Retrospective


What does the Makerbot do well?

  • Solid surfaces
  • Textured surfaces with only a mm or two of variance
  • Print from the SD card with .x3g files exported from Makerbot Print
  • ABS Plastic after kapton tape has been wiped with Acetone on a lint free cloth
  • PLA Plastic if filament is free-flowing and filtered and dipped in a bit of Canola Oil before being loaded into the extruder.
  • Supported arches, dangles, or baubles
  • Rafts.  Especially with ABS prints.  Double Especially with Helper Disks.

When does the Makerbot do less well?

  • Complicated surfaces with floating structures that stick out more than a 2 millimeters (Flu Virus with all the proteins)
  • Intricate intarsia support on delicate, coiled structures (flu virus RNA)
  • Print from MakerBot software (the software is a few generations old and while it can direct-connect to the printer, has more confusing customization)
  • Print ABS Plastic after PLA or some other non-ABS substance with no Acetone scrub (floats)
  • PLA from rando-coil or rando-spindle without dipping the tip in canola oil (jams)
  • No-Raft, no support

Actions

Do not touch anything in operation.  The platform is 110 degrees Celsius and the extruders are 200-230 degrees Celsius.

Let the extruders cool down fully (fans stopped) before turning off the makerbot.  Let the platform cool down completely before removing things (when hot, the plastic, especially ABS, sticks harder)

ABS models are a bit harder to make without "pulling away" on the edges and smell like burning plastic while being made, but the plastic is harder and won't warp at high temperatures.

PLA models are easier to keep flat and don't smell... but the plastic can warp at high temperatures and it's easier for the filament to get stuck in the extruder unless you grease it with Canola oil.