No love from CNN (Page 1 of 2)

If I were at Solidoodle.  I would have an optional case frame upgrade to make it look like it could sit on a desk in an Engineering department.  That's the only thing that seperates it from the Makerbots and IMO what keeps them from getting adopted into the corporate world where the real money is going to be.   I just read an article yesterday about Ford's plans to put a makerbot on every Engineers desk on how they're using it to prototype car parts. 

http://gigaom.com/2012/12/21/ford-engin … u-get-one/

I understand and appreciate the entry level pricing that has allowed me to get this, but for them to "take off" I would think they need a option that can target that market.  I don't think I could get my CEO to let me put one in my department yet because it looks like a hobbyist machine.

I have the case as well, don't get me wrong it doesn't look bad, but it's not as slick looking as the Replicator 2 or the Cube3D.  Think of your laserjet or even the inkjets that were on every desk.  It can't look like a 1990s dell with a hinged window.  It needs to look sleek, cool, techy, polished, finished, etc.  Whatever word you want but there's a reason why 3D systems and Objet all have fancy cases and hide the wires and control panels. 

Then those of us who work as Engineers could get the polished version for work, and have the bare bones version for home, and we'd be experts already by the time we started using it at work. 

I bet I could present the Replicator 2 today along with the story about Ford putting one on each desk and they'd let me cut a PO today.

For the price of the Replicator 2 I would rather have something like a Form One sitting on my desk.

Functionality is key for the engineers, appearance unfortunately plays a role for the purse holders at least where I'm at. 

I'm not saying completely enclose it and lock all the doors.  I still want the bare bones electro galvanized enclosure so I can have one in my house, but I'm saying if they put an extra $200-$300 price tag on a industrial model and buttoned it up a little with covers and wire management and doors it could be a commercial hit as well as a hobbyist hit.  There will be exceptions but there is a reason that Makerbot is getting all the press and it's not because they do anything better than SD.  Just PR and marketing. 

I'm loyal to SD since they gave me this opportunity at a price point I could justify.  I'm just trying to offer suggestions to make them a more sucessful company.

Or for $1200 you would get the DoubleDoodle.

I totally agree.  I have two Solidoodles, and two cases that I am about to recycle.  I made 3 plexi panels that I hold on with magnets.  Easy on, easy off, and easy to see what is going on.

All this takes is a $1 PTFE tube between the extruder head and the back of the printer.

That sounds like it might work.  I'm not sure there would be a way to mount the PTFE tube to the stock SD setup.  I also feel like the filament need to feed into the extruder from the side instead of the top.

http://www.aol.com/video/3d-printing-is … d%3D251623

well solidoodle was skunked again

I also have the case for my SD2 and agree with some of you in that my only complain with the case is that it needs some sort of door on the top. It sucks having to take off the cover just to change filament. I no longer even keep it screwed on.

Aside from that I think it does have a professional form factor that would be perfectly acceptable on any business desk.

Kudos for Beck covering the makerbot and 3d printing, even tho I can't stand him. But that is outside of the scope of this forum so I'll stop there.

I've been looking into making a quick vaccuum forming box to get a domed acrylic top on mine and if it worked maybe sell little care packages to those interested.  It looks fairly simple but they all say use an electric oven not a gas oven to heat the sheet.  Can't find the reason why and I have a gas oven.