Though it should be pointed out that the software is just that, professional, with a steeper than average learning curve and a very utilitarian user interface. When you actually receive your functioning printer its build volume and consistency are almost unparalleled, with the suite of software fulfilling all the basic functionality you’d expect from a professional company. Those who receive a dead on arrival printer found that customer service was horrible at worst and unhelpful at best, so tread with caution. The majority luckily being in favor of the Cube Pro, stating it’s very reliable and can print almost all day with heavy use and producing immaculate prints, the only complaint being the proprietary cartridges which may be a reasonable trade off. There’s also a large disparity amongst customers that seem to either adore their unit or abhor it immensely. other items on offer are ‘Glue Packs’ which are simply regular clear glue bottles at the laughable price of 20 dollars for two small bottles. The first of which is a replacement build platform costing 150 dollars for a platform with no features and seems to be a regular acrylic panel. Costliness seems to be a trend with these printers supposed ‘accessories’ being horribly over priced and underwhelming at best. The few benefits they show over standard spools is the ability to display how much filament has been used, which could be argued that you can see the filament on standard reels and gauge the same information, though more importantly, they can tell the hot end of the printer what temperature they need to be for printing. This brings us to the most disappointing thing about this printer the proprietary filament cartridges which run you 99 USD each. Though it would be nice to see some optional features like a heated platform and an SD card reader at least it’s good that they didn’t skimp at all when it comes to print quality which should always take priority over flair and frills. Of all the things actually included in the documentation, the build size is especially promising as it’s fairly sizable compared to some printers currently available and it still maintains high detail. Notably left out were listings of, print speed and nozzle diameter which are rather important and a glaring error on their part. The spec sheet offered on the website leaves much to desired and is a bad sign for the customer service side of the company. The printer we’ll be focusing on is the Cube Pro Duo, which as the name states has the neat ability to extrude from multiple extruders using different materials limited only to the varieties offered in the Cubify store ABS, PLA and Nylon. Though have they grown complacent and stagnant over the years? The only way to tell is to scrutinize them as they should have had ample time to iron out the problems and hiccups we often expect from a startup or growing business. With this they bring a ton of experience to the table not only as a juggernaut of the industry when compared to the spunky young startups of recent years but also as a developer of 3D printers with decades to hone the art of 3D printing to a consistent and reliable process. The company was founded back in 1986 and is often credited with inventing 3D printing. For better or worse, they want to be your one stop shop for everything your printer requires or that you’d ever need to operate it. Their goals have been as a business solution, encompassing their product in every aspect from their own filament and software down to their own glue for applying to the print bed to help adherence. With the slim pickings that most indie companies have up for an offer that is open source hardware or software, there are few companies that offer everything you need. Though one group, 3D Systems, is drawing focus on the office space and how 3d printing is becoming more and more required for a twenty-first century business to function. More and more companies recently are focusing their efforts on making 3D printing available to everyone through seemingly stripped down printers that are difficult to get working consistently and even when you manage to do so they’re ‘ok’ in quality pretty much all the time.
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