Robo 1.2

https://jumpstartcity.com/events/robo-3d-printer/c

Do you think it would be possible to get my outdated Robo 3d before advertising its replacement as it kind of takes outthe excitement of getting it a bit :-(

 

The only real functional change between that one and the one we ordered is the E3D hot end, which is less than the $80 increase in price for the jumpstartcity campaign. They're also not delivering those for another 4 months.

 

I ordered my printer in April, after the KickStarter campaign. Delivery was supposed to be in September. I have been very patient but...
I do believe that it seems odd that Robo 3D has decided to start a Jumpstartcity campaign before they have completed delivering all the units from their KickStarter campaign.

 

I don't believe that the most important thing to advance Robo 3D's business is to keep orders coming in. I just view KickStarter and similar campaigns as a way to provide initial funding for a business. I don't view continuing campaigns as a sustainable business plan. To sustain a consumer product business, you need inventory. If Robo 3D wants to sell their product through any retail outlet, they have to have inventory to deliver now. No retailer is interested in selling a product that won't be in their store for several months. That's because no consumer want to buy a product that they won't see for several months. I am of the opinion that the delivery delay of 8 to 12 weeks is adversely affecting orders from the Robo 3D website. Hopefully most crowd funders understood what they were getting into: a startup business that would run into glitches and delays. Most consumers aren't as patient.

In my humble opinion, the most important thing for Robo 3D is to get ahead of demand. They need to be able to ship inventory the same day. I want Robo 3D to succeed, that's why I crowd-funded their project. They need a sustainable business plan, not this year's crowd-funding source.

 

The website is continuously soliciting for new orders and it would be more successful if there wasn't a 8 to 12 week delay. If Robo 3D was ahead with inventory, they could solicit larger orders from retail outlets.

My point is that until they get ahead of demand (have inventory in stock), they will not have a sustainable business. There are only so many people willing to wait 8 to 12 weeks. There are competitors to Robo 3D and if those competitors can deliver immediately, they will get the orders.

 

That's all well and good but if you remember how makerbot started? it was very similar to robo3d. Long lead times.

Having a positive inventory would mean they're selling less than they can make. A lead time means it's a successful product that people are buying faster than they can build them.

They must keep advertising anywhere they can. Jumpstart city is no exception.

We all have ideas on how to run a business, though we're not in their shoes so we aren't informed enough by any means to say they're doing anything wrong.

 

* It will have an upgraded z axis with precision guide rods by an established linear motion company
* All metal hot end
* A new y axis movement system
* Heated borosilicate build platform
* LED Lights
Whilst the LED lights and heated bed may not be functional upgrades an upgraded z axis and a new y axis system together with the new hot end would seem more than a small upgrade but my point is I feels that they have moved on from the original machine before I have even got a revised delivery date. Surely the focus should be fulfilling their commitments before moving on to their next project and yes it must be a project as they are seeking crowd funding from a site that deals in crowd funded projects so come on guys finish what you started with the first project.

 

I'm pretty certain you can always cancel your Kickstarter order and order a jumpstartcity 1.2 version if you're that concerned about getting the latest improvements.Though you'd have to wait till February for it.

It would be foolish to have a waterfall focus. They are doing many many things behind the scenes that we can only guess about. We know they're making instructional videos. They are probably also designing a version 2 of the printer, because you always have to be thinking about the next wave you generate.

They have 7 technicians building printers around the clock. Once the boat shipment gets to their warehouse they'll quickly start pushing them out after QA. We'll get our printers soon and I'm confident once we have them the minor upgrades on 1.2 will seem much less important.

Businesses don't run on the present, they run in the future. If you're not planning for 6 months ahead of where you currently are you'd fail. They have to keep waves coming to ensure success

 

I was not a kickstarter order I ordered from the website, why would I want to cancel my order ? I did not say I did not want my printer in fact in other posts I have expressed my eagerness to get it I would have just liked to have gotten it around the date I was told it would be delivered. I fully understand the need for continued development of the product to be able to compete with an ever expanding market but what I don't understand is and this has been said by more than just a few people on here is a lack of transparency over what is going on. Time after time I see a Robo 3 person enter shoutbox and not answer a direct question from somebody and then to disappear offline, I bought this product knowing in my mind it would probably be late and I am prepared to accept that (providing it is not too late) as I believe it is a good product but when I see them actively seeking support for a replacement of a product that I don't even have a delivery date for it upsets me a little, A Businesses doesn't run on the present but you need a present to have any kind of a future.

 

Will those of us who have gotten the Kickstarter version be able to order the parts to upgrade our printers to 1.2? Because that would be really nice.

 

I spoke to them about this some time ago. they said they are looking at doing upgrade kits but not yet because they need to work some things out since they have still not designed the carriage for the system. it's all an idea at the moment.

 

whe I mentions the idea of upgrade boxes at a discounted price for previous buyers , they liked the idea and will probably want t go through it with it at some time.

Bope. helped

 

The Y-Axis is a huge problem in my printer, so the 1.2 is an upgrade from my viewpoint.

 

what do you mean the y axis is a problem?

 

It's been shaking a lot, which has kept me from making a successful print for about a month now.
My perimeters aren't sticking together, so everything is brittle. Infill ends up clumping and is basically useless. Any perimeter smaller than around 4mm doesn't print at all.

 

is this the moving print bed? are the screws on the motors at the base tight enough?