MAKE Makes a MakerGear

There are two kinds of personal 3D printer owners these days: those who like to build the printer from a kit and those who'd rather pay more for an assembled version.  

 

If you're one of the former, you'll be interested to know that MAKE Magazine is running a series of detailed posts describing their experience in building MakerGear's Mosaic 3D printer kit. The series, written by Sean Michael Regan, includes seven episodes: The frame, The X, Y and Z axes, The extruder, The Platform and The Electronics. 

 

As all MAKE Projects, this one is very detailed with plenty of step-by-step instructions, images, parts lists and tool requirements. Easy! 

 

Via MAKE

Hands On With The BFB 3000: Software

We're continuing to evaluate the BFB 3000 3D printer, this time we're focusing on the software experience. Previously we've looked at the unboxing and setup as well as its operation. 

 

Why focus on the software? Isn't this all about the printer itself? We believe the entire experience is important, from end to end. And that involves software, mostly, because you're not actually doing very much once you've hit the "print" button. Your experience with any 3D printer largely revolves around the software. 

 

What should the software do? Assuming you've already got your paws on a delightful STL file to print, the software should do these things for you:

 

• Permit sizing of your model and positioning on the build platform 
• Allow changes to the printer settings for different types of material or features 
• Convert your model into slices and then into printer movement instructions (usually referred to as GCODE)
• Enable confirmation that the conversion was successful by visually depicting the printer instructions
• Transfer the printer instructions to the printer and control the printer
• Provide feedback on print operations

 

That's not too much to ask, is it? But does your BFB AXON experience include all this stuff? 

 

The software associated with the BFB 3000 is AXON. AXON is basically a user interface layer built on top of the popular open source Skeinforge utility. Skeinforge is the software commonly used by low-end 3D printers to slice models and produce GCODE. Therefore, AXON is certainly capable of converting STL to GCODE, and even allows tweaking of the incredibly numerous Skeinforge settings. 

 

AXON comes with a set of default printing "profiles". These are pre-tested Skeinforge configurations that correspond to different types of printing. For example, you might have one for ABS plastic using 0.5mm layer height, or another for PLA using 0.25mm layer height with 15% fill ratio, etc. We found the default profiles to work very well. We feared long sessions tweaking Skeinforge parameters to gradually "dial in" to the right combination for our BFB 3000. However, since the 3000 is factory assembled, there is great hardware consistency between individual 3000's - thus a standard set of profiles actually works reliably.

 

One major problem we immediately encountered with the software was that AXON is Windows only. For our testing we ran AXON in Windows 7 running in VirtualBox under OS/X. Not exactly the optimum setup, but a situation where BFB 3000 owners might find themselves. The good news: it works just fine. 

 

We found AXON's scaling function to work pretty well, but the positioning functions were challenging. For these purposes and inspecting GCODE we simply used other tools outside of AXON (usually Pleasant 3D) that are easier to use. 

 

Of the list of functions above, one that is simply not done by AXON is delivering the printer instructions and controlling the printer. Instead of attaching the software to the printer, you must download the GCODE to an SD card (provided). The SD card must be physically inserted into the 3000. 

 

At the BFB 3000 control panel you can browse the files on the SD card (although this can be tricky as only the first eight characters of the filename are shown - and the display itself is actually smaller than the SD card!) A file is selected and then the printer executes the instructions and faithfully produces your model. While the SD card process works, it does introduce extra steps (literally) for you to do. 

 

The BFB 3000 we're testing includes two print heads - ideal for printing support material or a second color. However, there's a software limitation. As far as we can tell, the second head can only be used for support material. Color changes are not really possible, although the presence of two heads and spools means it's easy to physically swap filament between heads.

 

And what of the available third head? At this time it seems AXON doesn't really support it. We had fantasies of using Red, Green and Blue filaments and being able to print color objects. However, the software and file formats are many, many miles away from such capabilities. 

 

3D printing always takes longer than one suspects, and the BFB is no different. We've found printing takes much longer on the 3000 for several reasons: 

 

• The extruder speed is relatively slow compared to some other printers: 16mm/sec
• The relatively high resolution means more layers and movements are typically required
• The large build envelope means you're often printing pretty big things

 

Certainly AXON includes "high speed" print options at lower resolution, but usually you want high resolution - and that means lengthy prints. We're now quite familiar with the notion of two to four hour prints. The longest print we've attempted was seven hours, and the BFB 3000 successfully completed the print (Thingiverse's One Small Step) without any trouble at all.  

 

These long prints mean you're much more conscious of the remaining print time. So how does the BFB 3000's software provide this feedback? Not very well, we think. When your model is sliced it shows an estimated print duration in an AXON report. And that's it. The printer itself has no ongoing display of progress, other than the current layer height in 1mm characters. We'd like to see an estimated time remaining feature. 

 

Bottom line: The software experience on the BFB 3000 is awkward, but it does work. We don't really like the long chain of different software tools and platforms required to get a model to the printer, as this is a barrier for less technical users. The BFB 3000's hardware is wonderful, but the software could use some improvements. 

 

Final update: We've obtained some intelligence that BFB has been working on an imminent major update to AXON: AXON 2! We understand this new version will significantly improve the user experience. More on that when we can get our hands on it. 

Hands On With The BFB 3000: Operation

In last week's post we described the unboxing and set up of the BFB 3000 printer, which turned out to be a pretty good experience. Today we're discussing the operation of the 3000. 

 

If you're like us and have a dose of shiny object syndrome, you'll definitely like the 3000. It's a beauty to look at, with its smokey translucent panels, dramatic precision steel rods and sheer size. This item is approximately four times the volume of MakerBot's Thing-O-Matic, and that's where we'll start. 

 

The build platform of the 3000 is truly massive for a home 3D printer. With the single head version you'll be able to print objects as large as an amazing 27.5 x 27.5 x 21.0 cm! Of course, you'd be waiting quite a while to print something that big. The build envelope shrinks a tad on the X axis if you opt for the two-head machine (to 23cm) and even more if you add a third head. 

 

But wait - THREE heads? Yes, that's available. The model we're testing has only two heads, but that's twice as many as most 3D printers. The addition of a second head permits printing of support material that can be removed after print completion and thus enables many more types of shapes to be printed. 

 

Printing an object is a little different than using a 2D paper printer. You must prepare your "BFB" file (actually its familiar GCODE) and store it on an SD card that is subsequently inserted into the 3000's control box. An extremely tiny readout permits selection of the file and commences printing. We've invented an attachment for the 3000's control box others may find useful as you can see above. *Wink*

 

We found the prints to be of exceptionally good quality, even using default settings right out of the box. We used the 0.25mm profile, one of several highly tested configurations included that just seem to work without needing tweaks. Several test STL model files were included on the SD card. We printed the "duck" first, although apparently the tradition is to print a mug as your first object. The duck didn't object. 

 

The 3000 operates with some pleasant mechanical noises and is not nearly as noisy as some other 3D printers, but is no where near as quiet as the near-silent PP3DP Up! printer.

 

There's a "chip box" at the rear of the 3000 for catching those hardened drippy bits that cling to the nipple of the print heads, and our box is slowly accumulating plastic curlies as prints proceed. But this solution ignores another problem: the extruder drive is a screw that lies alongside the filament, and this seems to generate a great deal of teeny plastic detritus that basically settles all over the entire lower part of the build chamber, particularly on the print bed. There doesn't seem to be a good way to clean this stuff up other than the obvious: wipe it up by hand. Fortunately, it seems to stay inside the chamber and not fall outside. Very much. 

 

The print bed is not heated, but it seems very adequate for printing. We were amazed at how well PLA adheres to the surface. Prying off rafted objects can require some effort, and if you've somehow printed a large raftless object, we wish you well in getting it off. 

 

The 3000's stepper motors ensure high quality prints by precisely controlling the extrusions and head movements. This is evident in printing sparse objects such as this bracelet, which might be difficult on other less capable 3D printers. The 3000's hardware is top-notch. Custom made steel parts, slick cable guides and precision rods throughout ensure the machine is solid and reliable. 

 

We thought that the most amazing feature of the device is its reliability. We've been printing baskets full of items and had only a single failure - but this was caused by printing a thin object raftless that didn't exactly stick. You can see the horrifying result above. Moral of the story: don't print raftless unless the object's bottom is just enough to hold it on solidly, but not too much so that you can't get it off easily. We're using rafts as a default now. 

 

Aside from that single incident, the machine appears completely trustworthy, to the point where we routinely leave it absolutely unattended while printing. Printing larger objects overnight has become a common practice, and you're virtually guaranteed to have a nice shiny object waiting to be pried off the print bed in the morning. 

 

The bottom line on the BFB 3000's operation: This is a very solid, reliable 3D printer that produces high-quality objects virtually right out of the box. 

 

Next week: The BFB 3000's software experience. 

Hands On With The BFB 3000: Unboxing and Setup

Fabbaloo Labs has obtained a brand-new, two-headed BFB 3000 3D printer for detailed experimentation and evaluation. We'll talk about our unboxing and setup experience in this post, while upcoming posts will focus on the 3000's operation and software. 

 

The BFB 3000 ships in a rather large 38kg box. It's large for one obvious reason: It's already assembled! Mostly. Shipped from Bristol, UK the box arrived visually unscathed, and the "tip and tells" pasted on the sides confirmed so. 

  

The 3000 package includes a very professional hard plastic toolkit containing all the tools you'll need, including precision pliers, cutters, some really nice allen key drivers, a large metal lifter for cracking prints off the bed and some drill bits for purposes unknown. We'd suggest also including some simple carving tools and razor edges to complete the kit.  

 

While the 3000 is in fact assembled, there are a few things to do, similar in difficulty to setting up a 2D paper printer - removing shipping material that kept the mechanical bits from flopping around, etc. These steps are apparently shown in the single sheet of instructions included (click image for a larger, but still not entirely understandable view). This is one area we felt needed improvement, as the instructions were entirely visual and were too small to see exactly what was to be done in several cases. In the end we simply examined the unit and figured out what to do without the instructions. 

 

The 3000 is surround by foamy shocks that are easily removed as were the foam tubes securing the precision metal rods. Less easy to remove were the test prints, still left on the print bed as evidence the machine actually worked at the factory. We thought this was a very nice touch as it raised confidence in the factory assembly and immediately provided some cool prints for show and tell without having to fire up the machine. Three test prints were stuck to the bed: a tall twisty cylinder, a hex nut embossed with "B F B" on its sides, and a flat test pattern that clearly indicated two heads had been in operation. These prints immediately demonstrated the startling sticking ability of the print bed, since they went flying through the open sides when forcefully pried off when we used the flat edge lifter for the first time. 

 

The 3000 includes a control box at the front base of the device for operation, which we'll describe in a future post. However, we were quite shocked at the truly microscopic size of the display. In the image above we've placed a standard size SD card (actually the card included with the 3000) for a size reference. Is it even possible to get a smaller display than this? 

 

After shipping material was removed, test prints extracted and cabling completed, you can power up the 3000 - and it did so successfully at the first attempt. There were a couple of very straightforward procedures to ensure the bed was level and calibrate the extruder Z height, but after that the 3000 was ready for action. 

 

Total time for setup: with improved instructions, you should easily be able to get this unit printing in less than an hour. This is a very easy machine to unbox and set up. 

LMN Tech Studio Reviews Objet Alaris

Seattle-based LMN Tech Studio recently received a new Objet Alaris 30 3D Printer, and they've written up an extensive report on their experience with the device. Here's the highlights: 

 

• They're impressed with the build quality, resolution and smoothness of the printed objects
• They like the "lack of mess" and ease of use over comparable commercial 3D printers from other manufacturers
• The printer's maintenance regime is easy to learn and perform
• While billed as a "desktop" machine, it's really not suitable for an office due to the hot, aromatic plastic fragrance and moderately noisy machine movement sounds exuding from the device during lengthy print operations
• Builds are indeed lengthy, and LMN often runs them overnight. This is typical for complex builds for most commercial 3D printers, however
• LMN Tech Studio had some issues with the supplied software (Windows XP only, no 64-bit, minimal function only, had to be supplemented with other tools, etc.)

 

All in all, they say they are "very happy" with the printer. 

 

Via LMN Tech Studio

3D Printer Reviews for 2008

Our friends at RapidToday files hardware reports direct from users of several new (and some beta) 3D printers. Included in their report are:

• iPro 9000 - Is said to be much more reliable than the previous Viper Pro systems, but still has issues in the control interface.
• ZPrinter 650 - Has new features, but is mostly praised for its greatly increased reliability, but the user seeks more choice in build media.
• Alaris30 - Has transformed the business process of one company, but they wish the build chamber was larger and could use more than one material.

Via RapidToday

3D Printers Reviewed

Tim Pickup reviews several 3D printers in a recent post. Included:

• Prodigy Plus
• ZCorp 310 Plus
• ZCorp 450
• ZCorp Z510
• RepRap
• Fab@Home
• Desktop Factory
• V-Flash

Tim's conclusion: ZCorp Z510, based on object quality, speed and media cost. Evidently many 3D print service operations have come to the same conclusion, as we seem to bump into ZCorp printers constantly.

Via TimPickup

Car Artists Meet 3D Artists

The guys at Local Motors are definitely not the same as those you'd find at your neighborhood garage. They are a full on "vehicle design studio", and as you might imagine, they make use of 3D printing tech.

This time they've taken a road trip to visit the wildly artistic "Design and the Elastic Mind" exhibit in New York City. Their extensive report includes videos and insightful commentary, as is typical of the Local Motors Blog.

Via Local Motors