<![CDATA[SoliForum - 3D Printing Community — Solidoodle Workbench Reviews - Can't find any...]]> 2015-08-13T14:59:00Z PunBB https://www.soliforum.com/topic/12028/solidoodle-workbench-reviews-cant-find-any/ <![CDATA[Re: Solidoodle Workbench Reviews - Can't find any...]]> Yep starting to walk talk follow basic instructions and do cute things. It is growing and useful tasks just around the corner.
The other aspect of designing a consumer product especially an emerging fast technological change one like a 3d printer is expected or planned obsolescence. In 5 years we will all likely want a new printer because the new ones well likely be faster print more materials and have a better surface finish. Therefore  parts of said  machine are not designed to last 10 years.
But they should last a few years trouble free. 
Tin

]]> https://www.soliforum.com/user/6775/ 2015-08-13T14:59:00Z https://www.soliforum.com/post/103489/#p103489 <![CDATA[Re: Solidoodle Workbench Reviews - Can't find any...]]> That is true... The consumer market units are still young.

]]> https://www.soliforum.com/user/11757/ 2015-08-12T04:00:35Z https://www.soliforum.com/post/103440/#p103440 <![CDATA[Re: Solidoodle Workbench Reviews - Can't find any...]]> I think design flaw may be a bit harsh. The reality is that companies  like solidoodle , asterid (plastic scribbler) and folgertecch to name a few are doing there best to deliver a quality value priced product to the consumer.
Now here is the rub up until about a decade ago 3d home printers were unheard of  they were expensive industrial machines costing tens of thousands of dollars.  then the attempt to enter the consumer market units costing thousands were available the higher end consumer lower end pro are sill in this price range. now we are in the $500 -$1000 range for most consumer machines. So one has to be able to Buy all the parts for $ 300-400 then 3-4 hours to assemble test pack and ship the item .  Somewhere in their rent has to be paid profit made sales marketing and tech support, and R D expenses covered. So another $300 in the mix for that.
So the builder has to balance quality of each part and the finished product with the bottom line.
A 3d printer is a learning lab you learn what works what does not work so well and upgrade as needed.
Tin

]]> https://www.soliforum.com/user/6775/ 2015-08-12T01:10:32Z https://www.soliforum.com/post/103429/#p103429 <![CDATA[Re: Solidoodle Workbench Reviews - Can't find any...]]> @blazin_penguin Thanks for your input!

I noticed on the Solidoodle web site that Solidoodle 2,3 and 4 have replacement parts but the Workbench, Apprentice and Press does not. Is there some level of compatibly with those products?

]]> https://www.soliforum.com/user/11757/ 2015-08-11T21:40:36Z https://www.soliforum.com/post/103419/#p103419 <![CDATA[Re: Solidoodle Workbench Reviews - Can't find any...]]> I have a workbench, I've been using it for about 6 months,  I had no issues printing with it right out of the box, I started out with ABS but now do mostly PLA.  my printer DID come with a fan for PLA, and I have been extremely happy with its performance.  I find it better for large items then small detailed stuff, the nozzle is 0.4mm diameter, and last I checked they didn't have options for smaller nozzles.  If you want higher performance I'm sure someone has done a E3D upgrade by now.

One small issue is the auto bed leveling, when it checks the measurement mine tends to push the probe up about a mm, so I have to keep my finger on it. I'm thinking of seeing if I can make a little optical circuit so that it will have touch-less sensing. (and then possibly selling the design to Solidoodle ;-) )

I have only used the dual extruders for a couple of projects, and I noticed that it did tend to ooze quite a bit, but I have no reference point as to other printers. 

Other then that I had a bit of an issue with the layers delaminating somewhat, but it turns out I just needed to oil my z-axis.

Overall, I am very happy with it, and it has met all of my expectations.  it has been quite reliable so far.

]]> https://www.soliforum.com/user/7376/ 2015-08-11T20:58:34Z https://www.soliforum.com/post/103417/#p103417 <![CDATA[Re: Solidoodle Workbench Reviews - Can't find any...]]> with enough research, determination, a few tools and maybe a little help from others, most things are "fixable" and/or upgradeable (unless a part is completely broken/destroyed - in which case it is usually replaceable). smile

You may want to do a bit of digging around and see if maybe you could find a used one? One that someone got frustrated with because they couldn't make it work right & have given up on.

I have two Solidoodle 4's, both purchased used and both modified for better operation - one is very highly modified, the other only has a couple of mods done to it - so far. I also have a Folgertech 2020 Prusa i3 with a few modifications, and we have a Solidoodle 3 that was seriously damaged in shipping - still debating on what to do with that one - scrap it for parts or attempt to fix....

The problem I have with buying new is spending so much initially, only to spend more to make it what it should have been to begin with. Buying used, you save some of that initial cost and don't feel bad about making changes to it (and probably voiding any warranty) to make it better. Not to mention the wait times involved with buying new from SD... minimum of 8 weeks, could be several months....

All that said, I can understand the appeal of having a brand new machine, untouched by others.. yeah, it would be nice. but the almighty $ is a big factor for me.

]]> https://www.soliforum.com/user/10399/ 2015-08-11T15:33:06Z https://www.soliforum.com/post/103404/#p103404 <![CDATA[Re: Solidoodle Workbench Reviews - Can't find any...]]> I would mainly use PLA for the most part. ABS for some of the Quad copter parts and RC model/parts. I have some prototyping I would like to do that it would be nice to have the full print size for. I likely could have a smaller printer and print in parts instead but I like the idea of being able to print one piece vs parts.

I don't mind tweaking the printer. Seems like no matter the printer you are going to have issues at first. I bet printing such a large print area will have challenges in itself. Hopefully they are fixable instead of a design flaw of the printer.

]]> https://www.soliforum.com/user/11757/ 2015-08-11T15:09:51Z https://www.soliforum.com/post/103402/#p103402 <![CDATA[Re: Solidoodle Workbench Reviews - Can't find any...]]> First of all put solidoodle workbench in the search block and search this forum.

In general solidoodle seems to slip in between the reviewers.  I own an sd 4 and like it mostly. Still stock after a year.

Here is my perspective  on the machine based on my experience and reading here for almost a year.

What you get a large format that will in theory print a 12" cube. And it has dual extruders.

Factory service not a great rep but I think they are trying to improve IMHO better since the dust settle from introducing 3 new models at once.

Sd will tell you it will print either ABS or PLA but here is the rub  ABS likes constant air temps  and beven bed temps lest i warps or peals up . So you get best results with an enclosure.  And as you can see the WB is open. And if you want to us pla it is best printed with a layer fan. Again not a standard feature. And if you want to print higher temp/higher strenght materials  you need to upgrade the extruders and modify the firmware  and you may need a larger power supply as well.

The carriage parts on the SD are 3d printed so you need to go to thingiverse and download the files to print new ones. The factory ones do crack or break.

Software:  I use repetier  Have not heard a lot of good about the new software but again I believe they have updated it and worked out at least most of the bugs.

Bottom line with any SD product expect to mod it at least some for best performance. An as far as help just post here.
Tin

So I'm in the market for a new 3D printer and seen that the Solidoodle workbench is perfect for the printing I would like to do

What size and type of prints are you wanting to do and do you know what material ?
One review  here
http://www.3d-printer-knowledge.com/sol … uder-1299/

]]> https://www.soliforum.com/user/6775/ 2015-08-11T13:31:50Z https://www.soliforum.com/post/103395/#p103395 <![CDATA[Re: Solidoodle Workbench Reviews - Can't find any...]]> From what I have sen around here it is not without issues and requires some work to get going and get it to print at an acceptable level.  I have seen lots of help and mod discussions around here for it.

]]> https://www.soliforum.com/user/7731/ 2015-08-11T03:08:32Z https://www.soliforum.com/post/103381/#p103381 <![CDATA[Solidoodle Workbench Reviews - Can't find any...]]> So I'm in the market for a new 3D printer and seen that the Solidoodle workbench is perfect for the printing I would like to do. Its should be future proof for me for sometime. Though as I been doing my research I have found it hard to find any reviews for this printer on the web. I have seen a few videos on Youtube but nothing in-depth. Before I make a purchase I just want validation from a 3rd party. Is it just not a popular printer? For the most part it seems like no one is covering it.

]]> https://www.soliforum.com/user/11757/ 2015-08-11T02:59:54Z https://www.soliforum.com/post/103380/#p103380