Leapfrog Creatr HS 3D Printer, Dual Extruder, 11.8" x 9" x 7" Build Volume

this printer sucks you can't get replacement parts anymore

Hi everyone, I've been on the market for a 3d Printer for printing Boxes for electronics, very entry level stuff. On Sept 21, I purchased a used unit and was lucky enough to receive it within days of the purchase. After going and attempting to get my machine to connect to the printer via USB, I was unable to due to a possible firmware issue. I contacted Leapfrog and opened a service request #174928. David B. responded back with a copy of the latest firmware. I started the firmware upgrade process hoping that it resolves the issue and BOOM, it bricks the unit. I am in contact with Leapfrog waiting for a response from them in regards of next steps and in paralelle I contact amazon to ask to extend the return policy as I am currently working through a service request with the manufacture. The Amazon employee said heck, Why don't we replace the broken unit with a new one for you and you can just move on with life, I was like wow.. Send it over. So BOOM I got a new unit. This one worked with the firmware upgrade. Then I had an issue with their software they provided. This unit allows two different filaments to be loaded in the printer. For the life of me the software would not let me choose which filament to print of (Correct option was selected in the software!) I then again opened up SR#174930 (Again assigned to David B.) During this time we had a real scheduling issue. The Company is out of the Netherlands and I had to stay up till about 12Am to 1AM to arrange a support call with Leapfrog, Try doing that with work that morning at 6AM. Anyways in a nutshell it was best efforts of Leapfrog to resolve the issue with the "Free" software they provided with their printer quoted by David B. "Unfortunately we can not offer support for free slicing softwares like repetier host, cura, slic3r etc." I did not have any commercial/polished software for 3D Slicing as this is my first printer and I was not yet at the stage of buying any. I finally then got into editing the GCODE itself adding (I wouldn't normally expect most others to be able to do so). I then started facing an issue with my first print of a simple box with a Lip. It seems the software or printer will render the first print prototype I made however if some parts of the project is too small / thin the printer will not kick back an error (SR#175250 ), however will continue printing and you will not know about it until 12 hours in to find a third of your project is missing on the north side of the model. This has been a VERY VERY enlightening experience. I was very sad to pack this unit into it's box and said it back after multiple multiple failed prints and attempts to coordinate with leapfrog for Midnight to 2AM support. At this point I throw in the towel. If LeapFrog came out with a more revised product I would be open to trying it again however they still have some kinks to work out. Estimated time burned during this experience is approx: 40 hours.

This IS NOT one of the cheap, mass-market, printers you'll find at places like Best Buy, Sam's Club, or Microcenter. I'd classify it as a lower-end professional unit, not because if its capabilities, which are impressive, but because of the price and because it doesn't lock you into using expensive manufacturer-specific filament spools or cartridges, both pluses in my book. With a very large build area and a heated bed, unlike the mass-market units that limit you to PLA, or maybe even ABS plastics, you can print using a very wide range of materials. The dual extruder will let you print with two materials at once running at different temperatures, typically useful if you want a different support material such as water soluble PVL. While this is one of the fastest machines on the market, you won't always be able to run at the fastest speeds as this is very material and model size dependent. This also means that while the standard settings may work on a particular model and material, you will probably have to adjust them for optimal prints. You are very likely to have to tweak at least the temperature settings for every different roll of filament as even different colors from the same manufacturer may behave differently. It's a good idea to keep a log. My primary use was for printing engineering models and custom parts for use in some of our robotic manufacturing cells, primarily using PLA and ABS filaments. The unit could also handle nylon and even some of the new carbon-fiber material and others more exotic, so this is good choice for engineering applications. It just takes some time to develop the correct settings for your processes. The software that came with my unit was Simplify 3D, running on a personal computer. You import your .STL format model from whatever source, and this software slices the model into layers and controls the required settings. There are a lot of process options you may adjust, which is why you can use so many different materials. I was using SolidWorks to create my own models, but any drawing package that can export to .STL file format should work, and of course, there are a lot of models available out on the Internet. Once you have the model imported and set, you can either print using the USB connection to the computer, or save the working file to a USB drive and print without the computer. I've only had three problems with the unit. One of the filament guide tubes was kinked during shipping when UPS ignored the "fragile" and "This End Up" signs on the box. The box arrived laying face down, and the nylon ties anchoring the extruder assembly had broken, indicating that it had taken a major hit. The second problem was the extrude tips. The originals had a small nub extension for the tip that eventually wore off. These are not extruder tips you can commonly find on the Internet, and replacements (with a more robust design) had to be ordered from Leapfrog. Note: I found that even when printing with a single filament, you really need to have the second extruder set at some higher temperature as it may drag through the material from the first extruder. The third problem as to do with the lack of an enclosure. First, it takes forever to warm up the bed if you are using this feature. I would use some material as an insulating blanket, and pull it off when ready to print once the bed was up to temperature. There were also issues particularly when printing with ABS if someone opened the door to the shop or the air-conditioner kicked in, sending a blast of air into the print area. This would lead to weak layers of the print, or sometimes complete failures. Leapfrog now has an optional door and top enclosure available for this unit, and I would highly recommend getting it or building your own. Frankly, I think the enclosure should be standard on this model, which is the main reason I only give it 4-stars.