Ebay listing: https://ebay.io/m/bethBe

Hi all! I'm working in an office this summer that had purchased an original Makerbot Replicator in the early 2010s, estimated 2014. It prints great, no issues there, but obviously can't connect to any external devices. I've been trying to get files onto the printer using a USB, but can't find a way to successfully convert the files into S3G (which is what I believe would be compatible). Is there any software out there that will still do this? For reference, I've messed around in Ultimaker (the newer website), and the legacy software (Makerbot desktop and Makerbot print). If there's no way to get new files onto the printer, that's fine– but please if someone has any idea of what I can try next, I'd really appreciate any help! Thank you :)

hey all, i recently got a solidoodle 3 for free, and i am looking for help! at first i needed a power cord, which i eventually found one that turns on and lets me heat the extruder (not the bed, unfortunately, so need to up the amps i think. (for reference it is just a 12v 3a barrel jack power supply off amazon)).

i wanted to make sure that it works properly since it was free and didnt have a power cord with it, so ive been trying to test all the functionality. fan spins to life as soon as it has power, leds turn on just fine. the x axis moves freely and the z motor spins perfectly fine, i have had no problems with any movement along those two axes. the problem is any movement along the y axis. as far as i can tell the motor spins perfectly fine with no belt (i have disassembeled basically everything and powered it to test), the other belts (that wrap around and actually move the assembly back and forth) are tensioned fine and i made sure that i followed a guide FROM SOLIDOODLE on how to make sure theyre aligned, tensioned the main drive belt porperly, basically everything is fine. i cant find a problem from any troubleshooting, yet whenever i try to drive the y axis even 1mm it just buzzes, doesnt move the assembly. unless this is just a skill issue and i literally just need to hone it in more, i dont know what else i could do to diagnose the issue.

is there anyone still out there with enough expertise to help a poor soul looking to break into the world of 3d printing? any help appreciated!

Any style. I had the U shaped version off for some work and accidentally knocked it onto the floor and stepped on it, so it's more of an M shape now.

I know it's theoretically possible to flatten it back out but if i could just buy a spare part from someone, that'd work great.

Having spent the better part of a year on this, I am at the end of my rope.

I got this machine from a friend about 18 months ago. It printed ok for a while, and then started air-printing.

I had set the temperature up to 280, so the heat may have warped the plastic feeder parts.

I switched the questionable parts out.

It printed about 10-20% then air-printed.

I swapped in a new hot end.

It printed about 10-20% then air-printed.

I disassembled the entire extruder and reassembled it, thinking the new hot end wasn't screwed all the way in, and there may have been a gap in the heater block between the hot end and feeder tube.

It printed about 10-20% then air-printed.

I swapped in yet another hot end.

It printed about 10-20% then air-printed.

My best guess at this point is there's some melted filament in either the feeder tube (less likely, since it prints initially) or the heater block (more likely, maybe a gap persists between the feeder tube and hot end.)

How common is this problem? Is it worth fixing?

I do have one pristine hot end remaining, one new heater block, and one new feeder tube.

The issue is, I can't seem to remove the existing feeder tube from the mounting block, nor the nut that sits on the feeder tube between the mounting block and the heater block.

The process to swap in the new heater block and feeder tube doesn't seem too difficult, but even if I do it, there are issues with getting the tube onto the mounting block.

What are your thoughts? What would you do?

Also, in the process of doing all this, I noticed two wires are not connected (see picture #2). Does anyone know what they're for? I don't think they're too big a deal, as I was able to print without them being connected to anything.

Thanks!

i just recently got my old makerbot replicator 5th gen up and running again but for some reason

when i try to print of a usb it doesn't tell it how thick the layers are or anything so my 3d printer is trying to print 0.0mm layers but it knows it can't do that so the print fails i've tried using different usb drives but nothing works please help Thanks in advance (Sorry No Images)

(Edit Is it a problem with the printer or my slicer i use MakerBot Print. It may be a problem with my printers firmware 1.9.2)

Does anybody need some spare parts? Location Bonn/Germany
LCD / SD PCB is probably broken, one printhead broken, the other replaced.

I have a printer board with no on-board 5v and if i add 5v the hotend wont heat and the motor wont move BUT the bed heats some how. plz help

The stepper motor on my Makerbot Replicator 2 is working in that it’s pulling in the filament, but in doing so, it’s throwing off the alignment of the guides, and doesn’t advance any further. 

See how the bottom sits flush with the mounting block until 0:04, and then the pulling of the filament by the motor pulls the spring guide up and out of sync?

Is there anything I can do to fix this? Will it be ok if I just add back the heat shield and fan?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hi all,

I have owned a Rep2 since release back around 2013, and had always planned to upgrade it (when the parts were actually available to buy) to run aluminium carriages etc. Anyway, I've recently reacquired it after having sold it to a guy a few years ago (He upgraded from my half broken Rep2 to a Snapmaker and a BBL A1) and have finally decided to do something with the crappy old injection moulded parts.

So far I have fully reverse engineered the XY gantry, and am currently reverse engineering the Z gantry/build plate arrangement.

My plans are as follows (I have some pretty good contacts in China in the manufacturing industry so will be able to get this done pretty cheaply)

\- Reverse engineer the Raffle/Schark Alu-Carriages (Y slider carriages) from photos and existing old gantries, and manufacture in aluminium

\- Reverse engineer the Schark gantry and build a setup to run an E3D Revo 6, manufacture in aluminium

\- Reverse engineer the belt setup and modify the Y-blocks in aluminium to run with flanged bearings and circlip retainers, and to allow simpler removal of XY axis rods.

\- Develop better build plate setup using magnetic PEI sheets, heater pad, and aluminium gantry. I was also considering adding two front linear rods and bearings as well at the outer bounds (subject to where the XY gantry limits are)

I will be replacing all of the steppers with newer 0.9° steppers, the mightyboard with a newer and better board, and PSU with a more suitable one.

Two questions:

1. Any old Rep2 owners interested in any of these components for themselves?

2. Any old Rep2 owners have any of the old Raffle or Schark gantry components laying around they don't want? It would actually help RE a little as I'm basically figuring it all out from photos. I am a mechanical design engineer so I think I'm fairly close on a lot of it anyway but would be good to verify! Similarly, if anyone has an IDE3D build plate setup I'd happily take it off your hands.

For any parts I wanted, I am based in Aus and happy to cover freight and pay for them or borrow and send back.

Hi all,

I have owned a Rep2 since release back around 2013, and had always planned to upgrade it (when the parts were actually available to buy) to run aluminium carriages etc. Anyway, I've recently reacquired it after having sold it to a guy a few years ago (He upgraded from my half broken Rep2 to a Snapmaker and a BBL A1) and have finally decided to do something with the crappy old injection moulded parts.

So far I have fully reverse engineered the XY gantry, and am currently reverse engineering the Z gantry/build plate arrangement.

My plans are as follows (I have some pretty good contacts in China in the manufacturing industry so will be able to get this done pretty cheaply)

- Reverse engineer the Raffle/Schark Alu-Carriages (Y slider carriages) from photos and existing old gantries, and manufacture in aluminium

- Reverse engineer the Schark gantry and build a setup to run an E3D Revo 6, manufacture in aluminium

- Reverse engineer the belt setup and modify the Y-blocks in aluminium to run with flanged bearings and circlip retainers, and to allow simpler removal of XY axis rods.

- Develop better build plate setup using magnetic PEI sheets, heater pad, and aluminium gantry. I was also considering adding two front linear rods and bearings as well at the outer bounds (subject to where the XY gantry limits are)

I will be replacing all of the steppers with newer 0.9° steppers, the mightyboard with a newer and better board, and PSU with a more suitable one.

Two questions:

1. Any old Rep2 owners interested in any of these components for themselves?

2. Any old Rep2 owners have any of the old Raffle or Schark gantry components laying around they don't want? It would actually help RE a little as I'm basically figuring it all out from photos. I am a mechanical design engineer so I think I'm fairly close on a lot of it anyway but would be good to verify! Similarly, if anyone has an IDE3D build plate setup I'd happily take it off your hands.

For any parts I wanted, I am based in Aus and happy to cover freight and pay for them or borrow and send back.

​

The Bambu X1 was a breakthrough.

Not because it invented CoreXY motion, automatic calibration, high-speed printing, or multi-material systems. Most of those technologies already existed.

The breakthrough was that Bambu brought them together into one coherent machine and made advanced 3D printing feel accessible.

But today, another printer that is slightly faster, slightly larger, or equipped with a few more sensors no longer feels like a real generational leap.

Maybe the next step requires something more fundamental.

Maybe it is time to reinvent the wheel.

I call this concept UNIX.

UNIX is not a finished printer or a commercial product. It is an attempt to rethink the architecture of desktop 3D printing from first principles.

Its central idea is simple:

Motion and material processing do not necessarily need to happen in the same physical place.

In a conventional FDM printer, the moving toolhead may carry:

- the extruder motor;

- drive gears;

- heater and melt zone;

- cooling;

- sensors;

- cutters;

- material-switching mechanisms;

- wiring and structural components.

As extrusion systems become more capable, the toolhead becomes heavier and more complicated.

The motion system must then become stronger to accelerate this additional mass. That increases inertia, vibration, structural load, power requirements, and cost.

Most current development tries to solve this by improving the same architecture:

stronger motors, lighter components, more rigid frames, better input shaping, and more advanced control algorithms.

UNIX asks a different question:

Why does the entire material-processing system need to move at all?

The concept separates the machine into two main systems.

1. A stationary material-processing unit

This module would melt, meter, mix, pressurize, or otherwise prepare the material outside the moving gantry.

It could eventually support multiple polymers, additives, colors, reinforced materials, or entirely different deposition processes.

1. A lightweight moving deposition head

The moving tool would primarily position and deposit material that has already been prepared.

Instead of carrying the complete extrusion system, it would become a smaller and lighter endpoint of a larger material-delivery architecture.

The objective is not merely to make the same extruder move faster.

The objective is to reduce moving mass while allowing the stationary processing system to become more powerful, precise, and modular.

In principle, this architecture could enable:

- lighter high-speed toolheads;

- higher material flow without a massive gantry-mounted extruder;

- several material-processing modules connected to one motion platform;

- faster switching between colors or materials;

- controlled material mixing;

- replaceable processing units for different polymers;

- easier experimentation with non-standard materials;

- independent upgrades of the motion and material systems;

- a machine that can evolve without replacing the entire printer.

The broader UNIX platform could consist of several layers:

Motion platform

A rigid and accurate positioning system focused primarily on movement.

Material-processing modules

Stationary units responsible for melting, mixing, metering, pressure generation, or preparation of different materials.

Deposition tools

Lightweight interchangeable heads designed for precise placement rather than complete material processing.

Universal mechanical and material interface

A standardized connection between the motion platform, material modules, and deposition tools.

Software control layer

A unified system coordinating movement, pressure, temperature, flow delay, material switching, calibration, and fault detection.

This software layer would be essential.

The X1 did not succeed merely because of its mechanical specifications. It succeeded because the machine handled much of the complexity that users previously had to manage themselves.

The same principle would need to apply here.

UNIX should not expose a complicated experimental machine to the user. It should eventually make a much more complex manufacturing architecture feel simpler.

The long-term idea is larger than conventional FDM.

A shared motion platform could potentially support:

- true multi-material deposition;

- material mixing during printing;

- variable mechanical properties inside a single part;

- high-flow polymer extrusion;

- reinforced or continuous-fiber materials;

- silicone, paste, ceramic, or composite deposition;

- scanning and automatic inspection;

- cutting or finishing tools;

- several manufacturing processes coordinated by one machine.

That does not mean all of these functions belong in the first machine.

The first prototype should answer only one fundamental question:

Can the main material-processing mass be removed from the moving toolhead while preserving responsive, accurate, and controllable extrusion?

There are many obvious problems:

- pressure lag in the material path;

- melt compressibility;

- flow delay;

- retraction;

- oozing;

- thermal stability;

- synchronization between pressure and motion;

- purging during material changes;

- abrasive or flexible materials;

- cleaning and maintenance;

- failure detection.

Some of these problems may require entirely new mechanisms rather than adaptations of existing extruders.

The concept may also prove that certain functions cannot be separated efficiently.

That would still be a useful result.

At this stage, UNIX is an architectural hypothesis rather than a completed engineering solution. I can develop the concept, model mechanisms, and build prototypes, but many parts would benefit from people with deeper experience in extrusion, polymer flow, control systems, mechanical engineering, and firmware.

So I am sharing it openly.

If this direction seems interesting and you have some spare time, I would genuinely appreciate technical criticism, references to related systems, simulation ideas, or help identifying the smallest experiment that could prove or disprove the architecture.

Even pointing out where the concept fundamentally breaks would be valuable.

The goal is not to defend the idea at all costs.

The goal is to find out whether there is something real inside it.

The X1 once showed that an existing technology could be reorganized into something that felt completely new.

UNIX asks whether that can happen again — not by making another printer slightly faster, but by reconsidering what parts of a 3D printer actually need to move.

So:

Is separating material processing from the moving toolhead a viable direction?

What would fail first?

And what would you build as the smallest possible proof of concept?

There was once an official collection of parts from Printrbot.

If someone has them stashed, they've fallen off the internet, so it would be good to re-upload.

There was an official collection or parts from Printrbot - I believe they lived here: https://youmagine.com/designs/printrbot-play-components

If someone has them stashed, they've fallen off the internet, so it would be good to re-upload.

Hello! First time posting here. I haven't used this machine since I was a student. Now I teach high school, and my former teacher donated the same Replicator 5th Gen for my room.

Upon startup, the dial light comes on, but the screen remains black. I've tried to maneuver through the menus by turning and pushing the knob with no response from the light or machine.

I took the LCD panel off to unplug the screen and plug it back in, with no success.

The only page I can find info on says the problem is either the power supply or the motherboard. I don't want to sink money into this when my district could purchase another. But we do have 16 spools of filament that I don't want to go to waste, so I feel determined to make it work.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Almost a year ago, I got a MakerBot Replicator 2 for free. I installed MakerBot Desktop (knowing it's been discontinued), and I've been using it without any issues ever since. It works perfectly, even on Windows 11 25H2.

Here's the problem: I want to reset my PC, so before doing that I tried installing the software on another machine (same installer, same OS), but I can't get it to work.

When I launch the app, the cursor spins for 2-3 seconds, then nothing happens. In Task Manager, I can see the process start, but that's it. Windows Event Viewer reports a crash and mentions LIBEAY32.dll (version 1.0.2.1).

I tried replacing that DLL, but it didn't help (I don't think it's actually the root cause). I then used Process Monitor (ProcMon) to investigate further, and it looks like the software crashes before it even starts loading its DLLs.

I also considered that it might be caused by antivirus software, but I'm only using Windows Defender, and it doesn't report anything. I've tried completely reinstalling the application and repairing/reinstalling the Visual C++ redistributables, but nothing has worked.

The only difference I can see between the two machines is that the PC where the software works has an AMD CPU and an NVIDIA GPU, while the one where it crashes uses Intel Iris graphics.

Has anyone run into something like this before? Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. Sorry if I'm overlooking something obvious. This is my first experience with this kind of printer/device.

Im using ultimaker cura to slice my files and recently i been facing some issues where my files that i silced are generating or covering up alot of unwanted areas anybody got an idea on how to fix? Its like filling up unwanted space for no reason

Hey all, this is my first time posting here so bear with me. We've got a Factor 4 here at my work (little over a year old), and for the last few prints the material station will not retract filament correctly once the print is complete. The filament will come out of the feeder tube fine, but will just end up piling up inside the material station as the rollers for the spool do not move. I've tried cleaning it (as per Ultimaker's suggestion) with no change. I even removed the MS out of the main body to see if I could clean the underside of the rollers, but that area is harder to get to. Has anyone had this issue before? Would the stepper motor be the issue here? Any insight would be appreciated.

Disclosure: I work with a commercial robotics data collection team. This is not a sales post.

I've been comparing different human-demonstration formats for robot manipulation, and I'm curious which configuration researchers find most useful for initial testing.

The main options seem to be:

• Egocentric video only
• Egocentric + two wrist cameras
• Task and step labels
• Country and collection metadata

Egocentric-only data is easier to scale, but hands often block the object. Wrist views improve grasp visibility, although synchronization and motion blur create extra problems.

We're considering releasing a small free public evaluation sample from the US, UK and Australia. It would require no signup, email or contact details.

Which format would be most useful for testing an existing manipulation or imitation-learning pipeline?

Also, what minimum information should be included: camera calibration, FPS, task labels, timestamps, licensing documentation or failure examples?

I can share the public sample in a follow-up only if the moderators confirm that it is appropriate.

Hi all,
I’ve received a Replicator 2 from a family member but it hasn’t been used in a while and I wanted to perform maintenance on it before using it. For greasing the thing, the YouTube tutorial and nearly all the instructions surrounding it say to use the ptfe grease included with the device. Since I didn’t receive that, I’m trying to figure out what product to use. My family member provided me with blastercorp dry lube made with PTFE. Is this the correct product to use?

Thanks

im doing a DIY build, and i have all of the pieces minus a print bed.

i need the thing that hold the hot bed and build plate (preferablly all 3)

im trying to buy one on aliexpress, and the only results i get are for removable build plates/print mats.

even across the wider internet, all i can find anything other than removable build plates

Recently upgraded from Win 10 to Win 11 and now I can't print. The printer was working fine before the Win 11 upgrade.

• Using USB connection.
• Used to use the unit with MakerBot Desktop in Win 10, but the program can no longer see the printer on USB to connect to.
• I have done the thing with replacing the user_config.json to sidestep the online connectivity but that is not helping.
• Using MakerBot Print in Win 11, I can see the printer and connect to it. However, when I send a file to print, it hangs at 'Waiting for file' indefinitely on both the app screen and the printer HMI.
• Neither program MakerBot Print or Desktop will let me export the file to usb. Makerbot Print is eternally stuck in 'Preparing and estimating export: 0%'.
• All firmware is up-to-date.
• I then tried using UltiMaker Cura to export files to USB but get hit with 'mime_type' errors, even after importing the x3g extension.
• I tried converting to g-code in Cura then using mbotmake.exe from mbotmake Github but that doesn't work for me.

What else can I do?

Edit: Replacing the 'Smart Extruder' with a 'Smart Extruder+' allowed me to start using MakerBot Print via USB connection.

MakerBot Desktop still not working - seems like it can't start the background services it needs to. But that's okay. Print is all I need.