Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronnie314
We are between the Replicator and Replicator2x. Now the Replicator has the assisted leveling and I have heard that the leveling of 3d printers in fairly important, should this be a factor? If not, how hard are they to level??  |
This is a bigger question than you'd think so I'll try to explain as much as I can with my knowledge. Feel free to correct me.
There are so many variables to the print quality, but if you don't have a level build table there's a pretty solid chance your print won't come out very good. If the table isn't level, you run the risk of slamming your nozzle's into the table which is very very bad. You also run the risk of crooked layers because one side of the table might be higher than the other. We usually level our printer once or twice a day.
The Replicator 2 has a single extruder, and a pop-out acrylic build table. The acrylic build plates are known to warp over time, making them near-impossible to keep level. Makerbot actually had to start giving people free build plates because some people would notice their build table was warping as much as a 1/4" (I've heard of them warping more than that, but you get the point). This problem with the acrylic tables dates back to the very first printers makerbot produced. I'd guess that the leveling assist was added into the Replicator 2 to help compensate for the warping over time to try and get a longer lifespan out of the table. It also pops out, so it might not be fitted perfectly into the printer either. The single extruder keeps things simple though, so you're not trying to keep two nozzles zero'd.
The Replicator 2 is quite a bit simpler, but you lose the ability to print ABS (which I prefer over PLA for most applications related to FRC), and you only have one extruder (limiting you to one color per print and the inability to use dissoluble filament for supports during printing and things like that), as well as some other minuscule things you won't miss unless you had them to begin with.
I'm not sure how the leveling assist works with the Replicator. Someone mentioned something of LED's but I haven't done any research on this myself. However, they use slightly different leveling systems. On the 2X, there are three turnable knobs that allow you to adjust the stiffness of springs to help keep the table flat. There is a knob on the left side of the table closest to the opening, another one on the right side, and knob on the far side of the table located in the center.
Link for somewhat of a visual. Personally, I don't think this is an optimal way to zero the table but it seems to hold up and I haven't heard anyone gripe about it too much.
The Replicator 2 uses four knobs
like so. Personally, I think this is a lot better than the 2X leveling system, but the tables acrylic so there's a trade off somewhere in there.
The Replicator 2X has a lot more going on. It has a heated ceramic(?) build plate to allow the ABS to stick better (you'll still need to print a raft though. it doesn't help enough unless you have a very large surface area on the first layer of print), it has two extruders that you can use to print different colors and even materials, and it was built to print both PLA and ABS. The issue with this combination of materials is that ABS has to cool down slower than PLA or it will crack/lose strength. PLA has to be cooled off pretty quickly for the print to set optimally. This is why the Replicator 2 has a filament fan, to help set the PLA faster so you can pull it off the table quicker. The Replicator 2 can produce a much higher quality print using PLA than the 2X can with PLA. PLA sticks to the acrylic table better, and its optimized for PLA. The 2X is definitely better for printing ABS than PLA, and the print qualities have very obvious differences.
Really, I would decide what material you prefer to print in. If you're going to use PLA 90% of the time i'd get the replicator 2. If you're going to use ABS more than PLA, get the 2X. The rest of the issues will be worked out as you familiarize yourself with the printer.
Someone with more experience using both printers might be able to give you a better idea.
