Hello from Louisiana

[scott1981]

Greetings to all of you.

My name is Scott. I currently have a printrbot metal plus, I have been printing for about a year now but with the upgrade to windows 10 I can't get my printrbot to act the same.
I am trying to sell it and buy a new printer. I have been thinking about a delta style printer for a long time now and settled on the Rostock Max V2 because of the great reviews and great support here on the forums.

However,
I wanted everyone's opinion on this before I buy. So I was hoping people on this forum could answer some questions for me to see if this would be the right chose for me.

Calibration is a big problem with me, I end up calibrating the printrbot more than I print. Will the Rostock Max have the same problems?
Can the Rostock max be controlled and calibrated directly from the LCD controls with out a computer?
Any problems with printing Ninjaflex? other exotics? like carbon fiber, iron, brass, wood?
Most of the time I get the great adhesion with the printrbot, so good its very hard to get the print off with out destroying it. The removable glass is something I am looking forward to, will re calibration be needed if I remove the glass and put it back on?
Would I be better off staying with a cartesian style 3d printer?

Thanks in advance

[Xenocrates]

Almost all the calibration can be done from the LCD. PID loop autotune requires a computer of some sort. But manual tweaking of it doesn't. The new Max's hold calibration well, and require calibration mostly as an initial step, to make the virtual values line up with your hardware largely. Things like arm length and Horizontal radius don't need to be touched until you change the carriages or arms, once they work initially. Z height is basically the only thing to work on consistently, and so long as your glass remains oriented largely the same way, or is actually flat, you shouldn't need to adjust that. However, as you go further, there is some logic to routinely using tools like DACT, or if you get a Smoothieboard, the HAIC system written by 626, to adjust for dents or bulges in the bed.

Control of the printer from the LCD is a little basic. You can't really move it around in space, but you can home it and start printing, as well as adjust settings and temperatures.

Ninjaflex is problematic to a degree, due to the flexibility. There are a few mods around to make it easier and to better support the filament path for other flexables. Nylon largely won't print with a stock hotend, as it's too hot. Some of the filled filaments have problems with the finest nozzles clogging, but that's a problem with the fillament rather than the printer. Be aware that carbon fiber and filled filaments will eat your nozzle over not very long (see what happened when E3D ran 250G through one of their brass nozzles)

Would you be better off with a Cartesian printer? I don't think so. SeemeCNC makes good printers, and the Rostock max is well thought of by Make, and is considered the best value of printers by them. I believe that Delta machines are better suited for light rapid work such as printing, because it will move rapidly in all directions, allowing you to use tricks like a large rapid Z lift, which few Cartesian can do due to the lead-screws they use for Z motion. The Rostock Max V2 also has the benefit of having a variety of modifications available for it that allow it to use almost any sort of tool arraignment you want, be it two E3D hotends, a Chimera or cyclops, a Diamond hotend, and several others. Many Cartesian printers are slightly more limited there, due to the lower amount of space available above there toolhead for really odd parts. You could mount a can of cheesewhiz to the platform and it would fit with room to spare (I am not aware of any cheese based toolheads as yet however)

If you have other concerns or questions, or feel I haven't fully addressed something, go ahead and let us know. I don't work for SeemeCNC, I just like their stuff, and have a lot of free time (I escaped the machine shop for the next few weeks)

[Eaglezsoar]

Thanks for a good answer, Xenocrates.

[ccavanaugh]

The Rostock Max is a good printer, AND, if you are having issues with Windows 10, don't expect a new printer to magically fix the issue.

I would read through the Rostock Max manual and try out the recommended tool chain with your printrbot first otherwise you will suffer the same compatibility issues. It's best to fix the root of the issue before satisfying the itch for that new printer.

[scott1981]

Thanks for the great explanation. I am just really back and forth when it comes to $1000 purchases. I think windows 10 was an easy blame to get a new printer. I guess what scares me most is the modifications. I can build almost anything but when it comes to programming it...I fall short.
Thanks for the help. If you have any other advice about purchasing new let me know. I heard that I should get 2 extra fans right off the bat. From what was said, it isn't about the extra power but more about the coverage. thoughts? any other add ons I should get right away?
One other think. What kind of slicer/controller do you guys recommend? I am using cura and love it. Will I have to switch up?

[ccavanaugh]

Cura is just fine and a capable slicer. Mattercontrol is the recommended software and I believe that SeeMeCNC has provided some financial backing for its development.

I recently made the switch to Simplify3D and have seen much improved print quality with some parts. It's fast with a very nice UI, but the configuration interface is nowhere as flexible as Mattercontrol.

Agreed that even fan coverage is good for PLA. No fans for ABS, and I'm on the fence with fans or no-fans with PETG. I use 3 fans. Outside that, stick with a stock Rostock Max and learn before making modifications.

Learning to make slicer changes gets easier with experience. Small test pieces and one tweak at a time is all it takes.

[scott1981]

Thanks everyone for the good feedback. As soon as I sell my other printer I will be ordering a kit.