News

This week we have been talking to another of our Affiliated Resellers Kitronik – a company which specialises in targeting the education market predominantly, but also the hobby market. Kitronik chose to invest in the Robox above all other 3D printers on the market, read below to find out why.

Tell us about Kitronik – when did you set up the company and why?

We (Kevin Spurr and Geoff Hampson) started Kitronik in 2005. At the time we working at the same company designing wireless alarm systems after graduating from Loughborough University, where we both studied electronics related engineering degrees. Geoff was designing electronic kits in his spare time to use at a ‘Scout Technology Camp’ he helped run each year. At the time Geoff couldn’t find that many interesting projects on the market so he decided to design his own. Some teachers took an interest in them and their clearly written instructions.

What are you better known for selling to hobbyists and teachers?

The majority of Kitronik’s sales have been into the education market. We sell to many UK schools and in addition to this we have distributors selling our products in lots of countries around the world. We are increasingly seeing more sales into the hobby market. Our simple instruction and resources mean that anyone can have fun learning about electronic circuits.

We have tried to create a range of products that students or hobbyists would want to use once they have built them. For example we have a wide range of amplifier kits that you can use to make your own speaker dock. Our newer amplifier kits use modern ‘Class D’ amplifier ICs and can be powered using a micro-usb power supply (which you get with most mobile phones).

Kitronik is a unique brand, as it supplies directly to 3,000+ secondary schools in the UK, in addition to selling online. What are your relationships like with the schools / how closely do you work with them?

Kitronik has now sold to over 3,000 schools in the UK. The education market has a particular set of needs. Products need to be supplied quickly and in the kind of format that is needed for a classroom environment. Key to this is having well written support material, which we have for all of our products. This material includes the vast majority of what a teacher would need to deliver the project in a classroom and can easily be tailored to their particular needs.

The way the products are designed is also very important. The need to be easy to assemble and parts need to be well spaced. As we design our own circuits we can use teacher’s feedback to make improvements to our designs.

When teachers do come across something they don’t understand it is important to have staff who can support them straight away so they can quickly get back to teaching.

Why did you decide to enter the 3D printing arena?

Design and Technology is a fast moving subject. When we started Kitronik most students made the cases for their project using hand tools. Then laser cutters and milling machines started to become really popular. In recent years 3D printers have started to become more popular as the cost of these units has fallen. As a result we started to get asked about how to use them with our range of Kitronik kits, so we thought it was probably a good idea to start selling one.

The Robox is the ONLY 3D printer you stock, why is this?

We looked at lots of printers before selecting the Robox. It had all of the features you would expect from a 3D printer, but it also had a few key ones that we thought were essential for schools.

The most important of these was the fact the case locks while it is printing. The nozzles and bed get very hot during the print process and we didn’t want an opportunity for students to get injured if the printer was left unattended.

In addition to this the automatic features such as bed leveling and filament recognition mean teachers and students can produce prints with minimal input (and time).

How do you think the Robox compliments your existing range of products?

By adding the Robox to our range we can now offer a complete project solution to our customers. They can design / build a circuit and then design and print a case for that circuit all using products from Kitronik.

What are you trying to achieve as a reseller within the 3D printing arena?

We want to use 3D printing as a medium for allowing users to be even more creative in the way they house our range of kits. 3D printing should allow users to create fantastic looking products that are unique to their own requirements and style.

What can you offer a customer / teacher / student / hobbyist that other resellers can’t?

Kitronik will be providing a wide range of resources and support material specifically designed for use with our products. We aim to supply 3D CAD models of our kits so that the user can use these as a starting point for their design. We are also looking to create a number of ‘inspirational’ designs that will hopefully show users what is possible. In addition to this we will tailor a range of resources to fit the requirements of the school curriculum.

We have just hired our own CAD designer so that we can create a large range of printable models based around our kits.

In addition to this we have been working with My Mini Factory to create a range of printable designs based around our kits. You can find these models at https://www.kitronik.co.uk/3dprints

You are currently in the process of putting together a 3D Printing Kitronik University course – tell us more about what the course will entail -

We are currently putting together a set of 3D Printing resources that will form a ‘Kitronik University’ course. This will explain subjects such as how 3D printers work and how to create designs that can be successfully 3D printed.

Part of the reason you attended the Robox Affiliation Programme is because you have a great relationship with your customers, and provide after-care support. What other resources do you have on offer aside from your product offerings?

In addition to the ‘learning’ resources that we are creating we also wanted to create some Robox specific tutorials and guides. The resources we have created so far (more to come) can be found at https://www.kitronik.co.uk/3d-printing.html

We are always happy to speak to customers and help them out with any questions they might have, both before and after purchasing.

What would be your one piece of advice to anyone considering buying a 3D printer?

I would start by looking at what you want to use a printer for, where it will be used and who by.

For example if you want to leave it unattended around children then a looking case is probably a must have feature. If you have lots of different users using the printer then auto setup features are helpful. Lastly if you don’t want to just be stuck printing PLA material then a heated bed and enclosed case are essential. These are just a few examples and price doesn’t always relate directly to quality.

To watch Kevin Spurr demonstrate the Robox visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HiHUDqqtek

To get in touch with the Kitronik team:

Tel: 0845 8380781
Email: sales@kitronik.co.uk
Web: www.kitronik.co.uk
Address: Kitronik Ltd, Unit 3a, Shipstones Business Centre, North Gate, Nottingham. NG7 7FN.

Kitronik and Robox to work together to increase accessibility of 3D printing in UK schools.

The potential of 3D printers in the classroom inspires partnership which could deliver 3D printers and associated educational resources to up to 5,000 secondary schools.

Combining Expertise

Kitronik and Robox have announced that the two companies will work together to deliver the RBX01 Robox 3D Printer and a range of associated educational resources to secondary schools across the UK. In total, 5,000 schools are being contacted regarding the partnership between Robox, one of the UK’s leaders in 3D printing technology, and Kitronik, specialists in providing electronic project kits and supporting resources to educational facilities and people interested in making their own electronic projects.

Engineering Enthusiasm for D&T

The use of 3D printing in manufacturing and in the home, together with the amount of press coverage surrounding the possibilities of this new technology, has resulted in an increase in interest in 3D printing, both amongst students and teachers. 3D printing provides a fantastic way for students to turn their CAD designs into real objects.

Inspiring a new generation to become interested in digital technology and engineering subjects has been a national priority for many years. This has resulted in numerous high profile initiatives such as the ‘Make Things do Stuff’ campaign launched by George Osborne in 2013 and the ‘Make it Digital’ campaign launched by the BBC last week (of which Kitronik is a partner organisation).

The Department for Education has previously trialed the use of 3D printers within the curriculum. Following a report into their use which found that “3D printers have significant potential as a teaching resource and can have a positive impact on pupil engagement and learning”¹ the Government invested a further £500,000 in extending the trial where the power of the 3D printer as a powerful teaching tool was widely recognised.²

Kevin Spurr, Co-founder of Kitronik comments: “Inspiring people to create their own electronics products, especially younger people, is a founding principle of Kitronik. We think that creating products in the classroom through a combination of Kitronik kits & resources and Robox 3D printers can also help pupils become interested in technology, make 3D printing a practical reality for schools and motivate pupils to take their interest in technology further.”

Classroom Suitability

Kitronik and Robox are working together due to the suitability of the Robox 3D printer to the classroom and the home hobbyist market, and Kitronik’s expertise in providing products and resources to schools across the UK. Kitronik recently sold its 1 millionth electronic project kit and works with over 3,000 schools and provides project resources through its website.

Kevin Spurr adds: “In our view the Robox 3D printer is perfect for the classroom and also hobby 3D printer users because of its affordability and two year warranty, but also due to its unique features. It has a dual-nozzle system which allows printing in an extremely wide range of resolution and at print speeds up to 300% faster than the closest competitors. It also features the ability to pause and resume print jobs, meaning mistakes can be corrected without having to start again, perfect for school use.”

Safety a priority

Kevin Spurr explains why safety is crucial for use in the classroom “The printer is constructed very well and it has a closing lid which is essential for classroom use as it will be used by children. During the printing process, this lid locks into place which is important as the print bed and head can get extremely hot. This reduces the risk of accidents and also the print process from being affected by drafts from open windows in the classroom.”

Innovative software and access to downloadable designs

The RBX01 is controlled via Robox’s AutoMaker software which is included with the printer. This is very easy to use and lets the user control every step of the print process. It also allows a user to control multiple printers via one computer and also features direct access to My Mini Factory, an online library of 3D printed designs which can be downloaded to the printer.

Kevin Spurr adds: “This fast access to a huge catalogue of designs is something we think will be very popular with both school users and the home hobbyist.”

Chris Elsworthy, managing director of CEL Robox, comments: “We wanted to work with Kitronik as they have always impressed us with their enthusiasm for inspiring young people to become interested in electronics and design and technology. The company has a fantastic resource base and range of projects available which is why they are so popular with schools across the UK. Pooling our resources and products together will enable people to express their creativity and develop really interesting 3D printed projects.”

An example of a completed radio that has been produced using a 3D printed case, for which the print files are available from My Mini Factory, and Kitronik’s FM Radio Kit can be seen here.

The RBX01 Robox 3D printer is available through Kitronik for £833.25 excluding VAT (£999 including VAT). This includes everything required for schools and home hobbyists to create a 3D project. Specifically, this includes

• RBX01 Robox 3D Printer
• 1 reel of filament
• Instruction manual
• 2 year warranty
• AutoMaker Software
• USB stick and cable
• Tweezers
• High temperature lubricant
• Tool

For full details on the RBX01 Robox 3D Printer please click here.

ENDS

• Workshopshed
  RoadTester since Mar 6, 2012
• RoadTest: CEL Robox 3D Printer
• Evaluation Type: Independent Products
• Application you used the part in: Review
• Was everything in the box required?: Yes - Everything is in the box to get printing. The link up with MyMiniFactory means that you don’t even need any CAD software to get started printing.
• Comparable Products/Other parts you considered: Zortrax M200, Flashforge Dreamer Dual Extruders, Ultimaker 2, Cube 3 See http://www.element14.com/community/groups/3d-printing/blog/2014/11/14/cel-robox-3d-printer-roadtest-comparable-printers
• What were the biggest problems encountered?: There were a few issues with the pre-release version but the printer that was returned to me has performed brilliantly. There’s a bit of an issue with the door lock not properly disengaging, interestingly that was something that was better on the pre-production model. I had a problem with my laptop shutting down mid print (as it was on batteries) and the printer paused at that point. However the printer happily restarted once my laptop had been plugged back in and the USB taken out and re-inserted. The software would not run on my older desktop machine which was annoying, luckily I had another machine to work with.
• Detailed Review:

  A solid 3D printer that’s very easy to get up and working with. I’ve learnt a lot about 3D printing during this roadtest and hope to print lots more different things.

  This roadtest report has been delayed as it was discovered part way through that the model provided was a pre-production model. The printer was recalled and a replacement provided early in February.

  Overview

  The printer is mechanically very well made, obviously a lot of though has gone into making it robust but easy to repair. The software has evolved slightly throughout the test. It is simple to work out and because of the smart cartridges it’s possible to print straight out of the box without needing to understand the different settings needed for different materials.

  Preproduction model

  There were some issues with this model and I managed to pop off the bowden tube connector whilst testing. I also had issues with the filament take up and the material not sticking to the bed. CEL were very helpful and sent me an upgraded tube and also a replacement bed. However once the fan FET popped there was little to be done other than send it back to be swapped out with a production model.

  Production Model

  Cosmetically the printer looks very similar but there are quite a few changes under the surface. I don’t have a detailed list of these but the electronics, filament feed and bed are changed. I’ve only worked with a single material so far but the bed has very good adhesion. The software has been improved since December and is easier to understand what is going on.

  Specific Tests

  There was a few things I specifically wanted to look into to uncover the strengths of the printer but also see how I could use it for my own projects.

  Speed of printing

  The printer is quick to print and the dual nozzles helps with this. However I have discovered that speed is also dependent on the cooling speed of the plastic so you can’t always just print as fast as you want. Typical print times for the objects I’ve created are in the 1-2 hour range, objects such as my lamp housing I’m having to simplify so that the print time is reduced as I don’t really want to leave the printer running all night. It is fairly quiet but in a silent night-time house it is quite noticeable.

  Quality of finish

  The fine nozzle produces excellent prints and there was minimal need for finishing post printing. The draft prints are obviously 3D printed with a the lines of print clearly visible.

  Ease of deployment and packing up

  It’s a simple as using a regular printer in this respect with just a power cable and USB. I have been ejecting the spool at the end of each session and popping it back in the bag so that takes a few seconds more than a regular printer. I think that I did not realise I was using ABS rather than PLA until a long way through the test is a good indication that the automatic settings with the print cartridges are doing their job well.

  Thin items such as the clock hands to check for warping

  My tests on this have demonstrated that you can’t just print small items on their own. I don’t think this is a limitation of the printer but it isn’t just something you can do “out of the box”. I hope to do more tests to print small gears to work out best practice for those kinds of parts.

  Moving parts such as bearings and concentric shafts to check for accuracy and surface finish

  The phone stand had a clip together part and that worked with minimal clean up. I’ve read that you should allow 0.5mm spacing between moving parts as a generic “fit”. I will likely investigate that more in future and look at tolerances and fits for 3D printing on my own Workshopshed blog.

  Models

  The models I’ve used are listed on Thingiverse and MyMiniFactory. The ones I’ve created are at https://github.com/Workshopshed/3DPrinting

  Conclusion

  You can indeed print out of the box and a several of the example model’s I’ve picked work very well in that aspect. I have even managed to print one of the three challenge prints successfully on the standard settings. There are things that are trickier to 3D print and the thin gears that I wanted to check for accuracy seem to be one of those. The accuracy of parts does however seem to be dependent on the heating/cooling characteristics of the material rather than the accuracy of the printer. For example the die I printed did have some distortion and ended up not totally square. The gears also suffered badly from this.

  I do plan to use the printer for a range of other things so if you enjoyed following the blog posts then you can expect a few more in the future with a slightly different title. I also know that a few of the other Element14 members have Robox printers so we can help each other out with any issues.

CEL traditionally is a hardware development company and the Robox project has been treated no differently; with the main focus to date being to get the hardware into the market – i.e. Robox. All the software versions which have been released to date have been focussed on the development of the hardware.

We have just released a new version of Automaker which changes all of this – Automaker 1.01.

All the interactions which happen between the user and the Robox goes through the software, so it needs to reflect the innovation as much as the hardware does. The software is no longer just a development tool for the hardware, it is as big a part of the project as any other aspect of the Robox.

MyMiniFactory

One of the foremost questions we get asked by news user of 3D printers is “what would I print?” And they are quite right to ask this question as most people in the past have bought items for the house, replacement parts, artefacts etc and not even considered making them themselves. This hasn’t stopped people with the ability to draw their own 3D models to do so, but not everyone wants to or can draw in 3D dimensions, so to answer this question we have teamed up with MyMiniFactory, Europe’s largest curated repository of 3D printable designs. This enables people who can’t or don’t want to learn how to design 3D models themselves, to go into the library and select designs to download and print without having to do any of the design work. This puts the Robox project into a new category of 3D printers. We are now amongst the very elite systems on the market, and we are closer to our ultimate goal of everybody and anybody using 3D printers in the future.

CURA

Robox’s hardware is so new and innovative there is no existing software package that can drive its hardware, and because of this the quality of prints have not been all that they should have been so far. Although the hardware is ready and able to produce extremely high quality parts, the software and the control has been a limiting factor to date. We have worked hard on Automaker to overcome this and by introducing a new slicing engine we have taken a huge step up in the quality of parts. CURA has been specifically designed to drive bowden tube printers which in its most basic element is what Robox is. CURA’s handling of models and settings helps many aspects of the 3D print results; unsupported structures can be more defined, print speed can be increased, surface detail is improved, imperfections and slicing time are dramatically reduced.

During the integration of this software we have opened up Automaker for all future slicing engines we may want to integrate. So today customers can choose from Slic3r or CURA but Automaker is ready to accept other slice engines as and when we want.

Development

There has been a huge amount of background work inside Automaker; this is apparent with the new readiness for mobile devices, development boards driving Robox units, and remote access, enabling us to start the next development stage of the software.

There has also been a dramatic change to the look and feel of Automaker, the new GUI is easier on the eye and easier to navigate, we have started to introduce an expert system for diagnosing and calibrating the Robox, and the platform has been readied for all future integration and features.

Although most of the work done on Automaker won’t be visible to the user, it has enabled our software engineers to increase the efficiency of maintaining the Robox and adding new features. With these background improvements new features and functions will come thick and fast.

The CEL Robox is currently undergoing numerous reviews with various different people – ranging from journalists who know very little about 3D printing, to those who have experience road testing new technology.

Needless to say, this is a nerve-racking time for us, expectations of the Robox are high and we are being compared to the likes of Ultimaker and Makerbot on a daily basis – multi million pound corporations which function slightly differently to us (we were working from a garage 6 years ago!).

So every time a review comes out, we click on the link or turn the page with bated breath as we wait to see if the reviewer has had a positive experience.

Largely we’ve had pleasing results so far; since reviewing the printer the journalist on The Register has purchased his own Robox for personal use. A glowing reference if ever we had one.

Others at The Engineer have enjoyed playing with the Robox despite never having touched a 3D printer before and admit that while the technology takes some getting used to it is both educational, fun and good value for money.

However, today’s review, conducted by a community road tester ‘dougw’ via Element 14 had us beaming from ear to ear.

Follow the link below to see why we’re so pleased with our latest critique – essentially it’s a very real, step by step guide to using the Robox:
http://www.element14.com/community/roadTestReviews/1928

Very nicely, Doug scores us a whopping 60 out of 60 following his use of the printer:

He also mentions the fact that “since getting the printer running, it has run essentially non-stop for 20 hours on 7 jobs and it will continue for the whole weekend because I have a long backlog of things I want to print, and I can design them faster than I can print them.” which is music to our ears.

Doug also prints some great little models with his Robox, which range from a clear PLA micro to mini adapter for a mobile phone which saves his Christmas day, to tangible 3D badges which he designs himself before printing:

There are some great links through the article to projects Doug has completed with his Robox, and he then finally concludes by saying:

“The Cel Robox 3D printer is phenomenal. It makes a huge difference in transforming my projects from crude and boring rectangular black boxes into aesthetically attractive and interesting systems. The learning curve is well worthwhile and this machine has been designed to keep it to a minimum. So far I have not had to think about or learn about calibration - I just import an STL file and start printing. As far as cost goes, for most of my work this machine effectively replaces a whole machine shop full of far more expensive equipment. The results are far superior to any other home-made solutions both in aesthetics and functionality, and although the printer can take hours to complete a print, the labour of designing the item is actually less than the labour involved in manually hacking some other enclosure together with appropriate mounting and cutouts (both time-wise and physical effort-wise).

“One general note is that clear PLA is an important material in many applications where lighting effects or internal illumination are desired and it also allows you to see internal hidden fit and tolerance of finished parts.

“If I had known how strong the plastic was and how easy it is to get decent results, a 3D printer would have been much higher on my wishlist. It is already hard to imagine how I could ever get along without a 3D printer. I do dozens of projects every year and this printer will feature in most of them, so stay tuned for future blogs.”

Thank you Doug for a great review….

We at CEL UK are aware that as with any new product, new Robox customers may have teething problems with their unit and therefore need support from our team.

Largely due to the huge excitement and anticipation about the launch of the Robox, we are experiencing a higher volume of sales than we could ever have hoped for.

While this is wonderful news, it does also mean that service enquiries have also risen at a substantial rate.

For some people who have never owned a 3D printer before, simple questions are being raised such as ‘how do I print something?’ or ‘how do I calibrate my machine?’

Others have more complex issues with software or hardware, and these tickets will naturally take longer to respond to.

We are doing everything we can at CEL to make sure our customers are looked after, and our aim is to respond to tickets within one working day. However, this is not currently always possible and if you have waited longer for a response we apologise and ask you to bear with us.

We’re currently training new members of staff, with more due to start in January – pretty soon our service team will have tripled in size to cope with the volume of service enquiries.

For now, we are treating all customers as fairly as possible by only responding to enquiries which come in via our service portal – http://cel-robox.com/support. This IS the fastest way to get a response, and please ONLY LOG ONE TICKET otherwise you are likely to fall to the back of the queue.

In the first instance, please browse our trouble shooting tips on our support portal, as you may find your question is easily answered without any interaction with our team.

If you are unable to find answers, please log one ticket with as much information as possible. Tell us who you are, where you bought your Robox, exactly what the problem seems to be, and accompany with photographs if you can.

During the Christmas period delays may be slightly longer than usual - please be mindful that even CEL staff deserve a little holiday every now and then; our families haven’t seen us for quite some time so we need to remind them who we are!

Our goal for 2015 is to have a slick, quick support system in place; in the meantime we are grateful for your patience and understanding.

Finally, a huge thank you to all of you who have invested in the Robox.

We’re really pleased to say that the US version of the CEL Robox website is now LIVE.

Most importantly for our American customers, the Robox is available to buy directly from the site, or from any one of the online stores listed.

Visit www.cel-robox.us for more detail.