I would like to know what is the weight or quantity of filament in the CubeX 3D filament cartridges? All other brands of filament indicate 1Kg. The reason for asking is it would help in deciding which 3D printer to buy.
The reason for asking is that the CubeX filament cartridge costs about twice the price of a 1Kg spool of filament. It’s the age old problem with ordinary printers. The ink or in this case, the filament can cost more than it’s worth, if it’s in a cartridge than in bulk.
What is your opinion of the Printrbot Plus V2 compared to the Jameco K8200 by Velleman. The main difference that I see, besides one is assembled and one is a kit, is one made with wood and the other is extruded aluminum.
Be wary of kits, especially ones which require assembly; These often require a significant amount of troubleshooting and regular calibration and maintenance. You may save a bit of money initially, but it’s better to get a reliable unit which you won’t get fed up with and leave in your closet. The Replicator, UP~ and Cube series have reached the stage where it requires almost no maintenance or calibration. Although they certainly cost more than kit versions and wood-based models, their software and hardware are both very reliable. We here already know of people who are putting the “first gen” 3D printers away simply because of frustration.
The manufacturer refuses to disclose the amount of filament available because the amount of plastic used to create a 3D object depends on many factors:
]Size of the object /:m]
]Infill % (the object is rarely 100% solid plastic and almost always has an internal structure)/:m]
]Infill structure (different software uses different infill structures like honeycomb etc) /:m]
]Support material (used to support overhanging parts), /:m]
]Raft (used to keep the base from curling up)./:m]
]Raft structure /:m]
The Cube uses what they indicate are “optimal” build parameters which minimizes the material used while creating a very rigid, high quality part. As such, it is the claim that whereas 1Kg of filament on a competitor’s machine may produce X parts, the same 1Kg used on the Cub will produce more, high quality parts.
Nevertheless, people have weighed the filament before and after use (“after” being when the printer indicates the spool is “empty” to the point it cannot provide enough filament for a build) and have found the difference to be about 300g-350g (filament which can be used). The CubeX has more.
The issue with the Cube and CubeX is the smart chip inside the filament holder which indicates the amount of filament left, while also telling the machine if the spool is “authorized”. People are developing hacks in order to be able to use generic filament with these machines, but nothing we can advise at this time. One of the benefits to using the Replicator 2X rather than the CubeX is that it accepts generic filament, and you have complete control over the build parameters.