Incredibly NICE Jeremy!

Love your use of belt system for Z axis movement. That greatly reduces width of printer. I have a Fabbster that used a belt system too and was really impressed at the control for .1 and .05 layer heights. Can't make out your drive system for Y axis, but it looks just as sophisticated as the Z axis one.

Why did you go for linear bearing for X axis instead of v-slot & mini v-wheels.? The sound difference is huge.

As per the EZ3D host program - the Parts List sounds great. I use multiple printers and remembering to print the box and lid on the same printer (for fit) would really make "Assemblies" nice. Does your iOS mobile app connect via USB, Bluetooth and/or Wireless? I have an Android app from the Play Store that runs my Marlin via whatever the board can handle (USB, Bluetooth and/or Wireless). Does your mobile app require the EZ3D firmware or can it also run vanilla Marlin? Also, I don't see any temp feedback to the client, am I just missing it?

 

Yep, I know the phoenix 3d printer.
I have ordered one on feb 1st, still waiting for any sign of EZ3D.
I sent an email to them for any updates on june 16th, still no reply to this day.
Waiting for 5 months now, thinking about cancelling my order and ask for a refund :-(

the website: http://www.phoenix3dprinter.com/

 

Little update:
No, i still haven't received my Phoenix 3D printer :-(

On july 6th 2014 i received an email from EZ3D saying "Your Phoenix 3D Printer is almost ready to ship!"
"Wow, finally!", i thought
Then, weeks past, no additional info on my order.
On aug 20th 2014 i emailed them again for a status update, their answer (in a nutshell):
"we have ran into many issues in the last month or two which have pushed things back. "

Still to this day, no 3D printer.. Waiting patiently for 8 months now :-(

@Jeremy; I guess that spot on your desk is still empty?

 

That's it!
I've cancelled my order officially now after 8 months of patience.
Hoping to not have to wait another 8 months for the refund though.
I'm in the market for e 3d printer again, thinking of making one myself.
The only thing holding me back is that with a 3D printer, there are tons of
settings to fiddle with to optimize your print quality.
Would i ever get the best out of it...?

@Jeremy; Good luck with the wait, hoping to read your experiences with
it when it arrives!

 

4 months now since my order cancellation was accepted, i'm still waiting for my refund!
I've send numerous emails, which are not answered by anyone (i send them to 3 mail addresses)
This looks like a serious crime!

Meanwhile, the 3D printer i designed and build myself is working like a charm..

 

I sure hope you have looked at the EZ3D forum. This printer is a complete piece of crap which is now sitting in my workshop waiting for a salvaging operation for parts so I can build a real printer.

 

Yeah, turns out is doesn't seem to be a a great printer.
When I ordered it over a year ago, there wasn't shipped a single printer, so no user experience stories were available on the www.
I'm sure i've build myself a much better printer now.
Still hate the fact that they won't reply to my emails, they're still keeping my money in their pockets

 

Allright then, i just read that EZ3D is bankrupt, over and out:

https://www.phoenix3dprinter.com/blog/archives/02-2015

Guess i will never see any of my money back..

 

I got in early after they started their website, and had a conversation with them about dropping a waited for printer that had a lengthy wait for theirs and they had to make good on delivery date,, and when delivery came and went they wanted to know if I wanted my money back, I said no I want the printer,, they sent it as a kit even though I asked for assembled,, had a crap time trying to put it together so I left it half done, now returned to put it together and find that I can no longer DL the firmware for their board and they have closed up shop and buggered off.

Belts don't stay on the bearings as their is nothing to keep them allocated, and there are parts that seem weak and flimsy = double motor mount is thin and wobbles, not strong enough to keep belts from pulling on and bending the mount plate, might have to replace with aluminum plate ?
Another part is bent from room temp heat, where the main weight is, the bearing mount is bent, and the belts wont stay on those bearings as there is nothing to stop them sliding off, will put a stopper,, made from tin from average soup type can metal, thin enough and easy to make of use, will have to see if hot water can bend part back to shape, and might see about making in another material ???
wire end clips that slide into plug ends break off or missing, might be due to length of time sitting still doing nothing.
And that stainless steel rods are rusting, showing that cheap grade of metal was used.

 

So you did receive your printer, you're lucky!
You can always use the parts (motors electronics, alu extrusions) to build a printer that works better.
I did not receive the printer, nor did i receive my money back (i paid over 500 dollars for the kit including shipping to NL)
When they did ask me to pay for shipping they must have known about there bankruptcy and not be able
to send it at all
500 dollars is a lot of cash for me, regret having so much faith in the EZ3D company..

 

Wow! that really gives the whole kickstarter idea a black eye. I sure wouldn't advise anyone buying into a company or idea they don't know everything possible about (I'm NOT saying you did), but I'm hearing way too many cases like yours and that's just in this hobby.

I volunteer with SCORE, which is a organization of retired businessmen who mentor people starting a new business or expanding their existing business. Too often we see people when its too late and our advice can only be to close their doors. One of the hard figures we stress to all of them is that 85% of all businesses fail in the first 5 years. Of those who actually get their doors open, almost half will not last the first year. We have no way of knowing how many people start planning a business, buying materials, even renting space for a storefront or workshop, but never manage to actually go into production or sale their inventory, but it's most likely 3 or 4 times the number who actually "open" for business. I have a feeling that lots of these are setting up kickstarter pages and working on other peoples money until theirs and those all run out.

That's the biggest danger for "investors" in kickstarters, who for the most part know little or nothing about business. Emotion can carry a person into making a investment they should avoid. And face it, most of us are invested emotionally with our hobby.

 

Winand you never got anything,, my god that's a shame, I feel for you, I had waited 6 months before with another company (Makibox) that went bully up but I did manage to get my cash back before they hit the fan, which i spent on my now half built Ez3d,,I think now as a rule of thumb,, I will never agian make a purchase with any company that has no track record, that has just stepped off out of Kickstarter, or that has no way of making good on their word with getting their product to people.
Companies that start with a poor start seem to keep going in that direction and most Kick starters seem to do that,,unless those that are making the prouct have their own money heavily invested,,any how.
I will be trying to get a loan as I never had disposable cash to burn away,,and will look at getting a proper built out of the box no assmbly printer as to fall back on their warranty and not just glib sayings from a start up company,,never again, is the only advice I will give to anyone.

 

Stargeezer, I wanted a printer so as I could edge my way into creating my own product that I know would fill a market.
I never looked at it as a hobby (but a cheap alternative ?), just that these smaller machines were the cost effective means to an end,,but that the means to an end never happened and what I wanted to get done is now on the slow track, and yes emotions do run high when someones word is no longer their bond, and that customers get taken for granted or even some will say taken for a ride,,when good faith is felt to be misguided and that people money is as well, and that a lot of people have a short supply on even as a startup, that what little people do have in faith and money gets abused, things like kickstarted get to be looked at with disdain because peoples money does not get returned.
But I never have put any cash into any of the kickstarters and mine was mainly from their startup of their website with forums included.

This is the second 3D printer company that I have seen go belly up, I have been told that most companies can make or break withing their first five years, and now will without emotion look at this as a rule of thumb when looking to buying my 100 percent working 3d printer that i hope the company will outlast the printer that i will next buy,,crossing my emotional fingers.

 

FWIW, Forget buying a printer from some manufacturer. You have at your fingertips the worlds total knowledge about building a 3d printer along with instructions by the people who designed it and built it - use us. Hit the Open Builds Part store and Ebay for parts, I'd even put together a short list of the suppliers I use for you and PM it to you if you want. Study Open Builds for design ideas, check out the Wiki for that design, take the best from each design you find and build it yourself, just like lots of us do!

Go thou and do like wise......

Larry

 

I will look but as of now I won't be buying any parts.

 

I really understand. Keep in mind that you can build a pretty good printer for around $300, depending on how fancy or basic you want it to be and how well your tool shed is equipped. The cool thing is that if you search out Ebay items with good (cheap) prices and free shipping, $20-30 at a time can buy a steady stream of parts.

Don't be to afraid to look at Chinese sellers - I discovered a long time ago that apart from the patent jumpers (they are obvious - the prices are too cheap) most of the parts in the US marketplace come from China with a heavy margin added. That's OK, it's making a profit - for the seller. As a BUYER, I'll educate myself and as much as possible from the suppliers the US resellers buy from.

One example of where you can save a lot of money is on rails and bearings. As much as I really like and use the sweet wheels and rails that Open Builds sells, they are NOT cheap compared to linear rods and bearings that got the whole RepRap things going.

 

I went and put it all together, bent back all the parts under hot water, reinforced them with thick tin plate replaced now shortened screws from reinforcing taking up the space.

I had problems with getting the bed level as the print nozzle came short of getting near to close of the bed, so drilled holes for screws and made a floating bed with springs, counter sunk some of the screws for now and left some not counter sunk in the aluminium heatbed plate,,mainly because I don't have any other screws to counter sink for the heater plate/board,,thingy.

I got it to heat up and spit out somer plastic, and the new limits I made to make home seem to work as I needed to rig up some pieces of plastic to take up the space from when I fiddling with the heatbead,, and there is a flaw with homing the Y carriage as it crashes into a support rod and needed to add andother spacer to hit the limit switch so as not to crash.

Now when I have tried to print the Z axis which homed ok, now travels to the top of the printer and crashes and chewes my belts and stutters like an epileptic, I even made sure that the Z axis was set to be well under the full amount to travel to for how high a print can be.

I think it might be the firmware setting for the Z axis hight or something, I need to make sure, but if this has happened to any one else please say so.
Might be another design flaw and need another limit switch ?

Marlin firmware on the Rambo board.

If I ever hand build my own design I will make it out of wood.