I love this machine.
I've used several different FDM machines at work, so have a little experience with Makerbots and Chinese implementations of the robust Ultimaker design.
The Sigma (R16), however is in a class of it's own.
So what do I like about this machine:
- The IDEX system works well to reduce the mass (and vibration ) of a more weighty head.
- The latest version of BCN's implementation of the tried and tested Cura software is truly excellent. Use it out of the box ,or tweak the devil out of it, it's all you need.
- The touch screen menus and interface get better with each firmware iteration
- The swap in swap out hotends, while not a slick as the Makerbot 5th Gen Smart Head, make changing nozzle sizes fast and convenient enough.
- The all welded aluminium cabinet/frame is rigid yet light.
- It looks great.
What don't I like:
- It's a noisy beast. However I haven't yet done the two recommended hardware upgrades yet.
- Other than that, there's not really anything that isn't common to all FDM machines
What would I like to see in the future:
- How about a couple of cable chains rather than those clumsy flat ribbons hanging from the bowden tubes?
Regarding community support; I just haven't had the need. There was a bit of an issue with the USB interface when I first fired it up. No one seemed to know how to fix that. However a subsequent firmware upgrade fixed the problem.
Nothing is perfect, but overall, this is a really great machine.