MakerBot Industries

HBP FTW. Unless you're planning on mass-producing short and wide parts, the ABP isn't a very good choice. It just doesn't offer a stable enough surface for even moderately tall parts, and forget about anything tall and skinny. The HBP offers a much more stable surface, and you can use the awesome new aluminum plate with the countersunk screw holes. The HBP is also much easier to level.

Now, if you were to put an ABP on an Ultimaker, the result would be pretty amazing. Since that machine's build surface doesn't move in the X or Y directions, many of the problems solve themselves.

From my recent building - April - of my T-O-M.

Suggestion to a new builder - use the HBP and work into the ABP. Now, I would not take my ABP off my machine. I am very happy after each long print to hear the machine discharging a finished part. I like the ABP.

Now to the belt warping. Yes, it warps. If you - use - the belt it will straighten out over time as it becomes universally heat treated. IF, you don't bang or gouge or strafe the belt with the Hot End - which, is impossible for a learner not to do over and over, they will last? Mine, I've been using for over a month of daily printing. But, I did not have a belt for awhile and had to just use the platform. Why? I'd destroyed my initial three belts quickly. Then, I proceeded to destroy the first one of a new pack just as I had put it on. But, remember - I now have been printing with one belt for over a month. Granted there are crease imprints on my parts. Some are tape gaps others are bunched tape ridges. Not, drastic but, still there. These will be eliminated when I stop printing and get over the extreme apprehension of dismantling the ABP to install an experimental belt. There are numerous success stories of good homemade belts. That is not what I am fearful of. It is the development time and learning to make such a belt and the many anticipated future ons/offs of the build platform. This is what keeps me putting off the belt lesson while I keep making/printing cool junk.

MBI Belt.
It appears that the plastic. PET, although rated to 220C will shrink at the common build platform temperatures of 115C. Also, the belts are fabricated from an adhesive, thin, tape wound to width and then cut for fit width wise. The materials may be rated to operating temperatures but, the construction process introduces a need for a break/run in period. I used to advocate a, "Don't drive Hot!" stance on the belts. This was when a newby and I did not understand that the belts need a break in time because they would warp do shrink and stretch. You see, when in the belt is new and you move the belt while hot it warps more as the belt sections get heated and induce more warping. I also did not understand - and no one else seemed to have worked through this either, that upon time the belt, because of the ABP tension, will come back into shape. But, this is after all the heat and run-in time has been achieved. I've not worked out this time. Maybe you can - but, later. All this takes time and learning and this is not printing. So, to you want a tinkerbot or a printing bot?

More belt background.
The belts when made are not fully, microscopically or on a very small level, adhered and have some entrapped air and moisture which work their way out as we heat and use the machines. This said there is a break-in-period to work through. I have a belt that I have been using for the month and it did warp but, will flatten under the build process of pre-heat. The belts need a shrink time. So, during a number of prints the belt will be trying to equalize through uneven shrinking appearing as warping. The tape seams will also begin to separate or bunch, in very small measure, producing little seam gaps or bunching to produce sharp ridges. Nuff, said on the OEM belts. Many have used/made their own Kapton tape belts. (I may try this since I now have the wide tape.) Others make paper belts and cover with blue (painter's) tape. I like the clear belt because I have a copper build platform and like to see the red color show through. So, I may make a wide PET belt (laser printer velum) with kapton cover. Anyway you for your choice you should be getting the understanding here that this is all - More time, More tweaking. Back to an important question: Do you want to be WoW!ed by building and printing cool parts, toys, junk and waste plastic? Or, do you want to tweak and build and fiddle with the dream of that whiz banger, "WOW! you printed this?" to be a future event? These are the questions to answer.

In the long run —— I am an advocate of the ABP. I have one. It works. And as has been said, "MAWVALOUS DAWLING. Simply, MAWVALOUS!"

I went with the ABP for the added challenge, however, I can see why the HBP would be the better choice for starting out.

I'm currently battling humidity evaporating out of the air and hanging out between the belt and the platform. Florida in the summer makes for some interesting challenges.

I'm glad I went with the ABP for the sake of learning, but if you want to print immediately without some extra tinkering I'd go with the HBP.

If you want the absolute best possible prints you can make go with the HBP and get the aluminum heat spread and super wide Kapton tape. This combination will also give you the ability to take full advantage of the build surface. I mean every last millimeter. Not to mention you gain a good chunk of Z height back too.