Support quality

[zmaster 0]

Hi everybody,

I'm about to buy my 3d printer and I'm really interested in the Ultimaker. The product seems to be of good quality, is fast, has enough build volume, etc.

I was not really happy to see that the UM doesn't have an HBP so i contacted Ultimaking to ask if they had any plan to sell them.

I then discovered that some heated pcbs that have almost the right size (20x20cm) already exist and are being sold from various e-shops.

The problem is that i got no answer at all (despite the ticketing system). Now i'm a bit worried...

It's not that i think that i could buy the UM and never receive it. But let's say that they forget to ship one motor, or a component is defective. Do they provide an acceptable support at least to paying customers?

I'm entusiast about what these guys have done and I'm really happy they managed to start a company. But you know, i'm going to spend 1500€ on this thing and i don't want to regret it. :roll:

[ddurant 0]

I think they're pretty swamped trying to get machines out and probably get a bit behind.. I know they were advertising for support people to work there..

Out of curiousity, why do you want a HBP? Are you planning on printing with ABS?

 

But you know, i'm going to spend 1500€ on this thing and i don't want to regret it.

Yes, I do know! I know exactly!! I bought in on batch 1 and haven't regretted it at all..

[mr_seeker 0]

I think they're pretty swamped trying to get machines out and probably get a bit behind.. I know they were advertising for support people to work there..

That is correct. I am pretty sure that they hired someone to answer the support tickets, but that can take some time. If you happen to have defective hardware, they will send you a replacement free of charge (in some cases the customer bought a replacement locally, and ultimaker paid it back). Also the community is really willing to help if you happen to have problems.

I am sure that they are working on a HBP, but it wont be on sale unless they are sure that it meets their quality standards (heating quickly, easy to use, ...)

[Daid 306]

They could be swarmed with mails. They recently hired extra people and moved to a new building. I don't know when you mailed them, but the message might got lost somewhere.

To give an example how busy they are, when I ordered mine, it arrived in 5 weeks. People that ordered a month later had to wait 8~10 weeks.

They are working on a HBP, because we've seen them already. But they still had tape on them, so they aren't perfect yet. There where aluminum plates you could place instead of the plexiglass plate. They are also experimenting with glass, which should work great. They sanded the glass so the material really sticks to it.

[zmaster 0]

Out of curiousity, why do you want a HBP? Are you planning on printing with ABS?

 

Yes, i think PLA will often be ok but i will probably make some stuff that will be exposed to 60°C or even more. I've read that the PLA is not appropriate for such temperatures.

[zmaster 0]

Thank you for the feedback guys.

Nice to know they're working on a HBP, i suppose it will be available as an upgrade.

Now i just need to take my decision.

[owen 19]

Out of curiousity, why do you want a HBP? Are you planning on printing with ABS?

 

Yes, i think PLA will often be ok but i will probably make some stuff that will be exposed to 60°C or even more. I've read that the PLA is not appropriate for such temperatures.

Yep, I made a phone holder for my car and it went very soft and then shrunk/warped when it cooled down (first day) I think it was about a 30C day. Totally unusable after.

[Daid 306]

Yep, I made a phone holder for my car and it went very soft and then shrunk/warped when it cooled down (first day) I think it was about a 30C day. Totally unusable after.

The insides of a car can quickly get up to 60deg on a hot day. The sun sort of turns it into a oven, even with the windows turned down a bit.

But it should be possible to print ABS without a HBP.

[zmaster 0]

Yep, I made a phone holder for my car and it went very soft and then shrunk/warped when it cooled down (first day) I think it was about a 30C day. Totally unusable after.

The insides of a car can quickly get up to 60deg on a hot day. The sun sort of turns it into a oven, even with the windows turned down a bit.

But it should be possible to print ABS without a HBP.

Exactly, that's what i had in mind: a custom part to install inside a car. Your direct experience confirms my theory.

On a side note, just ordered my Ultimaker. It will be a long wait.