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Here is a page that answers a lot of the questions we get emailed.
When will you have X back in stock?
We have long lead times on some of our parts so sometimes we are out of stock. When we get them back in stock, we always tweet about them at http://twitter.com/makerbot. You can get the updates sent as SMS text messages if you want to be the first to know when things are back in stock.
My electronics parts worked but now they don't. What happened?
Occasionally with boards assembled by the purchaser, electronics fail. Often it is a cold solder joint or a trace that has been burned by a power supply with too much juice. Electronics are susceptible to shocks, especially the kind that you get when you rub your feet on the rug.
You may want to visit the forums or the google group and ask for help. If you do, make sure you give as much information as possible and take pictures and videos of the problem if possible so that others can help you figure out what's going on. Most digital cameras have a macro mode (flower icon) which can be very useful when trying to focus small objects such as the components on a circuit board.
We haven't seen any problems with boards that are bought fully assembled, but that doesn't mean that you can't destroy them in creative ways.
Check out our customer service policies at http://store.makerbot.com/customer-service.
I tried to use your store to order a makerbot and got an error - SGS-020003: Invalid XML.
This is a known bug. It may mean that your card did not go through for some reason. Check with you bank to make sure there isn't a limit or a hold and if that doesn't work, you can use PayPal. For some people, our site appears to just hate their card and we will be able to address this soon.
I'm a teacher and I want my school to buy lots of these things. How does that work?
Many institutions have bought machines from us using a credit card. We have been burned by schools using Purchase Orders (PO) and are still waiting on payments 6 months after shipping machines. At the moment, we have a policy that we wait until payment has been received before shipping. You're welcome to use a PO and we suggest you use the online order form to generate your own invoice to move the process along if this is your only option. Again, we don't ship MakerBots out without money in the bank.
Do you sell fully assembled machines?
Buying a kit is better because part of the experience is learning how it works. Because there is some tuning for each individual machine, putting it together teaches you how it works so you can adjust it for your own purposes.
My credit card has been declined. What's wrong?
You card was declined the first time through, and the processor won't try to run the transaction again as long as the CC information remains identical. I'd double-check that all the information is correct, especially the billing address, expiration date, and name - if you have a middle initial on the card, you need to enter that in the name field, as well.
If you're sure all the information is correct, the next step is to contact your bank and make sure there's no hold on the card. If the transaction still won't go through, drop us a line and we can process the card manually as a last resort.
Can you assemble a Cupcake CNC for me?
Sorry, but we don't sell pre-assembled Cupcake CNCs at this time. There are two reasons for this: firstly, the Cupcake does require regular adjustment and tweaking to run well and the best way to learn about the machine and how to maintain it is to put it together yourself. Secondly, we're doing all we can to get machines shipped out as promptly as possible and further develop the platform, so we don't have the resources to assemble the machines ourselves at this time.
I want to be a distributor! (How does that work?)
We aren't priced for distribution… yet! Please send us a note with details on your level of distribution and when we shuffle things up, we'll hook you up. Until then, you can buy 10 or more machines for a 10% discount and resell them as you like.
I want to make a new invention, should I get a MakerBot?
Get a MakerBot! It's a great tool for prototyping! Check out Thingiverse.com to get a feel for what you can do with a MakerBot and then get to work! Even if you don't have a MakerBot, you can upload your STL file and see what it looks like when other people make it with their machines! Go for it!
I want a bigger bot! Can I just scale everything up?
We built the cupcake to work perfectly at this scale. We've been working on prototypes to make it bigger and it's not as easy as just scaling. There are a bunch of variables and we're staying up late at night hacking on them so we can come out with a bigger machine someday. Should that stop you from trying it yourself? Go for it!
A part of my machine has broken, do you have a warranty on items?
We have searched to offer parts that are the best quality for price possible but we make no guarantees. There are lots of creative ways to destroy the parts we send out to you and often user error is at fault. We offer replacement parts and you can buy them! If the part arrives dead on arrival let us know and we will make that right, but once you've used it, you'll have to buy a new part to replace it!
Do you ship to Argentina? How much will it cost?
Shipping is calculated before checkout. If you go into the store and begin the process of ordering your kit, you will find a shipping calculator that will give you a shipping estimate for Argentina.
Thanks for your interest, we've shipped to Argentina, so it should be no problem. Lucky for you our batch 12 is available now for order.
Can I have a free MakerBot for my FIRST robotics team?
We are a small company and don't give machines away. FIRST is awesome though and we encourage you to fund-raise for a machine to make your robot rock.
Three dimensional printing? When did this happen?
3D printing technology came of age in the last decade, but with the MakerBot it recently became available for the desktop and at consumer prices. We shipped our first Cupcake CNC kits in 2009. Check out http://thingiverse.com for examples of objects created on the Cupcake CNC.
I've heard that you are working on super awesome stuff. How long do I have to wait?
Our development is measured in cups of coffee and there really is no precise predictability for innovation. We're working hard to make improvements on the machine and we have some ideas for bigger machines, but it's hard. When we get there, we'll release it and until then, you can buy the Cupcake CNC and hack on it to bend to your will in the meantime!
Ack! It's expensive to ship small packages to Europe!
It is expensive and we wish it wasn't. We tried using the cheapest option to ship to Europe and we can't do that anymore because it took up to 6 months for them to deliver with that method and there was no tracking and about 1/5 of packages would just disappear.
What tools do I need to build a Cupcake CNC Kit?
You will need:
- Soldering iron * You'll need to make four easy solder connections to hook up the Plastruder Mk4
- Electronics solder
- Pliers, preferably needle-nosed* These will help you tighten down nuts
- Hot glue gun* A dab of hot glue will help keep the bearings from coming loose
- Super glue, or white glue* A bit of glue can be used to make sure the magnets don't come loose from their press-fit bearings
- 1/4 inch hex wrench
- some 3 in 1 multipurpose oil/lubricant
- wire cutter
- stripping tool
Houston, We Have A Problem!
The Cupcake CNC is a new device, and still in development, so there are lots of possibilities as to what could be causing an error. Have you tried printing from an SD card? Sometimes the USB connection from the computer sending printer instructions to the motherboard slows, and can cause the extruder to create an error like 'the stage stops moving and the extruder continues to run'. In ReplicatorG "Print from SD card" is typically a more surefire way to have a successful print. When you begin a print from an SD card it is a good idea to disconnect the USB cord from your computer after starting the print. Check out the building from an sd card page.
You may also want to start with the "Production Pulley" file. Using the Replicator G Control Panel, wait until you have warmed up your extruder to 230c, and manually test your extruder by clicking "forward", and extruding a bit of plastic. If it extrudes smoothly and stops and starts appropriately, you are ready. Move your plastruder 20mm above the build platform before your hit "Build from SD card" to start the pulley build.
[when you load your .s3g files on to SD cards, make sure that the file name is 8 characters or less ie, "12345678.s3g" To speed up the process a bit, build to your hard drive, and manually drop the .s3g file on to your SD card when it is mounted on your computer.]
Also, after errors, it is useful to push the restart buttons on the motherboard and the extruder board, and quit and restart ReplicatorG. These may seem like basic instructions but they have solved a lot of problems for me. Build errors are normal responses to funny skeinforge settings or errors from bad model geometry.
-whew- I hope these aren't all too basic, but they are the steps that got me printing successfully and repeatedly.
Also make sure and check out in Replicator G, the header in the gcode of your files before you print, they often have model-specific instructions.
