression of customer service.
I’ll at least initially be printing exclusively in PLA/PVA because it’s easier, more capable of fine details, and doesn’t have the warping/separation issues of ABS. But I’d like to keep another door open for printing with other materials later on. (Pretty much all the printers I’ve been evaluating handle PLA, ABS, PETG, and other “exotic” filaments.)
Thanks!
