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New MakerBot Print 4.0 with Support for Method

We are extremely excited to announce the release of MakerBot Print 4.0 supporting the new MakerBot Method! This release is a culmination of all the work the development team has done in conjunction with the hardware team to create a printing experience that delivers the highest quality, reliability, and speed to our users.

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Support for Method

New and Improved Print Modes

MakerBot Print 4.0 Print Modes
Balanced Print Mode

MakerBot Print 4.0 brings back the reliable “Balanced” setting for Method. This mode delivers a balance of high surface quality and quick print time. Our engineering and operations teams spent well over 230,000 hours of testing on the “Balanced” print mode. We encourage users to use the “Balanced” print mode for the majority of print scenarios.

High Strength Mode

Print 4.0 now includes a “High Strength” mode suitable for parts requiring higher part strength. Amongst other toolpath changes, this print mode includes an infill pattern suitable for stronger parts and thicker shells. One thing to note, “High Strength” mode prioritizes strength over quality, print time, and dimensional accuracy.

Coming Soon!

We are putting the final touches on tuning and testing for two additional print modes. Stay tuned!

Dual Material Printing

Automatic Material Detection

With the new hardware on Method, MakerBot Print 4.0 can now detect the MakerBot materials in the material bay. The application will automatically set your materials for both extruders along with the appropriate settings without any user intervention. Just plate your model and Print!

Movable Purge Tower

With dual-extruder printers, it is important to have a purge tower to prime the nozzle for printing the next layer. The tower will help with under-extrusion, reduce oozing and ensure higher quality prints for your Method. In Print 4.0, users will have the ability to drag and drop the purge tower around the build plate when preparing the print!

MakerBot Print 4.0 Movable Purge Tower GIF

More Robust Advanced Settings

Print 4.0 will provide advanced users with more control over unique features specific to Method printers. We recommend that users use our “Balanced” print mode for most circumstances and only change custom settings if absolutely necessary. Below is an overview of some of the new settings you can expect:

Support Generation Outset

Found under the “Supports + Bridging” menu in “Custom Settings”, Support Generation Outset allow users more flexibility in controlling the amount of support generated in the XY plane. This setting can be increased to help give small, challenging print features a wider support cushion to rest on.

Below shows a good use case for an increased support generation outset setting. The tail of the cat could make for a potentially difficult print. By increasing the support outset more, PVA support material will surround the tail, leading to a higher success rate. The default setting for support generation outset is 3 mm.

MakerBot Print 4.0 Generation Outset
Support to Model Spacing

Also found under the “Support + Bridging” menu, Support to Model Spacing controls the distance between the model and support on the XY plane. Decreasing this setting can help with the surface quality of your Method prints on the horizontal plane.

Chamber Heater Temperature

Turning this to zero degrees will turn off the heater in the Method. The heated build chamber allows extruded material to cool more slowly during printing, which can help prevent cracking between printed layers of plastic. Heating the build chamber is more likely to be helpful for long prints than shorter ones. For shorter prints, having the chamber off will save energy and make removing prints easier.

There are many more settings exposed for Method printers in Print 4.0 with details on what each setting impacts. We recommend against changing these settings for most users since the “Balanced” mode is tuned yield the best of quality and print speed!

Example Models

Users will now find example prints designed specifically for the Method printer and its unique capabilities. You can find them under File → Insert Example Prints → Method! You can also find a calibration print designed for Method under this menu.

New Supported CAD File Types

Print 4.0 now supports the newest CAD applications. Click here to see a full list of supported CAD formats.

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