Ultimaker dream over before it started

[macua85 52]

To say i'm gutted would be an understatement....I followed the painting guidance on the wiki and really wish I hadn't. When assembling it took a little more force than I would have liked due to the panels having swollen a little. Then this happened:

 

I don't know what to do. Will ultimaker sell me a wooden parts kit, can they?

 

So disappointed, I've waited 4 months for this moment.

 

Advice welcome

 

[valcrow 144]

aw :/ sad to see.

I think your best bet would be to get that panel laser cut at a local laser cutter place. At least that would be the fastest way.

 

[macua85 52]

Hmmm, its hard here, I live in Shanghai China and cant speak any chinese so have no idea how/where. I'm prepared to buy another wood parts kit, but just not sure if it can be sold to me. The irony is I had some damaged wood parts in the kit too, so already inquired as to whether I can get/buy another kit but as yet heard nothing back. This situation just makes the new kit mandatory!

 

[valcrow 144]

Just point at this and go "laser- pew pew"?

https://github.com/Ultimaker/UltimakerOriginal/tree/master/1002_Front_Panel

Only joking... but how would you operate in china anyways without being able to communicate with anyone? Someone you know speak chinese for you?

 

[macua85 52]

I just get by. Apps for taxi which show in chinese. I;ve only been here one month too, need to learn a bit of the language. But I dont know where to go to get this kind of thing done. If Ultimaker would entertain it, it would be much easier for me to buy another wooden parts kit

 

[zoev89 73]

Did you open a support ticket? If not do so. Then my second bet would be try to call them to speed things up. I had a incorrect laser cut front frame and I had a replacement front panel in 4 days (note I live in the Netherlands so postage does not take long).

 

[tommyph1208 55]

If you indeed had broken wooden parts already when receiving the printer, Ultimaker HAS to provide you with new ones... Anything else would be huge fail on their part... I think you are just stuck in the "bad customer service pit" that so many users have been reporting about here on the forums... I hope for you that Sander reads this topic...

If you have no luck with UM, it really isn't THAT difficult to make the panels yourself... Since the drawings are open source and available on gitHub, you just need a laser cutting service somewhere. It should be possible for you to google your way to one that is fairly close to you (or at least just inside china), alot of them have websites where you just upload a drawing, specify material, thickness etc. give your shipping address and pay...

In the mean time, just to get you printing, I would think that you can still use your panel if you just apply some wood glue to the break, let it dry and maybe sand any tight spots ever so slightly before assembly...

I spray painted my UM in a fairly thick layer and also did a bit of sanding here and ther ewhen putting it back together...

 

[DidierKlein 729]

Maybe the endcap and the whole frame put together will be able to make it work?

 

[IRobertI 516]

I think it would probably hold together without any issues. You have tabs close on both sides of the break to help hold it together and the end cap that Didier mentions will also help. If you can live with the damage I'd try to put it together and see what happens. The only thing I "worry" about, possibly, is if the bearing will stay in place. A tiny dab of glue would take care of that though.

 

[macua85 52]

Thanks for the reply guys. Ultimaker has indeed been in touch (thanks Sander and Chris), and they are very kindly helping me out.