Introducing the New MakerBot Replicator 5th generation 3D Printer

As everyone already knows, MakerBot has released a new generation of 3D printers .
And here came to us from our friends, the brand new MakerBot Replicator 5th generation for testing.
The company confused everyone a bit with their names, but this is the newest example of their printers.
We have already talked a little about this printer .

Immediately make a reservation, in our center there are many 3D printers: two MakerBot Replicator 2, two UP! Plus, BFB 3D Touch 2 head and CubeX trio, Picaso designer, Wanhao duplicator4.
We have worked very closely with all printers, we know all the disadvantages and advantages, so we compare the new machine with the existing equipment. I’ll tell you a lot of small things that I came across in the first week.

The box turned out weighty. More than 16 kg.



Inside we are waiting for a very small instruction. The steps described do not quite correspond to reality, but about everything in order.




At the second step, we are waiting for remarkable clips to secure the platform. They are made on makerbot and very high quality.



Next comes the connection of the magnetic “smart extruder”. More precisely, it should have been called "Not so smart extruder."

There is one axiom: “Simpler mechanisms break down less.” Then the company decided not to listen to anyone and made an unusually complex mechanism. On it was a mysterious inscription MK11 V5. I really hope that this is a test sample. The extruder itself is assembled on latches (thanks to the external ones). Plastic latches break very easily, so be extremely careful!



I will begin the description of the mechanism from top to bottom.

The first thing I see is an inclined entry hole. But it does not work. In the assembled state, it is closed by a plug and redirects to a vertical entrance. After getting inside, we find ourselves on a large wheel, which, apparently, serves to detect the presence of plastic in the extruder. This is a very good feature that is lacking in other printers. And also this wheel sticks out and you can visually see if plastic is coming or not.



Further we get to the heart of any extruder - this is a pushing mechanism. It is made of a massive shaft with two bearings and an additional clamping bearing. They realized that such a mechanism is better than that used in the first revisions of Replicator 2. But for some unknown reason, this mechanism pulls plastic very poorly. The spring is very powerful and the non-optimal geometry of the recess on the shaft apparently affects it.

On the back side are the brains of this extruder with many external pins. These pins are spring loaded and must be in close contact with the printer itself. This is helped by 4 very powerful magnets. But here's the catch, when connecting a smart extruder, the teeth of the engine and the teeth of the broaching mechanism often do not match. It is not difficult for a normal person to check whether everything has joined correctly, especially since the printer itself writes about the absence of a print head.

Further, the engineers did their best and made a heating head that can lift during operation. This greatly improves print accuracy due to the rare use of the Z axis. This is done by reversing the movement of the plastic. Plastic as if pulling a heating element. Immediately they built a touch sensor. Everything is simple - when the head moves, the metal contacts open.

Now let's move on to the plastic:

Now it loads into a beautiful retractable vertical compartment. A small lever for fixing is made.



It looks very beautiful and imperceptible when closed.



Attention! Now the coil has already become larger in diameter. Old Coils do not fit!

It is not visible in the photo, but wider coils do not fit into this compartment. There are two solutions: purchase only original plastic from the official website, or use external devices to hold the plastic. The diameter of the bar remains the same - 1.75mm.



This plastic is pulled through a narrower and longer tube. It is noticeably harder for him to go.

Next you need to insert the platform. There are only joys! It is now glass and comes with as many as five BlueTape stickers. It has increased by 11% compared to the previous generation. It is now fixed on the slide. Strong and reliable. And plastic adheres perfectly to the platform.



Everything seems to be mechanical. It remains to run it all.

The kit did not have a power cord with a European outlet, but this was decided by a simple adapter.

Another very good improvement - now in addition to connecting to a computer via USB, there is a connection via an Ethernet cable!
Further the instruction lies a little.

We connected the computer via USB, turned on the power. And after a long download, the printer issued a message that firmware was needed and nothing else. Now the printer is not responsible for MakerWare, but MakerBot Desktop .



The program did not immediately connect to the printer and was not the first time able to find the firmware for it. Again, a tambourine with a reboot helps. The process of downloading the firmware itself is quite tedious and takes about 15 minutes.

After that, the printer booted up. By the way, every time you turn on the printer boots up for a very long time, more than 3 minutes.

Initial installation has begun. First of all, he himself checks the level of the platform with the help of his smart extruder (he does this every time before starting printing). Then he checks two more control points and asks to tighten up two handles. The calibration process is very simple and straightforward.

Then he offers to print a trial model. For some reason, the models did not want to print, and the printer did not allow to skip this step. I had to reboot.

All actions are accompanied by clear instructions on a large color display. Although the printer slows down a little on the menu and there is no longer that drop of humor as in the second version, the controls are much more convenient and friendly. The printer now supports ordinary USB drives (not included).



A little amused by the drop-down metal sticker oncentral button.

The printer has a camera. Resolution and quality are very mediocre, but you can understand what is happening there.



The camera does not know how to shoot video and takes a photo long enough. Example photo below.



You can get a photo from the printer directly into the computer only if you connect via Ethernet.
Through it, you can connect an account on thingiverse.com . Yes, without an account, the program will not work.

A little more about the design. The huge large block in the middle does not contain an engine for the X axis. There is only a motor for plastic, two fans and an LED (which never illuminated). This axis is controlled through the difference in movement of the left and right belt. The solution is non-standard for 3D printers, but in industry it is quite common.



Brief conclusions:
+ Increased and improved the platform
+ A little more precise
+ More convenient operation and excellent display
+ There is a camera
+ Ethernet connection
+ The printer will not lose printing when the connection is disconnected
+ Improved extruder
+ Automated calibration
+ More friendly for the average layman

- lost the speed of the second replicator
- a lot of software
- related flaws - a very expensive model
- much louder than other printers
- a long and frequent auto-calibration
- stopped tightening the plastic normally after a week
- the extruder has serious flaws

I really hope that everything will be fixed in new samples and it will become the best 3D printer.
Thanks everyone!

Waiting for questions and feedback from other owners of this new product.

Updated!
Video example of the start of work of Makerbot
Photos of the printed model (standard fast mode)
photo No. 1
photo No. 2
photo No. 3

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