TomAtherton38

Thanks guys, Really appreciate your assistance re the MakerBot. My ex-colleague says the more recent firmware has helped massively with the print quality and reliability, hence why he loves it so much. I know he had issues with the extruder thingy early on but all seems sorted now. How about the UP Box? I know it is very similar to the UP Plus 2 in terms of software and the finish is superb. It has a door too, which will keep health and safety happy! It is closed source and I see your point but I wondered if anyone has used this too. The people at CREAT3D provide test parts too, so will have to gone some done on these printers. Must sort out some difficult STLs ;-)

Hi, I am a newbie regarding 3D printing, but have about 10 years 3D design experience in mechanical engineering so I am keen to purchase a 3D printer for my company but I need some assistance on choosing the right machine for the job. We need to make jigs and fixtures that are used by the workshop guys when assembling our products. They don't need to be super tough so I think PLA should be fine, but I need the printer to be reliable and have a good surface finish. I have been looking at the Ultimaker 2 Extended (build height might be useful in the future) from these guys because they also do training and someone referred us to them: http://www.desktop3dprinter.com/3d-printers/ultimaker-2-extended.html However, I have also seen parts with a good surface finish on the UP Box which is supposed to be great at ABS - http://www.desktop3dprinter.com/3d-printers/up-box.html Finally there is the MakerBot 5th Gen which an ex-colleague has used and absolutely loves: http://www.desktop3dprinter.com/3d-printers/makerbot-replicator-5th-generation.html I know this is the Ultimaker forum so people will no doubt be biased towards the Ultimaker 2, but I wondered what people's real world experiences were and if anyone has used the others to compare. There are loads of stats available from everywhere which can caused a bit of snow blindness, but some sound advice would help us decide I think. Cheers!