Questions before buying

Hi guys, so I'm finally starting to look at getting the Robo again and have a few questions. How does the Robo R1 compare to something like the FlashForge Pro? The reason I asked is I had the FF Pro for a few months and always had problems with it especially with the bed calibration. I always had to calibrate that thing. The biggest selling point I like with the RoBo is the auto bed leveling,is it truly auto leveling where I can just press print and not have to worry about it? How's the quality of the prints? And lastly how's the build quality?

I know I will have to do some tweaking and maitnence but the biggest thing I'm looking for is not having to calibrate the heat bed all the time.

Thanks for the help!

 

Well I don't have any personal experience with the FF Pro.

The Robo3d has Autoleveling, but it's a little different from auto-tramming. It works by probing the bed at 9 points and measures the Z value at these points. These values are then used to adjust the height of the print based on the X and Y location. The bed doesn't actually move but the Z axis will go up and down as it moves along to produce a smooth layer.

It can require a bit of calibration to determine the Z offset at first. Once you find the right offset you should rarely, if ever, need to mess with it. Gunk on the build surface can affect the reading as well.

Though from what I've seen most people don't even need to touch it at first and it works great.

The build quality and print quality is better than ever. There was a few manufacturing issues months ago but they seem to be resolved now and I've heard very few complaints from the most recent printers. They seem to have really figured it out.

Here's an example from a user who got their printer last month: http://forums.robo3dprinter.com/index.php?threads/turn-off-support-material-around-print.3888/

That quality rivals anything I've seen from printers 3x the cost of the Robo.

Hopefully this answers your questions!

 

That was exactly what I was looking for! Thank you so much. Yea with the FF Pro the bed was constantly get out of level so my prints would sometimes be even in the front and gaps in the back,it drove me nuts. Thats why I wanted something that did auto leveling that would help so much. Thanks again Mike!

 

Just making sure before I buy,the Robo 3D R1 on Amazon is the latest model and supported by the warranty correct? I wish I could order straight from Amazon but have a ton of amazon gift cards and financing if I get it from Amazon. Thanks guys!

 

I can't guarantee exactly what model amazon has, but it's within the last 2 shipments that Robo received.

 

I got mine off amazon, and is the newest, the quality control was good though, I had to go through and tighten all the wire connections, and the case was not put on properly, but other than that, I wouldn't think about buying anything else for the options that you get with the printer, and the community rocks.

 

Awesome,sounds great. I actually used S3D for my slicer which should work with Robo because there is a preset for it. The biggest thing with my FF is I would level the build plate and start the print,the print would start off great with great bed adhesion then a few hours later come back and noticed the print was knocked off the buld plate,I then started noticing the buld platform was again unlevel. It was just a very frustrating time,I was spending more time leveling the thing then I was printing with it.

 

Well I just ordered my Robo 3D off amazon with next day shipping so I'll get it tommrow. I'm so excited. Im sure you will see me tommrow with questions Does it come with instructions on how to be able to find the z offset if need be? I've searched and can't find them online. Once I do do I program the z offset in the firmware or just put it in the G code?

 

You can put in code like in cura, or if you use MatterControl there is a z offset in the printer slice settings. I used MatterControl for a few days, but found the structure support and the ability to do brims instead of rafts very usefull. MC will get you going but for more advanced printing you want something better, beit Cura or paid versions like Simplify 3d.

 

I've seen a lot of people not need to do anything.

Best way to do offset is to manually figure it out. Home the nozzle then raise it up 0.1mm at a time until's a little bit above the bed, then lower it back down. Keeping track of how many times you've clicked it.

Generally this results in a little bit too high. So it's a bit of trial and error.

Best advise is start with painters tape. It makes it much more forgiving.

Whatever you do don't do the paper calibration method.

 

Gotcha,So hypothetically it takes lets say 3 clicks then you click it down one so my Z offset would be 2 then correct?
Sorry I just want to get as much info as I can for tomorrow.

 

Correct. It's a little hit or miss and not really a sure fire way of doing it. Usually starting with an offset of 0.7mm would be good then if it's too low increasing it step by step until you're dead on is best.

 

Awesome! Thank you so much for the help. Hopefully I wont run into any troubles but if I do I feel reassured having such a great community to help!

 

Fingers crossed for a smooth install! My skype is in my profile if you need more help