Are there any thoughts on expected lifespan of an M2? I use the M2 about 10 hours a day, getting close to the 6 month mark but have had three serious failures in two months. I broke the extruder mount (not the fault of the machine), had a really bad clog that required hotend disassembly (also not the fault of the machine), and then I had the wires to the heated bed tear (viewtopic.php?f=7&t=382&p=12085#p12085).
It is my first 3d printer, but I am just trying to get an estimate on cost of the printer per number of print jobs / wear and tear based on print time, etc. When I build parts with this machine, I want to be able to factor in a "machine wear and tear charge" or something similar - in essence, to depreciate the M2 over the amount of filament that passes through it - E.g. $2 filament cost, + $8 machine cost or something similar. Would it be better to charge based on machine time or by job?
Life Expectancy and Depreciation
Re: Life Expectancy and Depreciation
1) We have a metal motor mount in process for the single v4 . The dual v4 already has a metal mount. Plus, you can print a spare of the plasic motor mount.
2) We are in the process of adding strain relief for the HBP wiring.
3) Always have a spare hot-end so that you can quickly swap it in the event of a clog.
The improvements mentioned above can be retrofitted to existing M2s.
Rick
2) We are in the process of adding strain relief for the HBP wiring.
3) Always have a spare hot-end so that you can quickly swap it in the event of a clog.
The improvements mentioned above can be retrofitted to existing M2s.
Rick
Re: Life Expectancy and Depreciation
"Life expectancy and depreciation" are not really what you're asking about, but "annual maintenance cost".
Parts break, and like any piece of complicated machinery that is new to the world, available parts have not reached the maturity where one can select parts commensurate with a specific projected lifespan. Some parts will break relatively often, and others will last indefinitely. You're looking for a maintenance cost per year, which can be divided down to a cost per hour or cost per job. You can ask around; I'm not sure that anybody can give you anything like an accurate answer. For example, I have had my Z-stepper motor break, but that was an old model stepper that MakerGear no longer uses. The model that they replaced it with (two years ago) does not have short lifetime issues. Apart from that, in two years of use, I have had the heated bed wires break, which cost me only about an hour of down time, and a couple of cracked plastic pieces, which cost me the time to print spares (plus the cost of a couple of failed prints). I know my use of the M2 probably goes in the category "light to moderate", but so far my maintenance costs have been essentially zero. Which is not to say that I don't keep pouring money into it, but that's because I can't resist tinkering!
Parts break, and like any piece of complicated machinery that is new to the world, available parts have not reached the maturity where one can select parts commensurate with a specific projected lifespan. Some parts will break relatively often, and others will last indefinitely. You're looking for a maintenance cost per year, which can be divided down to a cost per hour or cost per job. You can ask around; I'm not sure that anybody can give you anything like an accurate answer. For example, I have had my Z-stepper motor break, but that was an old model stepper that MakerGear no longer uses. The model that they replaced it with (two years ago) does not have short lifetime issues. Apart from that, in two years of use, I have had the heated bed wires break, which cost me only about an hour of down time, and a couple of cracked plastic pieces, which cost me the time to print spares (plus the cost of a couple of failed prints). I know my use of the M2 probably goes in the category "light to moderate", but so far my maintenance costs have been essentially zero. Which is not to say that I don't keep pouring money into it, but that's because I can't resist tinkering!
Re: Life Expectancy and Depreciation
My mount just broke - only because I was printing PC and something got stuck and the entire bed got lifted up, cracking the mount. I replaced with Eric's mount that is much stronger:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:432956
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:432956
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shadowwynd
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Re: Life Expectancy and Depreciation
I was actually asking about the life expectancy (which is, as Rick pointed out, a gray area because there will be upgrades).
In this case, we were able to get the M2 through a grant, so my organization has no initial outlay of cost, but it has proven to be an indispensable tool. When it finally dies or is obsolete some years into the future, we will be getting another printer (say the Makergear M5) to replace it. Assuming that the M5 will cost about the same as the M2, $cost_to_replace_M2 / M2_avg_lifespan = $Annual-Depreciation cost of the unit. This can help budget for the eventual replacement of the unit. We are figuring out the "fun" way what average maintenance costs might be (spare hot end, spare extruder mount, grease, etc.), so we will eventually have a good handle on what we might expect to spend on 3D printer maintenance in a year.
So for a given print, the cost for a part becomes = $Filament + $Electricity + $Operator_Time + some_fraction ($Annual_Depreciation + $Annual_Maintenance)
In this case, we were able to get the M2 through a grant, so my organization has no initial outlay of cost, but it has proven to be an indispensable tool. When it finally dies or is obsolete some years into the future, we will be getting another printer (say the Makergear M5) to replace it. Assuming that the M5 will cost about the same as the M2, $cost_to_replace_M2 / M2_avg_lifespan = $Annual-Depreciation cost of the unit. This can help budget for the eventual replacement of the unit. We are figuring out the "fun" way what average maintenance costs might be (spare hot end, spare extruder mount, grease, etc.), so we will eventually have a good handle on what we might expect to spend on 3D printer maintenance in a year.
So for a given print, the cost for a part becomes = $Filament + $Electricity + $Operator_Time + some_fraction ($Annual_Depreciation + $Annual_Maintenance)
Re: Life Expectancy and Depreciation
That is not really a function of parts breakage and clogs, which is why we started talking about parts and how to keep the printer working.
It is really about standards for accounting and taxes combined with technology advances.
I would say that after 3-5 years you would consider it fully depreciated and really want to get whatever supersedes it. If it were me, I would calculate based on 3 years.
It is really about standards for accounting and taxes combined with technology advances.
I would say that after 3-5 years you would consider it fully depreciated and really want to get whatever supersedes it. If it were me, I would calculate based on 3 years.