MakerBotReviews of makerbot.com

My Makerbot Replicator 2 has been a great first prototype machine. Its paid for itself a hundred times. Repair & upkeep have been pretty good as well. When I've had a problem I can't resolve, the Makerbot techs have been right there to guide me through troubleshooting and getting the right replacement parts. My biggest problem has been and still is keeping builds with larger footprints on the platen - once one corner lifts the part is shot, and building a raft just wastes that much more material on top of it. I've tried several published tips/tricks, but nothing eliminates the problem.

The printer is great easy to use excellent for small size pieces If you want to print a large size item (a piece that will fill the plate) then this is not the best option due to bowing when the material contracts IF Maker boot could create a more stable material and avoid this kind of issues it will be the perfect unit My unit is encapsulated to avoid drastic changes on temperature, but I still have the same problem when I print large units

I’m one of the original owners of a MakerBot 3D Printer. In the last 15 years I purchased four other 3D Printers, including an upgrade to A Replicator Plus. The mechanical reliability and ease of use is so excellent, the MakerBot machine is the only one I currently use. The only problems I can point to have been in ordering materials. Log in security was such a nightmare, I had to call MakerBot help lines more than once to straighten it out. I assume this is a particular problem with MakerBot, because it hasn’t occurred with any other online log in security I've used. It should be noted the latest version of MakerBot Print software no longer allows me to transfer my CAD Fusion 360 drawings in one step to an .stl MakerBot printing file. Finally, i’ve never been able to make a clean print from a MakerBot laser scanner. It seems like an insufficient software issue. In conclusion, however, I love my Replicater Plus. I’ve used mine to repair numerous household items, build housing for electronic devices, robots, toys and jewelry. Thingiverse is a brilliant idea, and I use it frequently for ideas and fun builds. I’m forever excited about the creativity the MakerBot Printer stimulates.

The product has some shortcomings as do most (all?) 3D printers. However, MakerBot support makes up for them.

Equipment works great,except I cannot successfully connect the Tough PLA Extruder and make it work. I have 2 of them, and they are useless.

Though I have not had to get further support from Makerbot, that area was the weakest link. The printer works great and I have not trouble getting filament quickly from their website.

Makerbot is a great printer! It is a little slower than I expected and I was disappointed that Makerbot PrintShop is no longer supported. It is very easy to use. We printed Christmas ornamaments with 140 students with little problems. I would recommend.

I have spent six years building reprap Prusas, fiddling with Lulzbots, etc and I was always frustrated by the number of variables that had to be covered in order to print consistently. My FTQ % (First Time Quality) was in the low 50's even for things I was good at printing. And if I was going to print a full plate? Forget it, the odds were very against me not having a filament jam or sputter or something. The Z18 just prints. I load up a clean STL, set my settings the way I want, hit print and I am on my way. I know a lot of people complain about this printer but I have no idea why. I have printed out a full plate of 40% infill 5 shell parts that took 36 hours and it just nailed it. I have done that more than once, in fact. The downside of having a $200+ extruder is not an issue for me, it gets amortized into my print costs, which are very low thanks to the reliability. My only complaint really was that I ordered a 10 pack of the Makerbot PLA just to make sure I could come up to speed with mated material and I have had more problems with their PLA than I have had with all the weird PLAs that I get off of Amazon. Kinks, breaks, tangles, just not worth more than 2X the price of other material. Overall I am thrilled with the print size and reliability. It has a built in "Test" feature where you can print a quick 12 min calibration object which is wonderful. Now I sacrifice 15 min when I load up a new reel and I know that it's ready to roll, no need to check in all the time. I have even run out of filament, re-loaded new filament and started back up again with no problems at all.