On Tuesday, 3D printer manufacturer Solidoodle announced a completely new lineup of 3D printers which are now available for presale.
The Solidoodle Press is an enclosed, consumer-ready machine featuring a heated glass build plate for maximum performance with an 8" x 8" x 8" build volume and SoliTouch technology. The Press is meant to satisfy the needs of users who just want to click print, and its fully enclosed design keep it safe for users with small children and pets.
The Press is priced at $599 but will be available for presale in limited quantities starting at $349.
The Solidoodle Workbench Series (Workbench and Workbench Apprentice) are designed to provide more options for expert hobbyists and professionals who like to work on their machines. Both units include the new Solidoodle dual extruder and are built on the company's classic steel-frame design.
The Workbench is Solidoodle's largest 3D printer ever and will offer 12″ x 12″ x 12″ of build volume and a heated glass bed which helps prevent printed objects from warping. It has dual extruders that allows the printer to print in multiple materials and colors. The Workbench is priced at $1299.
The Workbench Apprentice provides a sturdy acrylic build plate with 6" x 6" x 8" of build volume. It still prints in two colors and two materials, and it is priced at only $799.
Solidoodle's new lineup of 3D printers will come standard with SoliTouch technology, allowing for quality prints even on an uncalibrated printing platform. SoliTouch measures positions on the printing platform prior to beginning a print and automatically adjusts settings for optimum results.
The new products are immediately available for presale on Solidoodle's site and will begin shipping in mid September.
Solidoodle will also begin offering the new SoliPrint 3D printing software with first shipments of the newly announced printers. The company says the SoliPrint will provide a streamlined user experience with easier installation, plug-and-play connections, and printing.
Solidoodle is also expanding support for US customers with the new one-year SoliCare Protection Plan (SoliCare) for the Solidoodle Press and Solidoodle Workbench Series printers, providing additional coverage of defects or malfunctions.
I suggest do NOT buy the Solidoodle Press; 1. It doesn't print PLA as advertised. It seems that the extruder isn't designed to handle it. 2. There are MANY issues with the design. Read through the solidoodle forums: http://www.soliforum.com/forum/28/solidoodle-press/ Issues such as a cable bundle that blocks movement to home area, causing stripping of teeth off the drive belts, Insufficient cooling in hotend, unstable build platform, Spool feed is likely to be restricted which pulls up the print head causing layer separation, insufficient cable support which causes cables to break from print head. 3. Many build quality issues, such as grub screw in extruder not tightened, missing screws from vital parts (build platform for example), loose wires restricting cooling fan , wires clamped between pieces of metal, stripping the insulation, I'm sure I'm missing a lot here. 4. Software simply doesn't work. This is at least improving, but placing parts with rotating and scaling has many issues. I suggest using repetier host. 5. TOTAL LACK OF SUPPORT!!! There are many trying to reach support for the multitude of issues and are unable to get response or organize a refund since this printer is NOT as advertised it would be. Basically, it may be cheap for what it is advertised at, but it doesn't work, and I can't see it working properly without serious modification. I cannot speak for their other printers, but the press... BE WARNED!!!