[Delays in shipping and communication]

Your delay could also be because you ordered extra PLA or other parts that where not in stock.

2 weeks lead time is insanely quick. At my current work place we have parts with 2 months of lead time. But then again, even with next-day-shipping people would complain. It's the nature of people.

(I do hope their new community manager gets active soon)

I would not complain about next-day shipping and very few people would complain. Next day shipping is the performance level any retail online sales business should strive to achieve. I don't know where you work, but two weeks is insanely SLOW, for a consumer item! I regularly purchase many similar items off Ebay, even from Asia, and my experiences have been very good there. Vendors that are slow to ship or don't meet their commitments receive negative feedback with notes to that effect.

The Ultimaker running average shipping estimator should be removed from the site. Even if the information is truthful, it's a running average and, as such, irrelevant when setting expectations for an individual customer's order and shipment, which is really all a customer cares about! Averages will begin a climb toward infinity, when shipping stops, due to a printer bill of materials item backorder for example. However, the running average estimator delays and obfuscates the disclosure of this sort of problem.

When I ordered, the running average said "4 days." Now it's up to 5 days and perhaps it's begun its climb "to infinity and beyond!" :( I'm at 6 working days (10 calendar days) now and have no idea when when I can expect shipment. Certainly the running average estimator provides no insight, except that it's increasing and that can't be good!

[Why is PLA Ultimaker-Preferred?]

Wow! Thanks for sharing your work, Joergen. That wide camera is super cool! When I was younger and fitter, I rode mountain bikes. Your invention is certainly exposed to significant shock and vibe!

I need to produce prints with the best possible finish, which might require post-processing in a solvent tank dip and following-up with a light bead blasting to restore the matte finish. The UM has very fine movement capability and I've read about 40 micron slices being quickly generated with netfabb. Do you feel that the atypically fine movement capability of the UM is an advantage, compared to an average 3D printer in this price range, when striving to optimize finish quality? From what I've read, calibration is probably the most important factor that affects finish quality. I've calculated that my part would now consume somewhat less than 1/2 lbs. of ABS maximum, but I plan to reduce that number by adding cavity "wells" in the part. I don't care if they take a day or two to print.

Again, I appreciate the time you've taken to help me.

-Cal

[Why is PLA Ultimaker-Preferred?]

Daid, Joergen, Thanks for your replies. Your assistance is immensely helpful!

Has anyone confirmed that the head can deposit ABS across the full 210mm x and y dimensions? I expect that ABS build volume would not be significantly different than PLA volume, but I always distrust specs, in any case. I might even find better plastics for this application but I also require colored plastic or at least orange and yellow--perhaps even the fluorescent plastic, which might be really cool!

>why their expensive product is a puddle with electronics on the passenger seat of their car.

This would be a problem for me too. I need to house electronics in an impact and heat resistant container. The passenger seat of some very hot US climates would be a problem but I'm an electrical engineer, rather than a materials or mechanical engineer, and I assumed ABS would not shatter as easily as PLA under impact. Maybe PLA would be sufficiently impact-resistant too, but you have alerted me to a very relevant limitation of PLA, Joergen.

[Why is PLA Ultimaker-Preferred?]

I also read this statement regarding the Ultimaker: "the company says printing with the plant-based PLA makes for a faster and more stable build." Okay, I understand faster and the lack of a heated factory-supplied bed, but what does "more stable" mean? Is it referring to the warping of ABS without a heated bed?

I'm interested in the Ultimaker for its precision and resolution but I need to print ABS for strength. I have no doubt that I can design, build, and add a heated bed. I've also read that putting a very thin layer of ABS cement on the bed can sometimes keep the ABS stuck down. This requires a glass bed, but might be worth a try. I expect to print very slowly for the best finish possible. Is there any reason I should avoid the Ultimaker?

I will also need to use the full 210mm build dimensions in x and y. Will the Ultimaker actually print to the spec dimensions with ABS? I"m not at all constrained in z in order to produce my intended application (~1" thick, low volume parts for a commercial device) so there'll be no problem in using a small amount of all that Ultimaker z-height for a good heated bed!

Thanks for any answers or responses,

-Cal