Before deciding on the “Shark with a freaking laser” angle for the intro, I was going to take a potato peeler, duct tape it to the side of this machine, and claim I had a 5-in-1 that could 3D print in single and dual color, laser, peel potatoes and make curly fries. I still think that would have been funny, but I think the Shark with a freaking laser” was funnier.
It’s rare that I have so much to say about something for which I’ve actually done so little with. But besides one multi-material print and a few engravings on wood and plastic, I really haven’t done much with this machine. But every time I used it I found a new reason to be upset. And while this video documented many of them, there were many more that didn’t make it in.
Cable management was such an afterthought for them that it was left for the user to think about.
Longer screws are necessary to mount the laser to the top bar, but if you use those same screws to mount the laser to the carriage with those screws, they will crash into the wheels and prevent them from moving.
The functionality of this machine does provide some hope for the future. One day someone will make a machine that combines the functionality of a laser cutter, 3d printer, and maybe even CNC router, that won’t suck. Maybe it will be a tool changer or incorporate the WhamBam Mutant. And maybe it won’t feel like everything you try to do requires a monumental personal effort for mediocre results. One day. But that day is not today. And this is not that machine.
Maybe I’m spoiled. I remember the early days of 3D printing, when everything was effort. Just getting a cube out of your machine was more than you could ask for. People were sourcing parts and making designs themselves. The controller boards were PCBs that you etched yourself or sent out to expensive PCB services and soldered your own chips into. Heck, I remember people writing gCode by hand or downloading gCode that other people were making by hand because the first slicers were too rough for their liking. But things developed quickly. Replicator G matured. Specialized main boards were developed. Eventually new slicers like Slic3r and others emerged. And eventually we got to a world where Chinese manufacturers can, with a minimum of effort stand on the shoulders of giants so tall that they think minimum effort is innovation.
In editing this video, I wanted the rose colored glasses segment to be like an Instagram filter on steroids. So, I had to get that anime action lines effect, some sparkle effects, and get that “Anime Wow” sound effect. So now those are a part of my tool set… and I’m kinda disappointed in myself for that.
