07/10/2013
Review: LulzBot TAZ 3D printer
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Boasting the largest print envelope available for less than US$5,000, the LulzBot TAZ is a RepRap-style 3D printer that presents an open, no-frills design. The TAZ 1.0 is LulzBot’s fourth generation printer, and it uses the company’s sixth generation hot-end (the nozzle and extrusion mechanism for 3D printing). This printer uses an open-source format for both its software and hardware, also known as Libre Hardware.
When the LulzBot TAZ first arrived, the biggest challenge was finding a proper place to set up the system. Having such a big print-envelope (298 mm long x 275 mm wide x 250 mm high) means the machine requires plenty of desk space. After moving a coffee table next to my desk, the LulzBot had a place to start printing. The unboxing was simple, and the machine didn’t require any tools to get printing, though a small kit of tools and utensils was provided for maintenance and cleaning up prints, as 3D prints often require some minor working once off the printer.
After the initial leveling and a couple of software downloads, the first print was underway. The TAZ’s open design doesn’t give any opportunity for noise dampening, so the test print, a small octopus, was a loud venture. Though the humming and zipping of stepper motors was noisy at first, you get used to it, a little like a noisy fan on a computer. Once the first print was completed after about 35 minutes, the fun was to begin with my first download from Thingiverse, the print that is commonly used to test 3D printers, Yoda.
This first real print lead to an email to LulzBot’s support center, as the heated bed ceased to warm up after the initial test print. The failure of the heater to operate properly can’t be pinned entirely on the company, as the printer I received for review was a demo-model that surely had been used and shipped multiple times before. Regardless, the LulzBot support staff was helpful and fast to help me troubleshoot, and eventually exchanged the printer for a different demo. After the new arrival and another test, the first real prints were underway.