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 :)

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)

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Filament has snapped inside like this. Any tips?

See gallery: https://imgur.com/a/tDWZjxs

A friend gave me a Replicator 2 two years ago. I got about a few prints out of it, and then it started having problems.

The latest problem is I'm air printing. Sometimes it gets halfway and fails, sometimes there is a knot of filament coming out of the nozzle, or the filament comes out super-thin, lacey, like a spiderweb.

From this thread, especially the remark from u/digitallis, and from taking apart the extruder block, I have formed a hypothesis of what's happening

https://www.reddit.com/r/makerbot/comments/1sit65h/replicator_2_is_still_airprinting_despite_new/

I previously replaced the nozzle* and may not have screwed it in tightly enough. I also learned about this issue of heat creep "moving up the feed tube and melting the filament in the upper area."

I wonder if there is melted filament that has made its way up from the heating block to the feed tube and spread in the gap between the nozzle and the feed tube, impeding the smooth flow of filament.

This impression is underscored by the trouble I'm having separating the nozzle from the heating block when cooled down, and the heating block from the feed tube/mounting block, and could explain why filament is coming out properly during loading but not printing.

What's more, I tried changing the filament from black to white, and when unloading the white, I could still see some black attached to filament when I removed it.

Do you have any suggestions on what I should do now?

Should I heat up the heating block to melt the (likely) filament and loosen the nozzle, and then, if I can, apply some sort heat shield, maybe some thermal paste?

If so, what can I do with the filament probably trapped inside the heating block?

The heating block doesn't seem easily replaced. It has several wires soldered to it.

OR It looks like a Replicator 2 goes for $50-$100 for parts (if I can find a buyer), and I've seen a Flashforge Adventurer 5M sell for as little as $130 ... should I just abandon trying to save the Replicator 2?

Thanks!

* I replaced the nozzle because it previously had not been advancing the filament, even thudding sometimes.

https://www.reddit.com/r/makerbot/comments/1qcaofl/is_my_replicator_2_done_for_extruder_motor_is/

I wondered if the nozzle was clogged. I learned from u/toybuilder here that I had been setting the temperature too high, and that may have warped the plastic parts of my extruder.

I replaced the extruder parts and the nozzle, and the filament started flowing nicely when running the "load filament" function. But then this issue of bad printing arose. It would air print in the middle of a job, or more recently, even from the beginning of a job.

So I come in this am and my print has been running about 8 hours but not actually printing anything and what is printed is "lacey". So I reloaded the filament thinking it broke somewhere and did not realize it. Now the part above the filament spool that you feed is making a tugging noise? My head has about 1/2 life used. I got it to print but the print was 'lacey' so I stopped it and changed filament (I am using MakerBot brand) it is printing better but still making that little tugging noise. Any suggestions? Is it the printer head?? I am printing on a MakerBot Sketch Large

Thanks for any help/advice?

I have a replicator (5th gen maybe?) and have been thinking it may need a new build plate in case I've strained it too much. Can't find anything solid online for one

Hey,

I just got a MakerBot Replicator+ for free and am just getting into 3D printing.

Since the MakerBotPrint slicer has been discontinued and there aren't too many settings you can really tweak, I've been loking into using Cura.

Unfortunately I haven't figured out how to use the printer wirelessly/via wifi. Therefore I can't use the camere neither.

On top: I've found some profiles for other MakerBot Replicators like 1,2 etc. but nothing for the +. Have I not been looking enough?

Then I've found some custom firmware for MakerBots: sailfish.

Yet again, I couldn't find any information about firmware updates explicitly for the Replicator+.

So I guess my question(s) in the end is/are...

What's the best way to maximize the use of the printer?

PS: I'm a noob so...

Hi! I recently was told about mbotmake so I'm setting up my replicator 5th and I was curious, what all do I need to put for the settings so I don't make it short out. Like for the coding and other specifics. Apart from the print bed size

I just got a makerbot replicator today with 1kg of yellow filament but I was curious whats a good substitute I should use after that runs out. More importantly what filaments I should avoid. It also has the smart extruder if that affects anything

I've read here that it's OK to use regular PLA filament in the Sketch. Is there an off brand (not Makerbot) filament that would be the equivalent to their tough PLA?

For sale on https://shopgoodwill.com/item/265017630

if anyone is interested and in the US.

Don’t have the printer anymore but had some stock left..

I have 5* 3D Printer Filaments MakerBot Method X ABS-R Filament Black (0.65kg,1.43lb)

5* 3D Printer Filaments MakerBot Method Nylon 12 CF Filament Black (0.5kg, 1.1lb)

I am based in Canada, can ship to the states. Looking to get rid of these.

We have a fleet of Sketch Large's in our STEM room and since we got them we've been having problems with them freezing and needing restarts, anywhere between a few hours or a few days of being on this seems to occur.
By freezing, I mean the touch screen panel will stop responding to touch, or go black, the light on the extruder will still be on and if a print is going it will normally keep going. Then Digital Factory will also stop recognising the printer as online.

This seems to happen to all the printers, I have tested on ethernet, company wifi, and an unblocked testing network and it still seems to happen.

I have factory reset devices and checked firmware is up to date but nothing has changed.

I thought it might be a power issue, but in another building we experience this problem and none of our replicators or our flash forges ever had a problem with power draw.

I reached out to support a while ago but they brushed of the issue, saying its just a part of standard maintenance to restart, which is true, but shouldnt be multiple times a week/day and prompted by the printer freezing.
I doubt there's a fix (if someone has one though that would be great). I'd mostly just like to know if other people have been experiencing the issue before I try support again or going back to the reseller.

Ive been researching high and low and found that the last free version of Simplify3D was version 4.1.2 AND if you google you can find it

here are a few results of mine

https://is7.arfiles.net/Simplify3D_4.1.2_x86.zip from (https://mutaz.net/free-programs/en/download?1622)

https://pesktop.com/en/windows/simplify3d (ARCHIVE PASSWORD 123)

https://thehouseofportable.com/4959/simplify3d-portable/

I tried all of these and scanned the first, no viruses on my end. you can try your own searches on google and see what you get. these are the ones I found that I tried and worked no problems there is a readme file in there that EXPLAINS how to install. EVERYTHING you need to install it is there, if you have any problems I cannot help as I have not had any install or use issues.

this is provided here for those of you who ARE interested in this rabbit hole.

there are MANY sources to download from. ALWAYS scan your files to avoid ANY malicious activity.