3D printers da vinci

XYZPrinting Da Vinci Mini Review 2022

Heard about XYZPrinting Da Vinci Mini 3D printer? We did as well and decided to test one of them to see if they're worth it. Here are our findings!

By Justin Evans

May 26, 2022

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So you’ve decided to get into the world of 3D printing. Where do you begin? There are printers for every possible requirement, and there’s a lot of jargon floating around that makes it hard to accurately compare different models. Relax – we’re here to help.

XYZPrinting is known for creating some of the best entry-level 3D printers around. Today, we’ll be looking for any strengths or weaknesses that the Da Vinci Mini might have– it’s a small printer, but it’s certainly capable. However, is it right for you and your needs? You’ll have to read on to find out.

Filament Diameter	1. 75mm
Extruders	1
Supported Materials	PLA
Connectivity	USB, WiFi
Printing Speed	100mm/s
Build Volume	5.91 x 5.91 x 5.91”

Table of ContentsShow

Design

The XYZPrinting Mini comes pre-assembled, so there’s no need to factor in build time. It’s a small-sized unit, perfect for sitting on your desktop, but this does mean that the build area is similarly restricted. Don’t get us wrong – you’ll be able to print decent-sized models, but nothing too huge.

Notice how there’s no enclosure? This means that it’ll be a little louder when you print, but all things considered, it’s still fairly quiet since the mechanical parts are mostly covered by the plastic frame. There are also implications for heat retention, but that’s not an issue, as we’ll explain later.

You get exactly what you’d expect from a low-end printer: there’s a single extruder and a maximum speed of 100mm/s. This is fairly standard and just means that you’ll take slightly longer to print. However, as the build area is only around 6” in each direction, you won’t be waiting hours unless you’re trying to print a large, solid cube.

Printing

There are three different speeds to choose from. As expected, the faster you print, the rougher the final quality. We found that the fastest setting resulting in significant stepping on curved surfaces, while if you allow it to take its time, your models look far better, but still not professional-level.

In an attempt to keep things as simple as possible for new users, XYZPrinting has limited the Mini to using PLA filaments. This removes the need for an enclosure but does restrict you somewhat in terms of the things you can build. Still, for beginners, PLA is more than enough to get you started.

The overall quality of the prints is too low for manufacturing, and the build volume too small for mass-production. However, it’s perfect for people looking to print things for their home or office. Better still, it takes any 1.75mm PLA filament – not just those made by XYZPrinting.

Features

So what other features does the Mini have to make things easier for beginners? Well, instead of adding things, XYZPrinting has removed components. There’s no heated bed, for instance, and no built-in screen. You do have a USB connection, though, and WiFi functionality, which is almost unheard of in low-budget printers.

We were pleased to see that drivers are available for both Windows and Mac computers. On the other hand, there’s no Linux support. It supports four different file types, though, so you’re not really limited to using a particular modeling program, which is great.

Even the interface is simplistic. There’s a single button for starting a print and a status LED that lets you know how your print is going. All in all, it’s easy to use even if you’re not particularly tech literate. Let’s be honest – that’s never a bad thing.

Cost

Here’s the thing: the Da Vinci Mini isn’t available in the United States. You can buy it from several European locations, though. It costs around $700, which makes it among the cheapest, most robust 3D printers we’ve covered. Of course, you’ll have to find a company to ship it over if you’re in the US.

Running costs are minimal. PLA is among the least expensive materials you can use, and since while third-party filaments aren’t supported, you can easily mod it to accept them. Large spools of PLA often cost less than $20 so really, your monthly material costs will depend on how often you print.

We think that this 3D printer is appropriately priced. It’s clearly intended for novice users, and the price point helps it stay affordable, unlike more advanced printers that offer user-friendly features. You’ll likely outgrow it in a year or two, but until then, it’ll serve you well.

Support

XYZPrinting’s support section provides customer help telephone numbers for 11 different countries. Best of all, each of these can talk to you in the native language or English. This is almost unheard of, and we’re genuinely delighted to see this level of help being offered for free.

The limited warranty period is similarly outstanding. You’re covered from factory defects for up to two years at no extra cost, presuming you bought the printer from one of XYZPrinting’s recommended sellers. There’s no option to extend this warranty, though, which is a bit of a shame.

Customers can consult model-specific FAQs and tutorials in case they need any technical help. There are also different versions of the software, as well as documentation for each printer model here. All in all, it’s one of the most comprehensive support packages offered by any major 3D printing manufacturer.

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Da Vinci Lab - SAs supplier of genuine E3D and Duet 3D printer parts — DaVinciLabZA

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Ordered Filament, overnight delivery from Cape Town to Brits North West! Amazing service and excellent communication.

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I ordered 4kg of yellow filament. Arrived far sooner than expected considering it had to come from CPT to JHB, just finished my first print now and very happy with quality

Kyle S

Great little store. Staff are happy to help you for small trouble shooting problems you may have. Prices are far better than other stores.

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Just ordered some TPU filament from these guys, and I’m super impressed with the product as well as the service. Very fast delivery to JHB. Will definitely order form them again!

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Da Vinci Lab hooked me with their competitively priced filament and competent CNC milling, but it has been the excellent friendly service that keeps me coming back.

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XYZprinting da Vinci Jr.

It's easy to think of a 3D printer as a kind of magic cube, in which all sorts of miracles happen. XYZprinting da Vinci Jr. The $449 1.0 A Pro does its best to evoke that: a translucent orange box that takes a plastic filament and turns it into countless items, practical and decorative, in turn. This romanticized perspective of 3D printing, or some variation of it, is sure to permeate the heads of many newbies and students for whom the da Vinci Jr is intended. 1.0 A Pro, and this affordable 3D printer delivers an experience that should capture the imagination of younger users while offering add-ons to help prevent obsolescence for more experienced ones. The only stubborn thread-feeding system found in ours prevents testing it from earning top picks.

Beginner Oriented

Da Vinci Jr. The 1.0 A Pro is a 3D printer with a closed square frame, rounded corners and bevelled top edges. There is a door on the front that lifts up and below that is an LCD display for easy control of functions such as filament loading/unloading and setting the extruder to the desired distance above the print bed (Z-alignment). The closed frame of the 1.0 A Pro reduces both noise and the chance of accidental burns from the hot extruder. Its backed main filament, polylactic acid (PLA), is easy to work with and odorless. These factors make da Vinci Jr. 1.0 A Pro is a good choice for beginners in 3D printing, children (under supervision) and school audiences.

Da Vinci Jr. The 1.0 A Pro combines elements from the XYZprinting Junior and Pro series. The lower models are customizable and support add-ons such as, in the case of the printer in question, a laser engraving module (a $200 option) and an extruder with hardened steel nozzles (see image below) that supports XYZprinting carbon fiber printing. fiber filament, as well as metallic PLA. (XYZprinting often sells a hardened steel extruder bundled with the 1.0 A Pro, which costs a little more than the printer alone.) Both of the aforementioned accessories were sent to us along with our test unit.

The company also describes its junior class printers as small enough to fit on a desktop. I guess it depends if you need to use this table for anything other than 3D printing; The 1.0 A Pro measures 15 by 16.5 by 16.9 inches.

Jumbo Frame 1.0 A Pro provides a large build area (6.9 inches in each dimension). This is slightly larger than the XYZprinting da Vinci Mini, 5.9 inches, and significantly larger than the Monoprice Cadet (4.1 by 3.9by 3.9 inches) and a Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printer (4.7 inches in all sizes).

Like the entry-level printers, the da Vinci Pro models support add-ons and allow the use of third-party filaments and software. Da Vinci Jr. 1.0 A Pro is an upgraded version of the da Vinci Jr. 1.0 A. I reviewed an even earlier model, the XYZprinting Da Vinci Jr. 1.0, in 2015, and the printer in question here is a notable improvement. above it, with a larger build area and improved software, among other advances.

Filament (and feeders) care and feeding

After removing a large amount of tape, clips, cardboard and foam pads - to prevent damage to the 1. 0 A Pro in transit - you install the XYZware software package or from the supplied SD card , or from the XYZprinting website. . (To run it, you'll need to create and sign in to a free XYZprinting account.) You'll then cover the print bed with a square sheet that looks like masking tape. Items stick to the sheet during printing, but after printing is complete, they can be removed with minimal effort.

The hardest part of setting up the printer is getting the filament to feed correctly from the spool to the extruder. This is largely due to the correct fit of the filament guide tube - the so-called "Bowden tube", which has an internal diameter slightly larger than the 1.75 mm filament that runs from the top of the filament feeder to the extruder assembly. You need to stick one end of the tube into the small hole at the top of the filament feeder and the other end into the top of the extruder.

It took amazing strength to keep the tube in place. It was helpful to press the index and middle fingers of my free hand down the sides of the tiny black spacer located on top of each hole while inserting the tube with my other hand. This was relatively easy for the extruder assembly, but more difficult for the less accessible top of the filament feeder. Even with the tube in place, I learned to tug on it carefully to make sure it was secure. (Left to its own devices, one end of the tube popped out several times during printing, disrupting my print jobs.)

When the feed tube is installed, you can add a spool of filament to the spool holder located on the left side inside the printer. You then feed the free end of the filament into the bottom of the filament feeder, pressing down on the lever to clear the way up into the guide tube. You can then start the loading procedure from the printer's LCD, in which the extruder heats up and the filament is pushed through the guide tube into the extruder.

The print bed does not get hot, which limits the types of fibers that the 1.0 A Pro can support. XYZprinting sells standard 600g PLA spools for 22.9$5, carbon coils for $29.95, and metal PLA for $34. 95. (The last two require a hardened steel extruder nozzle.)

You can use third party compatible filaments, although they do not have the RFID chip of XYZprinting's own spools and you will need to enter some settings in the software. You can also use larger filament spools, although you will need to print your own external spool holder to support them.

Communication and software

The connection options are twofold. For offline printing, you can process the file and save it to an SD card, which you then insert into the printer's card slot. You can then view the files on the SD card on the LCD and access the one you want to print. Alternatively, you can connect the da Vinci Jr. 1.0 A Pro to a computer using the included USB cable. I did all my printing via USB connection by first loading the file into the XYZprint XYZware program, processing (resizing, etc.) the object to be printed, which you can track on the build plate view on the screen.

You then "cut" the file (the software breaks it into layers for printing), select the type of filament to print, and start printing. XYZprint fits, although it lacks the set of settings found in the open source Cura program that many 3D printer manufacturers use as the basis for their software. Although Cura is not included with the da Vinci Jr. 1.0 A Pro, you can print files created in Cura and saved to the printer's SD card.

The nine test prints I made showed average overall print quality. The only typographical errors were associated with two cases where the feed tube was separated from the thread feeder, as described above. I made eight prints at normal resolution (200 microns) and one at high detail (100 microns). I noticed a slight improvement in the latest resolution, but it's not enough to warrant the extra time it takes to print at high resolution, except when the best possible print quality is paramount.

Da Vinci Jr. The 1.0 A Pro did well on a test object that had various geometric shapes printed at a steep angle, as well as raised text—almost all of the shapes were well-formed. A few test prints looked a little rough, with obvious layering, but most looked decent.

Verdict: Suitable for beginners.

The biggest benefit of da Vinci Jr. 1.0 A Pro is its large build volume, which allows users to print significantly larger objects than most budget open frame 3D printers. (A related downside is that this makes it larger than many competitors.) The difficulty of securing the filament tube was an annoyance, but once securely fixed, it should stay in place (except perhaps when you get a hardened steel nozzle). .and often change extruders).

In general, however, the closed frame of the XYZprinting da Vinci Jr. The 1.0 A Pro and its PLA-focused curve are ideal for beginners (at home or in the classroom), while it offers just enough versatility and accessories to satisfy intermediate users.