The printer has arrived!
The shipping weight is right around 80 pounds and the box is rather large, so this is not something you can just muscle around.
Unpacking and First Impressions
Unpacking the printer and accessories went fairly smooth. There’s a
large ‘quick-start’ guide that I always look for when unpacking new
products. Each step is easy enough to follow, lift unit out of box,
snip zip ties securing shipping foam, plug in unit, etc…
Quick start instructions to get you going. Maybe unnecessarily large, but fairly clear and helpful.
3D
Systems’ CubeX Duo printer just after being removed from shipping box.
The top cover is not in place yet and the shipping foam is still in
place on the build platform along with other misc. packing material.
After removing the printer and setting it on it’s table, I begin to
remove the last of the packing foam and material. At first glance
everything looks pretty well thought out, a very ‘finalized’ design, if
you will. As I’m putting in the build plate (which is VERY necessary
and not clearly noted, more on this later), I notice that the 1/4″
aluminum plate that the build plate sets on is fairly scuffed up.
Nothing that would seem to affect performance but just visually, it
looks like it’s seen better days. I work as an engineer in a precision
sheet metal house and we would never let a part leave the building
looking like this.
Close-up of damage to the aluminum plate that the build plate sets on.
When I see things like this, it always makes me wonder if a quality
control process is involved and if it is, how does one ship something
like this out with a good conscience? On one hand, will it
affect performance? No, probably not. Can you even see it with the
build plate in place? No, not really. But on the other hand, a thought
is triggered that asks, “what else have they let slide?” Answer: at
least two other things that I have noticed.
The second is another smaller problem that doesn’t really affect
print performance, but it will drive you nuts when printing. While
printing a smaller object the extruders were moving very quickly with
short extrusion paths. The actual motors aren’t offensively loud during
normal printing, but there was a rattle coming from the printer that
seemed out of place. Upon further inspections, I found that if I put
both hands on the sides of the printer the rattles stopped. I then
found there are eight allen bolts that secure the outside covering to
the metal internal structure. Six out of the eight bolts were loose
enough for me to tighten with my hand and to allow the covering to
rattle. Again, not a major fault, but makes you wonder. All bolts were
tightened using an allen driver that was included in a accessory tool
kit very quickly.
The third problem that caught my eye is driving. Me. Insane. On
the front panel, there is a white plastic, adhesive-backed piece that
contains a soft-touch button and the LCD. It’s the second most
noticeable feature on the printer after the windows that are cut out so
you can see the build plate and model. As someone who is a
self-proclaimed expert phone screen protector/sticker applicator, I
almost can’t take it.
Notice
the gap on the right between the white face and the translucent frame,
and the overlap of the white plastic piece on the translucent trim piece
to the left.
The white panel was applied incorrectly and now overhangs
the translucent frame on the left-hand side, while creating a gap on the
right-hand side. While the picture may not do it justice, it’s very
noticeable in person. I do believe 3D Systems has a great product here.
However, that doesn’t mean they can let the small details go. Without
trying to seem too condescending, the frame creates a template for the
white panel to be located. Line up the top edge, let the panel adhesive
begin to touch, recheck the side edges and adjust, then apply the rest
of the panel. Should be simple. I’ve seen two guys apply a 28
foot-long decal on the deck of a power boat with amazing precision.
This should be almost impossible to mess up. Almost. If I was
sure I wouldn’t deform the panel or ruin the display, I would remove
that panel and redo it myself. Mis-aligned anything is a huge
distraction for me. Between this and the scuffed metal plate, there has
been some disappointment on the finish of this printer. I spent the
extra money over the MakerBot and other higher end 3D printers thinking
that this would trump them all in terms of fit and finish. I have not
seen any of the other printers in person so I can’t say one is better
than the other, but things like scuffed and scratched parts and crooked
pieces can leave the door open for other manufacturers. Hopefully my
problems are simply due to being released so early in it’s production-
my printer was in the second batch of printers released from the
factory.
3D Systems includes a few extras with your printer that were unexpected, but appreciated.
Included tools and accessories for using and maintaining your CubeX 3D printer.
Included in the handy foam-lined case are:
- 3 allen head tools for the various bolts on the printer
- a pair of snips for removing supports and extra material from your model
- a pair of needle nose pliers for removing extra material (I’ve also used them to get stray pieces of plastic that have come loose during printing)
- a scraper to facilitate removal of your model from the build plate, and to scrape any extra material from the build plate that may stay behind
- a wrench to adjust the bolts that adjust the attitude of the build plate
- sandpaper for scuffing up the build plate surface
- a 2GB usb drive for transferring your build files from your computer to the printer. It also come preloaded with the Cubify Invent 3D modeling software and user manual.
- drill bits to help remove material in the extruders should they become clogged.
- a card that includes your registration number to activate your Cubify Invent software
There are also two 2.37 fl oz. (70 mL) bottles of adhesive with foam
applicators. The adhesive is put down before printing begins and
is supposed to help the very important first layer of plastic adhere to
the build plate. If you mess up this layer, the rest of the model could
be ruined so it’s important to have a nice, accurate first layer. It’s
a good idea in theory, I’ll describe my experience later in this
review.
I’ve heard people make a big deal about having to register your CubeX
with Cubify on their website. I say, “who cares?” It took less than
five minutes and was not a hassle at all. Once your account is created
and your printer is registered, it provides you with your printer
device, serial number, the day it was manufactured, and the day you
activated it. Your Cubify account will also keep track of your model
uploads and downloads, as well as any outstanding orders you have. I
could survive without all this, but it’s a neat supplement.
First 3D Prints
One
very important thing that I believe does not have enough attention
drawn to it, is that you must have the build plate installed before
moving the build plate assembly, either in a program or manually. There
is a magnet that is embedded in the removable build plate that is used
to stop the plate before it runs into the extruder heads. Without this
plate, there is nothing that alerts the printer that the build plate is
going to strike the extruder. Always have the build plate in place when
moving the build plate assembly up or down.
After reading through most of the instructions, I felt I had a good
idea of how to print a part. While this is my first 3D printer, and
this is my first print, I have been having parts printed for years as
well as researching the different printing processes during that time.
My first part was a small connecting arm for an iPad mount that’s about
2″ long and 1″ wide at the widest point. As per the instructions, I
put down 3 layers of glue, uploaded the file to the printer and let it
rip. It was less than successful. The first layer didn’t adhere to the
build plate and all and just started dragging. After numerous attempts
varying the part size and glue amount I called support. They recommend
that I adjust my z-gap distance. Z-gap is a setting that controls the
height of the extruder head from the build plate during the application
of the initial layer. It is noticeably smaller compared to the layer
thickness used for the rest of the model. I used a few different
techniques and the one I found that works best is to narrow the z-gap by
moving the build plate up and sliding a piece of paper around under the
extruder tip. After the paper first grabs, increase (as in move the
build plate lower/away from the extruder) the z-gap by 0.15 mm. The
manual says only 0.1 mm, but just from what I’ve experienced, the that
extra 0.05 mm made a difference.
My first tall print was the Water Tower replica that 3D Systems
supplies as a demo file on the ‘fine’ resolution setting, which is a
0.1mm thick build layer. Aside from a few stray threads of plastic, the
model turned out pretty nice. The smaller details turned out great and
are clearly visible in person. I was worried leaving it over night
because it was a 10+ hour long print and I felt I felt the need to
monitor it, but it turned out great. With future over night prints I
would not be so lucky. However, 3D Systems has included a cool feature
that, to my knowledge, is not found on many other printers. The CubeX
can actually pause the print job. This allows you to go eat lunch,
possibly check a feature you might be unsure of, or of course pause it
for the night.
The
Water Tower replica that is supplied by 3D Systems. This was a 10 hour
print on the highest resolution, which is 0.1 mm layer thickness.
My next model was a bit more ambitious. My previous position was a design engineer at a boat company called MTI.
They build high speed offshore catamarans with big power, but I’ve
always had an affinity for the old wooden runabout ‘barrelback’ hulls
(and anything really) from around the 1950′s. In my free time I
designed this 38 foot single stepped v-bottom in full scale using
Solidworks. I’d been itching to test this out as a 3D model but as with
any manufacturing process, a few minutes spent planning in the
beginning can save you a lot of time in the end.
Because
this hull has a V shaped running surface, the print would require
supports all along that surface so that the material doesn’t sag as it’s
being extruded. This is not necessary with every surface that widens as
you go up, but this did need them. I believe if the surface is slanted
~50 degrees or more away from vertical, supports will be added by the
Cube software automatically. If you use PLA and ABS in your printer, you
can use one for the model material and one for the support material and
they should break away clean.
Screenshot
of my 38′ hull I designed in Solidworks. It has enough room for twin
staggered SCi motors from Mercury racing, BPM shaft drives, and a
rudder. Not your usual equipment for a boat with this styling.
As is typical in boat manufacturing, I split the model in a top and
bottom half (hull and deck). This allowed me to build the hull upside
down so no supports were needed, while also providing more surface area
to be on the build plate. Keeping your first layer adhered to the build
plate is critical in all models, however, maybe more so with larger
models. Future plans include scaling the model so that the hull and
deck are printed in separate sessions so each can use as much of the
build plate area as possible, and also laying the halves out diagonally.
Hopefully that will result in a 12-14″ long model. Not bad.
Screen
shot of 3D System’s included software that generates the extruder
paths. Fairly easy to use, graphics could use some upgrades. My main
problem is that only zoom and rotate are possible, no pan. So if you
have a part that is on one of the edges of the plate and you want to
zoom in on it, certain viewing angles may not be possible. As a
professional CAD user, the missing pan ability is pretty annoying. You
can also see some of the support ‘posts’ the hold up areas around the
cockpit opening and windshield. These are cut away after printing.
The software the generates the path for the extruder is fairly simple
and straight forward. When positioning the model on the build plate,
the software will let you know when the model is outside the boundaries
of the extruders by showing a box on the build plate. Once the model is
sufficiently inside that boundary, it disappears. Models can by
rotated around all three axes, but the software will not tell you the
best orientation. By that, I mean it will not tell you how to orient
your model to minimize the number of supports or to minimize the stratus
lines that can show up (as shown on the model in the screen shot above,
ahead of the cockpit/windshield). As you can see, the software will
tell you part size and location on the plate (the model has to be
selected for this to show), what materials you have loaded in your
printer, selected layer thickness, mass of finished model, and estimated
time to build the model. I’ve found this to be somewhat accurate, the
actual build time is about 10-15% longer than the estimation. After you
select to have the path generated, a window will pop up and tell you
exactly how much of each material is used, and then also the total
amount which is later listed on the left margin as shown.
After I applied what I thought to be the correct amount of adhesive
to the build plate, which is not that much, I loaded the file from the
thumb drive and told it to let ‘er rip. The raft went down almost
perfectly, one or two paths were a little askew, but nothing to throw
the print off. After the red PLA material went down, it was time to
start printing the actual model in the white PLA.
On my printer which is a CubeX Duo, my first extruder works great.
My second isn’t quite lined up correctly and has to be monitored when
if first starts printing. There is a mechanism in the back right of the
printer that is meant to knock of residual material from the extruder
tip before it begins printing. Like I said, the first extruder works
great. The second extruder actually sets on the scrubber
mechanism instead of behind it, like it’s supposed to. These causes the
small amount of material that’s extruded right before it begins the
actual print to build up in a thick puddle and can sometimes pull the
raft material up, or randomly come loose during a print and then mess up
the model. As of now, my current solution is to let it knock against
my metal ruler as it leaves the scrubber. After that, it prints fine.
I haven’t had time to call support and ask how to remedy this, but I’m
sure they’ll be able to get me going.
I have the printer setup at a table in my office that’s about six
feet from my desk at work. I try to get a print started before my
regular start time then let it run while I do other things. Motor noise
isn’t terrible, but I wouldn’t say it’s a quiet machine. The main time
it’s loud is when the extruders are moving at a high speed, normally
when switching areas of the build plate, or starting a new layer. It’s
fairly quiet when it’s actually printing. Two people could hold a
conversation at a normal volume while it’s running, but it’s not ideal.
It gets pretty bad if you’re manually moving the extruders or build
plate. I try to keep that to a minimum during normal business hours, or
have my door shut.
Back to my hull print…
Success! Just over six hours in print time at medium resolution, which is a 0.25 mm layer.
Fresh 3D printed hull and deck still on the build plate.
In the picture above, notice the small ‘posts’ that help support the
deck around the cockpit opening. The same support is used underneath
the windshield as it curves backwards. The filament became a little
detached toward the top middle of the windshield, but other than that,
it came out great. This model was about 9 inches long and was printed
with the ‘medium’ resolution, which is 0.25 mm thick layers. The
‘coarse’ setting on the printer is 0.5 mm thick layers and the ‘fine’ is
0.1 mm thick. There are also four different options for a fill inside
your model. You can choose “None”, which means aside from supports that
will be removed, the model is hollow. There are three others that
range from “Thin”, “Medium”, and “Thick”. If your model needs some
structural support, you can choose to have it filled with a pre-loaded
fill pattern to help increase stiffness and strength.
3D printed scale hull and deck parts, fresh out of the printer and partially free of the extra raft material.
The stratus lines on the deck are fairly visible in this picture.
One thing I would like to see in the CubeX’s print software is an
option to choose the direction and orientation of the layers. On the
hull, you can see how the stratus lines (or build lines) go along with
the length of the hull fairly well because of the drastic changes in
height along the hull. On the deck though, the different layers are
very noticeable because of the very subtle changes in height. I would
like to have the extruder run length-wise on the deck rather than in
loops. I believe this would avoid the ‘iso-line’s that look like
different pressure zones in a weather forecast. One way to remedy this
is to print the model at a thinner layer thickness (higher resolution).
Another option I found on the internet is to submerge the part in
acetone for a few minutes. The acetone will ‘melt’ the ridges on the
model and should help to smooth the surfaces and provide a glossy
finish. I have only read about this and have not tried it. I’m also
not sure how you handle tolerances if your part requires precise
dimensions. Another variation involves heating a large jar or container
with acetone it with a hot plate with the model suspended above the
liquid and allowing the fumes to do the work instead of the liquid.
This is obviously something I do not recommend and should be attempted
in a well ventilated area free of open flames.
This hull model was just printed three days ago. My next order of
business is to sand away the raft material so the two halves can be
joined together flush. I’m unaware of a better method to separate the
material, and this will be a question in my next email to support.
