You could think of the MakerBot Replicator+ ($2,499) desktop 3D printer as a souped-up version of the original Replicator ($1,949.00 at Amazon) , adding considerable improvements in speed, build volume, and design over its already-excellent predecessor. It also adds workflow features useful for the professional audience for which it's primarily intended, and it's quieter than the previous version. A very worthy successor, it's our Editors' Choice for high end, general purpose 3D printers.

Design and Features
The all-black Replicator+ is large, measuring 16.2 by 17.4 by 20.8 inches (HWD), so it's best kept on a table or bench of its own. It weighs 35 pounds, 6 ounces. With a rigid yet open frame, it's open at the front, on the sides, and on top, permitting easy access to the print bed and easy viewing of prints in progress. Its build volume is 6.5 by 11.6 by 7.6 inches, 25 percent larger than its predecessor's. According to MakerBot, it's also 30 percent faster. The Ultimaker 2+ ( at Amazon) has more symmetrical dimensions of 8.1 by 8.8 by 8.8 inches.

Filament
The Replicator+ uses 1.75mm polylactic acid (PLA) filament, which MakerBot sells in 2-pound spools for $48 (for standard colors) and $65 (for specialty colors, including neon and translucent). This is near the high end of the price scale for PLA, though similar in price to what you get from Ultimaker, which uses thicker (3mm) filament. The Replicator+ also supports MakerBot's new Tough PLA filament, a PLA composite that's sold in a bundle (three spools plus the required Tough PLA Smart Extruder+ for $379). Tough PLA is strong but flexible, and is a good choice for engineers or other professionals who need durability and consistency.

Loading filament is easy enough. You press Load Filament on the control panel, and when the extruder is hot enough, you are instructed to insert the end of the filament into the top of the extruder. When it's far enough in, gears will grab the filament and pull it further. Unloading it is just as easy.

Extruder
The Smart Extruder+ is a cinch to install or remove by snapping or unsnapping it, as it's held in place by magnets. What makes the Smart Extrude+ smart? For one thing, it detects when you're out of filament and automatically pauses the print; without it, you would have to scrap the print. It also sends notifications to the MakerBot Desktop software and the MakerBot Mobile iOS or Android app.

Connectivity
The Replicator+ has a good range of connectivity choices. You can print from a computer over USB, Ethernet, or Wi-Fi, as well as over Wi-Fi from a phone or tablet with the MakerBot Mobile app installed. You can also print files from a USB thumb drive, which fits into a port to the right of the LCD. This is the most connection choices we've seen on a 3D printer.

Software
The new MakerBot Print app is as simple or powerful as you need it to be. You can easily open a file and launch a print job, but you can also store and manage multi-component projects, and export files to USB keys or other drives for printing out. Standard resolution is 200 microns; you can switch to High (100 microns), although standard gives good quality.

MakerBot Mobile lets you control print jobs from a smart phone or tablet, and now has built-in CAD support. You need the app to set up the Replicator+; it links via a peer-to-peer connection to the printer. I found it tricky to get it connected and set up, but once you set it up, you're good.

Printing
I printed about 10 test objects with the Replicator, and print quality was good to excellent throughout. It did better than average in printing our geometric test object, the only minor flaw a slight bowing at the base. It did have a problem printing the upper lip on a jack-o'lantern, but not having tested the pumpkin with any other printer, it's hard to say how significant the misstep was. I did have two misprints when trying to print the same file from a USB thumb drive, but considering that I had no such trouble printing the file (twice) when I sent it to the printer over a wired connection, I suspect that the file on the thumb drive may have gotten corrupted. All the other test objects printed without issue.

Safety and Noise
With open-frame printers, there is always a risk that you or an onlooker could get burned by touching the hot extruder, but this is nearly a non-issue with the Replicator+. The extruder nozzle is set in back of the extruder assembly and hard to reach from the front or sides, and from the top it's blocked by the carriage that holds and moves the extruder assembly. This design should keep both adults and children about as safe as is possible with any open-frame printer.

Like most other 3D printers, the Replicator+ makes a range of sounds from motors revving to weirdly electronic melodies. It's considerably quieter than the previous-generation Replicator, which I described as "louder than most" when I tested it.

Conclusion
The MakerBot Replicator+ is a very worthy successor to the Replicator Desktop, with improved speed, a larger build area, quieter operation, and a powerful software solution that lets you manage projects as well as individual files. The Replicator+ supports MakerBot's new Tough PLA filament, which is both strong and flexible. It inherits the Replicator's Editors' Choice as a high-end general-purpose 3D printer. (Although MakerBot has geared it to professionals, it's still simple enough for hobbyists or individuals.)

For professionals looking to print magnificently detailed high-resolution objects, the Formlabs Form 2 ( at Amazon) remains our Editors' Choice professional printer. Along with a higher price tag, though, the stereolithography-based Form 2 requires the use of sticky resins and nasty chemicals, and it falls well short of the Replicator+ in the convenience area.

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