![]() Adding the filament cartridges is a bit more complex, as you have to feed the filament into the plastic tubes that lead it to the extruder motor, before locking the cartridge in place.ģD Systems offers around twenty colors for both ABS and PLA, and with the Cube Pro, much like the CubeX before it, you are able to use up to three of them at the same time in a triple extrusion system. Setting it up from the control panel is also very straightforward, and the Cube Pro has built in wifi connectivity, which you set up directly from the on board computer and panel, just like you do with a new iPhone. The waste bin fits against the back wall of the machine, while the print bed simply lays on the metal plate that holds it. You can access the 3D printer both from the removable top or from the “front door” and all components are easily put together. The plate self regulates and the controlled, enclosed environment makes it possible (and safe) to build large size ABS prints even without using a heated plate.Īssembling the machine and getting started is very simple. Setting it up through the on board computer and full color LED touch screen, is the easiest part. Much like MakerBot’s newest Replicators, the Cube Pro comes in a huge box with all the accessories accurately packed away in their own smaller boxes: two for the filament, one for the toolkit, one for the waste bin (which is used to automatically clean the nozzle after the first extrusion) and glue, and one for the glass build plate. ![]() Especially since the Cube Pro will soon introduce full nylon (natural, black and white) 3D printing capabilities, opening up a whole new range of possibilities in terms of the mechanical and thermal resistance properties of its prints. ![]() Once you have settled that, though, having all the filament settings preloaded on the machine is a big advantage for the professional user. Closing it back up, while leaving the electronic chip in place and the filament free to flow, is an annoying task to say the least. On the other hand, if the filament gets tangled or breaks you will have to open it up to pull out a new end. The machine recognizes the cartridge: it can tell you how much filament is left and, most importantly, it can self regulate its temperature and extrusion parameters so that you don’t have to do anything. Pricing them above 70 euro for less than one Kg of PLA or ABS is the only way for 3D Systems to keep the price of a 285 x 270 x 230 mm build volume machine as low as €2,399 (for the single extruder model), however the complexities of using enclosed cartridges with a chip to measure usage go well beyond the advantages they offer. The only issue is the material cartridges. ![]() It is a radical departure from its predecessor, the CubeX, both in terms of appearance and also for the quality of its new components, which ensure that the Cube Pro can print (and pause) and print seamlessly, for hours upon hours without even so much as a glitch in its mechanical H-bot structure. It does, however, look like something straight out of the future. I have to admit it was larger (and, at almost 40 Kg, definitely heavier) than I imagined, It came on a small size pallet, wrapped and boxed up with a number of accessories. Don’t think of using it to 3D print bracelets or toys, though, for that you should probably go for a Cube 3.Ĭourtesy of 3DZ, Italy’s leading distributor of 3D Systems’ 3D printers and 3D scanners, I was sent a Cube Pro to test and review (and, unfortunately, return). It is not just a fancy toy or something you just want to have fun with: it is a professional level 3D printer that allows you to print large PLA and ABS (and soon nylon as well) parts with ease, in up to three colours, with an extremely competitive price point. Don’t let yourself be fooled by appearances, while 3D Systems’s new Cube Pro looks elegant and stylish like an iPhone, it is a tough machine built for rapid prototyping and engineering of small and medium size mechanical components. ![]()
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