What's the Phone service like?

[fanplastic 0]

OK ... I am getting itchy feet just waiting for a response to a sales inquiry.

Is this an international number:

31345712017

I will be ring from Australia.

What's the waiting time on the phone like?

I just have a few simple questions I want them to answer, then I am ready to buy.

Is it worth ringing ... or is there a huge waiting time on the phone as well?

 

[Daid 306]

There isn't a huge waiting time, but the phone is only answered during dutch office times.

 

[fanplastic 0]

Thanks Guys,

I will bite the bullet and wait some more ...

I did send an email ... but now thinking, perhaps I should of made a ticket out of it or clicked on it, instead of copied and pasted it.

I know one thing ... the more I search on 3D printers ... I just can't pass on the Ultimaker. Even despite things that go hay wire as they do. (communication)

Another guy in the forum has been helpful ... Owen ... I think I will just buy the DIY kit and enough rolls to keep me going. I just wanted to know if I should be buying any other stuff is all to save having to purchase so soon after buying the kit. I was thinking because I want to get into ABS ... that I might need special extras???

Owen seems confident that I will have all I need to get started ... May I ask you guys ... the wiki construction guide that is now up ... is it the one that matches the current DIY kits now? If so ...

What do you guys think ... should I buy an extra roll or two?

It's all good ... all these repeated posts must have me looking like a nut case ... LOL

Not to worry ... if perhaps you guys could recommend weather I should get anything extra or just go with the upgrade kit ... V2 head and ulticontroller. Can I do ABS with the kit as is (if I keep the parts small?)

Seriously ... if you guys could just help me with weather or not to by anymore accessories, I would be ready to order tomorrow morning ... then I can leave you all in peace until say 6 or 7 weeks down the track

 

[Daid 306]

Being in Australia, you will be hit a bit by customs and expensive shipping.

So for PLA/ABS, I highly recommend finding a local supplier. The RepRap wiki has a huge list of material suppliers:

http://reprap.org/wiki/Printing_Material_Suppliers

Which could save you a ton on shipping. (The Ultimaker is not limited to only Ultimaker filament)

Fir parts, you don't need any of the upgrades. They are included in the kit already. The V2 hotend, V3 knurled bolt and the extruder upgrade are standard on new kits. The only thing you want to add is a UltiController and maybe a spare piece of teflon and peek. As those are easiest to get damaged, and the teflon seems to be subject to some wear when you are printing ABS, and with the long and expensive shipping to Australia you might not want to risk those waiting times.

 

[SandervG 1,521]

And lead time right now is approx 3-4 weeks (instead of 6-7), but we have big plans on bringing this down in a short period of time.. The wiki fits the kit that you are about to order, at the moment we are working on updating some photos.

But a combination of this awesome community, the wiki instructions and wiki photos should result in a fun and educational assembly. Oh, and not to forget the technical support team, who are happy to help you if necessary.

 

[fanplastic 0]

Thank You very much Guys.

I just received an email, and with this added information here; am now feeling a lot more confident to go ahead.

Just going to sort out the finer details and finances in the morning.

Perhaps another email ... lol

But it's all good now.

Thanks again "thumbs up"

Dave

 

[pablobell 0]

Hi Dave,

As a customer also living in the southern hemisphere (Argentina) I have some suggestions for you.

First of all, the Ulticontroller is really worth it. It will allow you to use the printer without a computer, which is really appreciated for long day and night printing jobs (for less energy consumption and noise). It also allows you to use different slicer programs, as the only one that works perfectly for direct connection is Cura. But there are others, like NetFabb, KSlicer or Slic3r and each one has its benefits and drawbacks. The UC is also very handy for calibration purposes. Buy it.

Speaking of NetFabb, as it does not have any shipping costs, you can make your first prints with Cura to get the feel of 3D printing, try the free version of NetFabb and then if you like it buy it. I like it because it's very customizable.

About spare parts, I have used the UM for 4 months and no part shows signs of wear. During assembly I overtightened the brass tube and broke it (https://shop.ultimaker.com/en/parts-and-upgrades/brass-v2.html). Be careful when tightening it, as I wasn't the only one with this problem. I would buy a spare just in case. And/or you can order the UM with an extra complete hotend, as some people keep one for using PLA and the other one for using ABS. But it shouldn't be necessary if you clean it when you do the switch.

About ABS, you might have good reasons to use it for 3D printing (such as higher temperature ressistance), but PLA has very similar characteristics and without a heated bed printing anything other than very small objects is next to impossible. You should be using ABS glue to stick it firmly to the bed (ABS + acetone or MEK).

And finally, you should also consider buying one or two extra blue tape rolls, as it might take you some time to find a local tape with the same texture.

 

[owen 19]

Hi Dave

See these guys for filament in Australia and some other like blue tape etc. http://bilbycnc.com.au/DispCat.asp?CatID=9&SubCatID=108 a great company to deal with.

Also http://diamondage.co.nz/?page_id=108 in NZ apparently they make good filament.