Want to buy UM2+ but have some reservations and questions please

[vince805 4]

I think you should buy whatever you are more comfortable with. From reading this thread that seems to be the zortrax, however, you also seem to be comparing the zortrax to the um2 print quality rather than the um2+. I never had a um2 but from reading a lot here there seems to be a difference in print quality out of the box between the two.

[cloakfiend 995]

Lol, I looked at the zortrax printer too, but came to the conclusion that unless it will use dissolvable support material then there really is no point. and it doesnt. its not difficult to get a good print on a um2 and i feel i could even match a um2+ print, hence no rush to buy any upgrades. i use my um2 out of the box, well its got an ob but thats it, no new feeder or fan. i have my flawless method to printing and thats that. i never get failed prints rarely use support and print hollow. in reality i paid more than i wanted for an expensive machine, but its open source so i dont pay for anything else. i buy my rolls of colorfabb which lay about for years and when i feel like printing i do. i get good deals on my filament and would personally hate proprietary stuff that limits you.

i came to the conclusion after producing near flawless pieces for over a year on my first um2, that i didnt see much room for improvement and bought one for myself. when the um2+ came out i didnt care because i got my um2 sussed out.

if you dont get a duff um2+ then i doubt you will need to maintain it much over the first two years if you treat it right. I saw loads of videos on youtube of people using um2s recently and simply shook my head in disbelieve as they abused them. 3d printers have delicate areas, if you damage them then things go wrong. My advice is if you want good looking prints dont go quicker than 50mm/per sec period. fdm is not about speed but price per print. i may get a formlabs style printer if my sculpting improves, but the fact that everyprint needs support means you waste tons of resin, which is very expensive. just my thoughts.

Edited May 12, 2016 by Guest

[DidierKlein 729]

 

I am unsure why you think a zortrax m200 gives better prints. I have seen same/better results on the Ultimaker 2.

 

So you have seen zortrax prints and compared them with um2+ prints of the same object in person?

 

I have both printers, i'm sorry i didn't take time to read all of the detailed answers to this topic (you guys are very detailed in these! )

So first of all yes the zortrax gives awesome results, they do seem better if you compare a zortrax print with a regular UM2+ print (in PLA).

To me this is due to the material used mainly, so i did some prints with mostly the same settings as used in zsuite with some Ultimaker ABS.

I don't have pictures but my conclusion is that the finished result is basically the same.

ABS prints look better than PLA prints, the layers show less.

What i like on the zortrax:

- quality of the prints

- Good handling of ABS (of course)

- Easy to use

- ZSuite is good at generating supports

What i don't like on the zortrax:

- Raft is mandatory because of the perforated plate

- Plate is not easy to clean and will need to be changed after a while

- Closed source (that's my main problem actually)

- Proprietary filaments although it seems you can even print PLA with it but you loose warranty if you print anything else than their filaments

- ZSuite is slow and to limited in parameters

- No temperature or speed control during the print

So overall i would say:

If you are looking for a printer with good quality and aim to print only ABS then go for the Zortrax

If you are looking for a printer with good quality and aim to print with different materials and want more control then go for the Ultimaker 2+

[SandervG 1,521]

'- No temperature or speed control during the print'

Is it only during print or in general? I believe the makerbot 5gen doesn't allow any temp and speed settings does it?

I don't understand how this could be an appealing idea, a 3D printer is a versatile machine that should allow you to make things.. not fence of options. Options over limitations!

[Ronan 58]

'- No temperature or speed control during the print'

Is it only during print or in general? I believe the makerbot 5gen doesn't allow any temp and speed settings does it?

I don't understand how this could be an appealing idea, a 3D printer is a versatile machine that should allow you to make things.. not fence of options. Options over limitations!

It's appealing to first time users (it's called the Apple Symptom, ease of use, no customizability). Once someone is done printing a few 'plastic gadgets' they soon realize the mistake they made in buying one of those printers (or an iPhone).

[jameshs 42]

looking at the gnome photos - if you are after print quality then the white one wins surely - look at the red one above the nose - not crisp at all. If you are saying that the zortrax is visibly better are you sure you labeled the photos right? - it is well known that a white print shows the layers 'worse' but look above the nose to see which is the crisper!

They are both good printers - you will not know which really really suits your workflow until you have had one for a few months, so I think you just have to plump for the one that feels the most 'right' for you and let us know which one works.

I have 2 UMOs and have not yet felt the need to upgrade as they still produce everything that I need. I am astounded at what they can do quality wise, and print usable things in PLA that I hang my body weight from (so super strong).

But, and here is the big but, most big development leaps I see are in the materials - and every new material I throw at my UM - some are harder to get to work than others (flexible took me a while, but now work to produce usable parts) and nylon were a challenge (no HB - but now there are a few I can print with).

In three years I have thrown everything at my UMs and am still vv happy with them. I would personally only compare them to a Taz 6 rather than the Zortrax.

But most people who buy one of the top printers actually ends up loving them - so jump in with no fear and whichever you like will be good in the end.

Just curious - how is the similar conversation I assume you are having going in the Zortrax forum?

[gr5 2,168]

If you have a neighbor with a Zortrax who is willing to come over to your house and get it working and fix it then definitely go with that. Otherwise I would go with the Ultimaker. Zortrax is slower from UM I hear from people who use both. A lot slower. maybe that guy is wrong somehow. And lately Zortrax support is very slow I hear. Zortrax I hear is amazing with ABS and Ultimaker is amazing with PLA.

[LePaul 321]

There's a ton...ton...of support for the Ultimakers.

Many of my friends are squeamish about the price of the Ultimaker and then opt to try printers that are 1/3 the price. Then spend countless hours trying to make basic prints work reliably instead of doing fun things!

I think your choices boil down to this...support and consistent quality over a wide spectrum of materials.

[622548 1]

I believe that what you should think about is the overall quality and support for when something goes wrong. Like someone in this feed said, ZorTrax has a lack of spare parts and you may only use the filament from them or your warranty will void. I think the um2 would be a great choice if you are looking for a printer with awesome print quality and customer support.