Our last post on MakerBot’s new print software spurred on some conversation, internally and via email.
One consistent concern we get from MakerBot Replicator owners, and questions we ask as Replicator owners considering their new products, are, “Has Stratasys put effort into making MakerBot’s work more reliably and consistently?” and, “Do the new products work more reliably, with more transparent maintenance procedures?”
We wanted to get these questions in front of MakerBot, and they responded right away with comments from two of their top guys. They address what MakerBot is doing in the way of testing to ensure their 3D printers are producing high quality results, how they’ve re-engineered their machines and what they are doing to improve the design for servicability and getting started.
Dave Veisz, VP of Engineering
For professionals and educators, machine reliability, and print success rate are paramount needs. Customers don’t want to spend time tinkering with their machines in order to get their desired print output. To this end, MakerBot has collaborated with Stratasys to develop a robust testing program to ensure reliable, high quality performance. The Replicator+ and Mini+ were fully re-engineered for increased performance and reliability. Both printers feature an improved gantry and Z-stage through stiffer materials and sturdier construction for consistent and predictable printing. Our new 3D printers racked up over 380,000 hours of subsystem and system reliability testing across 150+ units. This obsessive emphasis on testing and quality is ingrained in the company culture, and has paid off in positive feedback from the field.
Stratasys has been a key partner in machine and materials technology. They bring decades of innovation and some of the best minds in FDM. We have been able to leverage their expertise in product design and testing.
We’re proud of our newest lineup of printers and the level of quality and consistency we’ve achieved with them, but that doesn’t mean we’re slowing down. MakerBot’s software and firmware teams are constantly unlocking new efficiencies and quality improvements with newly released updates and features.
Read the rest at SolidSmack.com
