So following on from my first UP Box post, I had left a review on the Tiertime forums, roll on a couple of weeks, Tiertime emailed me after I had posted my annoyance on their forums, to offer me the latest version of the Up Box, the UP Box+ which they promised has fixed all the issues I had seen.
So after much thinking I gladly accepted this. This was back in March time and so this is an update for the UP Box+
So eventually I received the new printer, unboxed it, and started it printing. Two prints in, the printer stops working, little did I know that the printer now needs to be registered with UPBOX via the internet and the upbox software, meaning you need to sign into the software in order to register the UP Box.
Once we were back up and running, I decided to run an auto level, which ran ok after the third attempt (the biggest issue was the Height detect, which sometime didn't detect correctly - it requires a really clean nozzle and also appears to be the newest updated feature, before there was a small lever that the nozzle pushed down to detect the height I am guessing that this was removed as a weakness - although never had an issue with that one).. Anyway This now has failed completely after a few months use (this then means that you have to manually perform bed levelling).
Also now with the UPBox+ you receive the flex build platform which doesn't work all that great..
On the plus side, the issues that plagued the first UP Box appear to have been fixed, the cable to the print head is now secured with an injection moulded clamp as opposed to a 3D printed part, and the print head is now secured by a screw to the drive mount.
Finally it appears that the new UPBox+ is finicky with what manufacturer of filament it will print with, currently I can only use RigidInk to reliably print anything.
To summarise:-
Would I now recommend the UP Box to anyone else? NO... It still not a great printer.
Whilst the weak parts of the previous UP Box appear to have been fixed, that is the print head cable strain relief - which was the biggest problem for print failures.
New problems that are now seen:-
So eventually I received the new printer, unboxed it, and started it printing. Two prints in, the printer stops working, little did I know that the printer now needs to be registered with UPBOX via the internet and the upbox software, meaning you need to sign into the software in order to register the UP Box.
Once we were back up and running, I decided to run an auto level, which ran ok after the third attempt (the biggest issue was the Height detect, which sometime didn't detect correctly - it requires a really clean nozzle and also appears to be the newest updated feature, before there was a small lever that the nozzle pushed down to detect the height I am guessing that this was removed as a weakness - although never had an issue with that one).. Anyway This now has failed completely after a few months use (this then means that you have to manually perform bed levelling).
Also now with the UPBox+ you receive the flex build platform which doesn't work all that great..
On the plus side, the issues that plagued the first UP Box appear to have been fixed, the cable to the print head is now secured with an injection moulded clamp as opposed to a 3D printed part, and the print head is now secured by a screw to the drive mount.
Finally it appears that the new UPBox+ is finicky with what manufacturer of filament it will print with, currently I can only use RigidInk to reliably print anything.
To summarise:-
Would I now recommend the UP Box to anyone else? NO... It still not a great printer.
Whilst the weak parts of the previous UP Box appear to have been fixed, that is the print head cable strain relief - which was the biggest problem for print failures.
New problems that are now seen:-
- Doesn't correctly level all the time (Takes a few attempts to level correctly) - Even the technical support guy who delivered the printer said it takes a couple of attempts, and that he normally ends up manually levelling. After a month or two, the auto height detect no longer works (the operation of this has changed), therefore you can no longer level the print bed automatically, and are left to manually level.
- Occasionally you get a motion error control notification on the software at the end of a print. This means you have to switch the printer off and on again to clear the error.
- Now appears to be very fickle with filaments, really doesn't like using many different filaments and the only one that is 100% reliable is Rigid.Ink (But then this is really good stuff), but I would have expected formfurtura to work fine, but end up finding that the printer will start air printing part way through!
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