The Robo R2 is Robo’s current flagship 3D printer with the largest build volume in the range. It is positioned greatly toward education, with all Robo’s printers being completely integrated with K-12 STEM lessons from MyStemKits. In isolation and against others, the R2 is an excellent 3D printer with a variety of useful features that make the printing experience a doddle.
The tech specs
The R2 has a build volume of 8” x 8” x 10” (197 x 197 x 250 mm) which is much bigger than the smaller C2, which has a 5″ x 5″ x 6″ in (127 x 127 x 152.4 mm) build volume. The build volume is in fact 4″ taller for printing longer models. The print speed is up to 16 mm3/s – printing at a layer resolution of 100-microns, you can 3D print a 3″ x 3″ x 8″ vase in around 5-hours.
The technology is fused filament fabrication, an additive technology (you start with nothing and build material up to make your model). The R2 is one of the best at producing accurate, true-to-design models. The spec sheet says it has an XYZ accuracy of 12.5, 12.5, 5 microns. In the real-world you get models that look like those drawn in CAD with every detail perfectly recreated, so long as you pick a suitable resolution and the right material for the job.
In terms of fitting it on your desk, the R2 is 13″ x 18.25″ x 12.75″ in (330.2 x 463.55 x 323.85 mm) so has the same footprint thereabouts as a laser printer, only taller. The cabling does protrude upwards but it’s never going to tower above you on a desk at hip level. The control panel is well placed near the bottom of the machine.
Materials
The print bed is heated which means the R2 supports a wider range of 3D printing materials. You can set custom temperatures for the hot end and build plate in software to accommodate a wide range of materials – and there’s a huge range officially supported by Robo. They can be printed at a layer resolution of 20-300 microns.
They include PLA, Aromatic PLA, Glow in the dark PLA,Wood PLA, PET-G, Nylons, Flexible TPE,Flexible TPU, Thermo Temp Color Changing PLA,Bronze-filled PLA, Copper-Filled PLA,Brass-Filled PLA, Glass Filled PLA,Stainless-Steel Filled PLA, Iron-Filled PLA,Carbon Fiber PLA, Conductive PLA,Magnetic Iron, HIPS, PVA and more. The R2 has an open filament system which means you can print with any manufacturer’s filament you like.
This huge material list opens up a whole world of opportunities, and especially so in the classroom. Make wheels in carbon fibre, dinosaurs in thermo colour changing plastic, replica cooking pots in copper or magnetic parts to take science up a notch – the possibilities are endless and students love watching parts be made. The process is mesmerising.
The extensive material list is also important because it means the R2 supports every K-12 STEM lesson from MyStemKits. These lessons bring hands-on learning to the classroom with 3D printing projects already created. No tweaking is necessary to make the most of these lessons (aside from the relevant settings on your R2). Every kit has everything you need to put 3D printing in the classroom and the lessons were created by teachers to be as fun as possible.
Usability features
The R2 has an in-built 3.5″ colour touchscreen through which you can control printing parameters and settings. The software bundled with the printer (which you use on a computer) is Cura. Cura is the best free software we have ever used in terms of user-friendliness. Preparing, managing and monitoring prints through it is a very polished experience. Cura can be used for Robo slicing, which slices your CAD drawings for you (this process is necessary to translate your drawing into something your 3D printer can understand and print). You can find out more about Slicing here.
You can also download the Robo app. This is available for free on Apple iOS and Android smartphones (or tablets). It allows you to manage your printers from your mobile devices when connected via Wi-Fi or hotspot. You can slice STL files into G-code files with the onboard slicer and change printer controls remotely. It’s a great app and very feature-rich. To send files to print, you can do that standalone from a USB stick or with Wi-Fi printing from the app. It’s up to you.
The R2 also has something called automatic levelling calibration, which calibrates the print bed for you, so the printer knows where to print. When manually inputted, inaccurate calibration can cause a printer to start printing in the air a few centimetres off the print bed. The Robo uses hardware levelling which probes the height of the bed before each print so it starts at the correct height every time. The process is faultless. You don’t need to set the feature up in any way, it all happens automatically – just one less thing for you to do, which is always nice.
Filament run-out detection also features here. This feature automatically pauses your 3D print when you’ve run out of filament, and the R2 will also send a notification to your phone through the Robo app. This will give you time to replace the filament spool. You’d be surprised by how many people forget to load up enough filament at the start of the printing process.
Overall
The Robo R2 is one of our favourite 3D printers, especially for education. It’s got a decent build volume and prints relatively quickly with high accuracy. The quick change nozzle, automated bed levelling and filament run-out detection make it a stress-free printer to use, and the Robo app is fantastic for letting you monitor and manage prints from your phone. The fact it prints more than 30 filaments and gives you the flexibility to try any OEM you like is a huge bonus. In the box you get a 1 year licence of Autodesk Fusion 360 software, a tool kit, a USB with 3D models to get started and a spool of filament.
Buy your Robo R2 here.