MakerBot has announced the Method X ($6,499), which builds on the original MakerBot Method and continues the company's push to bring industrial-grade 3D-printing technologies to the desktop for professional use. With a build chamber that can be heated to 100 degrees C, the Method X allows for the effective use of a wider range of filaments than most 3D printers, including true ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and Stratasys SR-30 soluble supports. According to MakerBot, this will produce exceptional dimensional accuracy and precision for complex, durable parts, and the sample parts I observed at my briefing with MakerBot indeed looked very well-formed and free of visible flaws.
Getting the Most from ABS Filament
I attended a product briefing at MakerBot's Brooklyn headquarters, and was shown more than half a dozen parts printed on the Method X. First, a bit of background: Though it is one of the most commonly used 3D-printing filaments, ABS plastic isn't the easiest to work with. If the printer's build chamber is unheated or poorly heated, objects printed with ABS will often warp or crack. (I have experienced this in the course of reviewing more than a few consumer-grade 3D printers.) Desktop 3D-printer manufacturers attempt to get around such part deformation—which occurs due to the high shrinkage rate of the material—by using a heated build plate, in combination with altered ABS formulations that are easier to print but can compromise thermal and mechanical properties.
In MakerBot's case, its Precision ABS filament has a heat-deflection temperature (the temperature at which a plastic object loses its rigidity under a specified load) of 15 degrees C higher than competitors' modified ABS. According to MakerBot, the 100 degree C circulating heated chamber significantly reduces part deformation while increasing the durability of parts and their surface finish.
MakerBot says that its ABS for Method filament has excellent thermal and mechanical properties, similar to ABS materials used for injection-molding applications. The material is designed for a wide range of applications, including producing end-use parts, manufacturing tools, and creating functional prototypes. The heated chamber provides a stable print environment to enhance bonding between successive layers, resulting in high-strength parts with a superior surface finish. With the MakerBot Method X, engineers can design, test, and produce models and custom end-use parts with durable, production-grade ABS for their manufacturing needs.
Based on the (admittedly controlled) samples I saw, the print quality was impressive, with smoothly applied layers. The small gaps and misalignments typically seen in desktop 3D prints were nowhere to be seen. The Method X also appeared to do well at printing interlocking parts in which precise alignment is necessary, such as the Raspberry Pi outer case shown below.
A couple of the test objects I saw still had their printer-support material still in place. (This material is normally dissolved by placing the print in water during the finishing process.) The Method X is the only 3D printer in its price class that uses Stratasys SR-30 support material, designed by MakerBot's parent company, which allows users to print unrestricted geometries such as large overhangs, cavities, and shelled parts. (The supports are printed in the Stratasys material, which is then dissolved after the print is complete.) The Method X can also be used with other filaments in MakerBot's lines of precision and specialty materials, including MakerBot PLA, MakerBot TOUGH, MakerBot PETG, and MakerBot PVA. (See our guide to 3D-printer filaments for much more on ABS and other filament types.)
The Method X has dual extruders, letting it print an object using two materials (such as ABS and SR-30).The thermal core in the extruders is up to 50 percent longer than a standard hot end to enable faster extrusion, resulting in, according to MakerBot, up to two-times-faster print speeds than a typical desktop 3D printer. While at MakerBot's headquarters, I briefly got to see a Method X in action as it finished a job, and it did seem quite fast for a desktop 3D printer.
Recommended by Our Editors
In appearance and specifications, though, the Method X largely matches the original Method. That includes the build area, 7.75 by 7.5 by 7.5 inches (HWD), which is modest for a printer of its price and capabilities. In comparison, the Ultimaker S5, our Editors' Choice professional 3D printer, has a significantly larger build area of 13 by 11.8 by 9.5 inches.
Improved Workflow
The Method X has 21 onboard sensors (for temperature sensing, humidity control, and material detection, for example) that help users monitor, enhance, and print their projects. (Each MakerBot filament spool contains an RFID chip, and by reading the tag, the printer can identify the filament type and color.) The Method platform provides a seamless CAD-to-part workflow, with Solidworks, Autodesk Fusion 360, and Autodesk Inventor plug-ins, as well as support for over 30 types of CAD files.
The company says that the aforementioned technologies—combined with MakerBot ABS for Method—are designed to help engineers achieve dimensionally accurate, production-grade parts at a significantly lower cost than traditional manufacturing processes. Engineers can print repeatable and consistent parts, such as jigs and fixtures, with a measurable dimensional accuracy of ±0.2mm (±0.008 inch).
MakerBot expects to starting shipping the Method X at the end of August. Concurrent with the Method X's launch, the price of the original MakerBot Method has been reduced to $4,999. (Below is a MakerBot "family portrait" of current printers, showing, left to right, the Replicator+, the Method, the Method X, and the Z18.)
Based on the company's description, as well as my brief look at the Method X, this new model looks to be a step up from the original Method and an impressive machine. It could be a worthy investment for professionals for whom quality and precision in printed parts is paramount, although you do pay a pretty penny for it. We look forward to putting the Method X through its paces in an upcoming formal review.
(For general information on 3D printing, see our primer 3D Printing: What You Need to Know.)