Many issues

[sthacher 0]

I seem to be having a lot issues with the Ulitmaker 3 extended right out of the box.

 

1. 2 of 3 nozzles were clogged on arrival one AA core and one BB core. So PVA wouldn't extrude at all right out of the box...looked like it had been used with black PLA or something.
   
2. Active leveling seems to fail almost every other time. (Yes I have lowered the bed using the thumb screws, also have cleaned the nozzle tips as well...no I don't want to manually level the bed on my 5,000 dollar 3d printer that has auto leveling)
   
3. When I do manage to get something to start printing it fails because the ultimaker spools of filament seem to unwind themselves after about 5-6 hours of printing...this in turn causes a the spool to get tangled and boom another failed print.......
   

 

For something that I paid just under 5K for, sure doesn't work well at all. Are there any solutions to these problems before I start working with my reseller to take this thing back.

[SandervG 1,521]

Hi @Sthacher,

Thank you for your post and welcome to the forums.

Sorry to hear you are having some difficulties with your Ultimaker 3 Extended.

1; the nozzles are being tested before we include them with your (or anyones) Ultimaker, so it is possible that there is some black filament coming out of them. But it should only be PLA, and it should not block your nozzle. Why do you think they were blocked? Could you describe your process installing the print cores?

2; It is recommended to first do a manual level and then, if you want to, use active leveling to finetune the remaining off set. What firmware do you have? In the latest firmware active leveling has been approved.

3; What do you mean it untangles after 5-6 hours print? Is it not still plugged in the feeder at that point? In general, regardless of the length of a print, when you remove filament from your feeder there will be some tension on the string. There is a variety of solutions for this, one of them being to print such a small clip and secure the tip.

Good luck, and if you could give some additional information I am sure we can help. Alternatively, your reseller or the sales partner in your country should have trained staff to help you out too.

[MCQ-UK 0]

On 16/01/2017 at 4:56 AM, sthacher said:

I seem to be having a lot issues with the Ulitmaker 3 extended right out of the box.

 

1. 2 of 3 nozzles were clogged on arrival one AA core and one BB core. So PVA wouldn't extrude at all right out of the box...looked like it had been used with black PLA or something.
2. Active leveling seems to fail almost every other time. (Yes I have lowered the bed using the thumb screws, also have cleaned the nozzle tips as well...no I don't want to manually level the bed on my 5,000 dollar 3d printer that has auto leveling)
3. When I do manage to get something to start printing it fails because the ultimaker spools of filament seem to unwind themselves after about 5-6 hours of printing...this in turn causes a the spool to get tangled and boom another failed print.......

 

For something that I paid just under 5K for, sure doesn't work well at all. Are there any solutions to these problems before I start working with my reseller to take this thing back.

 

Sharing your pain...

 

We received two faulty UM3 Extended units this week - supplied by leading reseller in London.  The first failed with an X axis limit switch failure - approx 20 mins after unboxing.  £4.5k machine!

 

The replacement had print core issues and motor issues.  It went completely off track.  That was returned also.  Two machines in one week  - that's statistically awful, for any business. The QA process at Ultimaker would appear to be failing miserably.

 

Lost faith in the product / company.  Have now moved to Form 2 from FormLabs.  Completely different experience.  Different animal but at least it has the build quality.  I can't say that for the mostly plastic UM3 - I now consider the unit a triumph of form over function. 

 

Also hated the tacky childish robot printed sides - these are for business (in our design studio), not printing toys.  Lose the silly robot images.  Suggest Ultimaker design team elevate their standards.

 

First exposure to Ultimaker as a business and UM3 Extended as a product - deeply disappointed.

 

MCQ.

[SandervG 1,521]

Hi MCQ-UK, thank you for your post and sharing your experience. 

I'm sorry to hear the Ultimaker did not meet your expectations. Sounds like the reseller offered you good service, replacing two machines in a week. 

 

Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy the Formlabs and it will give you what you need. Good luck!