Best 3d printer for commercial use

Industrial Quality at Small Business Budgets

Commercial 3D printers are great equalizers. They’re quickly changing the SME landscape by narrowing the gap between small and large businesses.

The best professional 3D printers make printing plastics easy, fast, and affordable. You can produce components with detail quality comparable to injection molding and strength that can surpass metal.

But not just every 3D printer deserves the title of a “commercial 3D printer.” What is it that makes a 3D printer professional?

What Is a Commercial 3D Printer?

Commercial 3D printers — also called prosumer or professional 3D printers — sit in the space between consumer 3D printers and full-blown industrial 3D printing behemoths.

In general, a commercial 3D printer costs less than $10,000. They have features that only the most advanced hobbyists might need but which are valuable for professional applications.

At the same time, they’re not meant for large-scale mass production like industrial printers. In short, they’re a low-cost method for SMEs to make use of industrial-grade materials.

What to Look for in a Commercial 3D Printer

Are you about to buy the first printer for your business? You might feel a bit lost among all the options for professional 3D printers — and we sympathize.

When browsing through our list of machines, keep an eye on these details to find the right machine for you.

3D Printing Technology

Different types of 3D printers excel at different tasks. If you need strong parts that don’t necessarily look amazing, FDM technology can create components tougher than metal. But if intricate detail is your key to success, SLA resin printers will blow you away with their detail quality.

Printing Performance

Pay attention to the maximum nozzle temperature (with FDM printers) and print speed. The higher the maximum temperature, the more materials you can print with. And, of course, the faster you can print, the higher your productivity.

Material Range

Good professional 3D printers will support a wide variety of materials, from flexible ones to reinforced engineering plastics. But wider material compatibility can add to the price. If you know you only need one or two materials, don’t sink money into a machine that can do it all

Build Volume

Commercial applications often require you to create large prints. Make sure your printer can build big enough parts — otherwise, it’s just a waste of money.

Printer Features

High-end 3D printers often come with advanced features, like a heated print bed and chamber, a built-in camera, and more. These aren’t just expensive toys. You want them to ensure consistently high part quality.

Uses of Commercial 3D Printers

Professional 3D printers are versatile machines that can benefit many different types of SMEs. If you create a product, you can probably reduce costs, shorten lead times, and streamline workflows with a 3D printer. Here are just some of their leading commercial uses.

Part Design & Prototyping

3D printing enables a higher degree of design freedom when compared to traditional manufacturing. Combined with materials that can create true-to-life surface textures and detail, you have a powerful prototyping technology in your hands.

The best professional 3D printers produce accurate prototypes in a matter of hours — featuring shapes that are impossible for conventional production methods. You can save time and money by creating your prototypes in-house.

Small-Scale Manufacturing

Commercial 3D printers support end-use ready materials, such as nylon or PEEK, and produce durable parts with smooth surfaces. You can print ready-to-sell components for cars, drones, or functional tools. 

Alternatively, you can print spare parts for machinery you use for different jobs. Save money and keep your machines running, how about that? 

Medical Applications

SLA resin printers — like Formlabs Form 3+ we listed — can create accurate medical appliances from durable, biocompatible materials. These printers are quickly becoming standard fixtures in every dentist’s office, for example. Read our review of the best dental 3D printers here.

But even filament printers have their medical uses. They let doctors produce all kinds of useful tools, like hooks, trays, or medical models.

Architecture

Every major building began its life as a blueprint and a model. In the past decade or so, a professional 3D printer has become an architect’s best friend.

Building models by hand can take weeks and cost a fortune. Now, imagine designing a building in 3D modeling software and printing it overnight for a meeting in the morning.

Conclusion 

Commercial 3D printers have done to SMEs what industrial printers did to large-scale businesses. They’ve made manufacturing faster, cheaper, and more accessible. A professional 3D printer will be a welcome addition to your business.

If you’re still wondering what the best commercial 3D printers for you are, here are our suggestions:

• For the highest detail quality, consider Formlabs Form 3+ or Zortrax M300 Dual.
• For durable end-use parts, go for Ultimaker S5 or Makerbot Method X.
• Dremel DigiLab 3D45-EDU introduces professional 3D printers to classrooms.
• Finally, the one printer to rule them all is Raise3D Pro2 Plus.

Commercial & Professional 3D Printer Buyer's Guide 2022 (Under $10,000)

Commercial 3D printers are changing how small businesses manufacture, how designers create and iterate, and how schools, healthcare professionals and engineers work. 

These professional 3D printers, more expensive than standard desktop 3D printers but less than $10,000+ industrial 3D printers, allow small businesses to be more effective than ever in prototyping and improving their products.

This article focuses on highlighting the best commercial 3D printers, also known as prosumer 3D printers, production 3D printers, commercial grade 3D printers, or high end 3D printers, that are capable of producing professional-grade parts at decent scale, but cost less than $10,000. We therefore categorize commercial 3D printer price as up to $10,000, with no low end price provided it meets professional and small business 3D printer requirements.

What to expect in a commercial 3D printer?

Commercial grade 3D printers can take many forms: some need an FDM 3D printer that can 3D print PEEK or Ultem filaments, create extremely precise prototypes, or create multi-colored architectural models. 

On the other hand, you may need a professional resin 3D printer to create ultra smooth resin prototypes for dental, aesthetic prototypes for items like sunglasses, and much more.

You may also be looking for a professional SLS 3D printer — though they often cost more than $10,000 — for high quality PA12 prototypes, functional parts, and various useful parts for engineers and designers.

Generally however, you should expect the following from a professional 3D printer:

• Commercial grade 3D printing performance: such as powerful heated chambers in FDM 3D printers for tougher material printing and systems for consistent and accurate printing.
• Wide material compatibility: with heated beds and extruders that can reach high temperatures for printing tougher filaments like Nylon, PC, PP, and perhaps even Ultem or PEEK.
• Fast printing and workflow: the best 3D printers for small businesses not only print quickly (at least twice the speed of desktop printers), but the entire workflow — from CAD software, to slicing, to printing, and then to iterating again — needs to be efficient for overall rapid prototyping.
• Very accurate: where resin 3D printers and SLS printers have advantages are in accuracy and surface finish. Resin printers can reach precisions that FDM printers cannot, so for precise and intricate models, such as characters for films or games, or wax molds for casting into precious metal jewelry, they’re ideal commercial 3D printers. SLS 3D printers require less post processing as they do not print with supports, making them ideal production 3D printers for ready-to-go prototypes made from Nylon.
• Large printing area: commercial 3D printers should have large enough build areas to support either large prototypes, or the printing of multiple small parts simultaneously, as a scalable production 3D printing system. 3D printers for commercial uses we recommend are typically larger for effective batch production 3D printing.

Our commercial 3D printer comparison sorts low to high price, making recommendations on the best 3D printer for business, for production, and many other 3D printers for different commercial uses.

Prusa i3 MK3S+ — low cost commercial 3D printer for small businesses on a budget

• Price: $999 fully assembled — Available on Prusa Store here / $749 as a kit — Available on Prusa Store here
• Build volume: 250 x 210 x 210 mm

With a price of under $1,000 you’d expect the Prusa i3 MK3S to be limited to standard consumer uses like printing fun models from Thingiverse, or fun basic 3D printing projects. However, it excels far beyond this, functioning as one of the best 3D printers for small businesses if you’re on a tight budget.

It can’t compete with higher end 3D printers in some areas, like size of build area, but it’s a fantastic commercial 3D printer for standard size prototypes in materials like PETG, ASA, Nylon, PC, PP, HIPS, and carbon fiber filaments.

Prusa 3D printers are known for their reliability and with an above 200mm/s travel speed, it’s fairly quick for the price. These factors, combined with precise 50-micron minimum layer heights, make it a great overall commercial 3D printer for professional and precise prototype production. 

For those looking for a larger 3D printer, a 3D printer for materials like PEEK, or more precise resin 3D printers, keep reading.

Ultimaker S3 — accurate commercial 3D printer for high quality prototypes

• Price: $4,080 — Available on Dynamism here / Available on Matterhackers here
• Build volume: 230 x 190 x 200 mm

The Ultimaker S3 follows the incredibly popular Ultimaker 3, and is an effective production 3D printer for small businesses and engineers capable of fantastic 20-micron resolutions. It can extrude composite filaments from either of its extruders, and can easily print soluble filaments with the dual extruder for easier post processing. 

Ultimaker created and develop Cura, the world’s most loved 3D slicer, but also offer more professional 3D printer software as part of their Enterprise packages for commercial 3D printing needs. These premium 3D printer options include the ability to open CAD files in Cura, unlimited storage of your parts in their digital parts library, as well as integrating 3D modeling software like SolidWorks and Autodesk Inventor into your workflow with their plugins. All these make for an efficient commercial 3D printing workflow for quick and effective iterating and part production. 

The touchscreen is easy to navigate, and WiFi connectivity makes it quick to access and print your files remotely in their digital library.

As a professional 3D printer, Ultimaker serve not just 3D printers for small businesses, but also huge clients like Volkswagen. The German multinational used Ultimaker 3D printers to produce over 1,000 parts, remarking on the productivity and ergonomics of Ultimaker’s printers.

The only factor affecting the Ultimaker S3’s usefulness as a full professional grade 3D printer is the build volume size, which could be larger. However, Ultimaker also offer the S5 for larger print needs, so read on for more information on this.

Ultimaker S5 — all-round excellent production 3D printer

• Price: $6,355 — Available on Dynamism here / Available on Matterhackers here
• Build volume: 330 x 240 x 300 mm

The Ultimaker S5 is the big brother of the already very powerful S3, and a commercial grade 3D printer for high quality engineering parts and accurate prototypes.

The main difference between the S3 and S5 is the larger print volume, a major improvement for those looking for a 3D printer for their small business capable of large prototype printing. It still features the same workflow options, dual extrusion, 20-micron layer heights, and trademark reliability and and precision.

However, you can also turn the S5 into a scalable production 3D printer with the Ultimaker’s S5 Pro Bundle for another few thousand dollars. This bundle adds both a spool holder and top filter. The material handler can hold up to six filament spools, and can automatically change them in and out for different uses as well as protecting filaments from moisture that would deteriorate print quality and protect them from dust, with the environment control filtering out fumes.

• The Ultimaker S5 Pro Bundle costs around $9,550 — Available on Dynamism here / Available on Matterhackers here

The Pro Bundle turns the S5 into the complete commericial 3D printer, able to print continuously, accurately, large parts — everything except super high grade material printing like PEEK and Ultem.

Formlabs Form 3 — precise professional 3D printer for accurate resin parts

• Price: $3,499 — Available on Dynamism here
• Build volume: 145 x 145 x 185 mm

The Form 3 is sold as a professional quality 3D printer at desktop prices, building on the Form 2’s stellar reputation with incredible resolutions and able to create parts you can barely see the individual layer lines on.  

Featuring their LFS (low force stereolithography) tech, layer spot clarity, as well as consistency, surface quality and better translucent material printing are some of the improvements made to the Form 3.

For production engineers looking for a workhorse production 3D printer that can go non-stop, the Form 3 is more than capable, with data on ongoing print performance constantly relayed and alerts if print performance changes so you can make alterations.

You can print in standard resins, or castable wax for jewelry casting, as well as specialized biocompatible commercial grade 3D printing resins for dental uses — which you should instead get the Form 3B for. 

Their PreForm software makes preparing your prints easy, and if you’re looking to scale up to a 3D printing factory with multiple printers Formlabs have specialized consulting teams to help, and offer software for managing multiple 3D printers simultaneously.

Raise3D Pro2 Plus — large production 3D printer for small businesses

• Price: $5,999 — Available on Dynamism here / Available on Matterhackers here
• Build volume: 305 x 305 x 605 mm

A true workhorse production 3D printer, the Raise3D Pro2 Plus can work 24/7 without much issue. Able to reach 300°C extruder temperatures, printing with filaments ranging from HIPS, ASA, PP, PVA, flexible filaments like TPU and TPE, Nylon, glass, carbon fiber, metal and wood filled filaments is no problem. 

As well as the huge build volume and wide material compatibility, the Raise3D Pro2 Plus also offers great precision, with up to 0.01 mm layer heights and 5-micron repeatability. You can change the nozzle out to a smaller or larger one depending on whether your project favors speed or precision. 

The large 7-inch touchscreen simplifies your workflow and makes it easy to switch settings or choose your model to print — made easier by Raise3D’s visual model selection previewer. And, if during printing you run into any problems with the power or any other error, the printer can resume from whenever it was stopped without issue.

Marking itself as one of the best 3D printer for business uses, it has some of the largest print areas, as well as an aerospace grade build plate offering excellent adhesion, durability, and preventing warping that can affect or ruin prints — as well as making prints easy to remove. It’s all fully enclosed, so you can effectively maintain and control the chamber temperature to minimize warping and prevent fumes from spreading.

If you want the workhorse benefits of the Raise3D Pro2 Plus, but don’t need the extra Z-axis height building, you can save a couple thousand dollars by going with their standard Pro2 model instead, with a 300mm maximum print height instead of the Pro2 Plus’ 605mm.

Intamsys Funmat HT Enhanced — professional 3D printer for PEEK & Ultem printing

• Price: $7,500 — Available on Matterhackers here
• Build volume: 260 x 260 x 260 mm

For those looking for a specialized PEEK and Ultem 3D printer, the Intamsys Funmat HT Enhanced is the best professional 3D printer for PEEK that’s in most small business’s budget. Costing $6,000 rather than the $20,000+ commonly seen among commercial 3D printers for PEEK, the Intamsys Funmat HT is a great entry-level production 3D printer.

With 90°C constant chamber temperatures, a 160°C heated build plate, and 450°C maximum extruder temperatures from its all-metal hot end, printing PEEK, PEKK, PPSU and Ultem are no problem. However, if you want to use it for printing PEEK as well as more standard plastics you can also do that, with interchangeable nozzles for different printing plastics like PLA and ABS, PC, Nylon, ASA, and more.

Therefore, the Intamsys Funmat HT is a great entry-level production 3D printer for high performance polymer printing. It can automatically level itself with its four advanced drivers offering great precision, and the industrial build platform quality and design features PEI film and glass ceramic materials for great durability and minimal deformation during printing — as well as being safe to use with biocompatible materials like PEEK that may be used to print medical or dental parts.

With PEEK’s extensive use in medical parts, electrical engineering, aerospace, dental, Ultem’s industrial uses, and PPSU’s medical applications, the Intamsys Funmat HT capitalizes on 3D printing’s fastest growing material segment, but at a low price. Intamsys sell their own Ultem and PEEK filaments, and overall, the Funmat HT Enhanced is one of the best 3D printers for small businesses looking to print high performance plastics to either create parts for other companies, or iterate in-house. The Intamsys Funmat HT Enhanced is an ideal professional 3D printer for PEEK without breaking the bank.

Some other articles you may be interested in:

• The best 3D printers for small business
• Best PEEK 3D printers
• Best industrial 3D printers
• Best 3D printers under $2,000
• Best 3D printers under $5,000
• Best metal 3D printers

Which 3D printer to choose for home and hobby use

A few years ago, 3D printers were bulky industrial machines, but now 3D printing is becoming more accessible for home use. When buying their first printer, many are disappointed. This may be due to the unsatisfactory quality of the resulting models or the complex setup and maintenance of the 3D printer.

In the reviews that are found on the Internet, printers are often shown after a lot of upgrades or a long selection of settings for printing. This is not at all the result that a beginner who first got acquainted with 3D printing will get. nine0003

In order not to be disappointed, before buying, you need to understand which model is suitable for your tasks. First of all, it is worth deciding what the printer will be used for. What is the main property that finished products should have? What is more important, the physical properties of the model or the ideal surface and detail? Not only the model depends on this, but also the technology by which the 3D printer will work.

Which technology to choose? FDM or LCD?

If you need to make a small detailed figurine with a perfectly smooth surface, you should pay attention to models that work on LCD technology (LCD works on a principle similar to DLP - Digital Light Processing or “digital light processing”). nine0003

LCD prints using a photopolymer resin that cures under UV light. This makes it possible to produce without deformation, even small and thin products that cannot be manufactured using FDM technology.

Resin model

Now on sale there are many photopolymer resins with different properties. A few years ago the choice was not great. Basically, finished products were not strong enough for use in functional models. Now engineering resins have begun to appear on sale. Products from them are not inferior in strength to models made using FDM technology from ABS or even nylon. nine0022

If it is necessary to produce large products with different properties, or the tasks will be very diverse, then the choice is with FDM technology. But it is important to understand that finished products will not have a perfectly smooth surface. Of course, you can polish the model, but this is additional time and labor costs.

FDM technology builds a model using molten plastic filament, which is fed from the print head. The print head (extruder) “grows” the model layer by layer on the printing table. nine0003

FDM Models

FDM technology became widespread much earlier than DLP. Thanks to this, a wide variety of 3D printers and consumables for them has appeared. You can find many decorative plastics that imitate various materials, or engineering plastics for making functional models or mock-ups.

Choosing an LCD printer

Photopolymer printers work on one of 3 technologies - DLP, LCD or SLA. nine0003

As home printers, devices based on LCD technology are usually used due to their availability and low price.

Printer design

SLA technology appeared the very first among photopolymer printers. With the help of a point-focused beam, the desired areas of the resin are gradually illuminated. This is repeated layer by layer.

How SLA 9 works0018

Since the surface of the model is perfectly smooth, SLA has become used in the jewelry and dental industries.

Pros:

Cons:

DLP technology appeared later than SLA, but it is very similar to it. The main difference is that the light source is not a focused beam, but a projector. This made it possible to illuminate the entire layer at once, which significantly accelerated the production of models. The quality of the surface was slightly inferior to SLA, but modern DLP printers, in terms of the quality of models, are almost as good as SLA technology. nine0003

How DLP works

Pros:

• Faster production of models due to the illumination of the entire layer

• Consumables are slightly cheaper than SLA

• High surface quality (although may be inferior to SLA)

Cons:

LCD technology is the youngest of all. The DLP principle is taken as a basis, but an LCD display is used as a matrix or illumination pattern. LEDs are used as a source of UV light in LCD technology. Thanks to inexpensive components, we managed to get a simple, but high-quality and affordable photopolymer printer.

How the LCD printer works

Pros:

• small cost

• Cheap parts

Cons:

• Low accuracy compared to SLA and DLP (for jewelers and dentists, the quality of LSD prints may not be enough, although more and more accurate models appear with the development of technology) nine0003

• Possible stray light

• The quality of models may decrease at the edges of the printable area (this can be corrected programmatically)

Resins that are used as a consumable for photopolymer printing can smell strongly and unpleasantly during operation. Try to use the printer in a well-ventilated area, or choose a printer with a sealed cabinet and filter. nine0003

When choosing an LCD printer, pay special attention to the rigidity and positioning accuracy of the platform along the Z axis. If there are poor quality guides along the Z axis or even a slight play, then the surface quality of the finished model may turn out to be sloppy or the model will turn out to be unevenly striped.

Rating of the best LCD 3D printers for home

Anycubic Photon Mono

This is an LCD printer with a matrix that allows you to increase the speed and accuracy of printing. Anycubic Photon Mono will be a good helper for hobbyists and modellers. nine0003

Anycubic Photon Mono SE

Anycubic Photon Mono SE has an unusual parallel light source. This minimizes distortion at the edges of the printable area. You can effectively use the entire working area of ​​the machine and produce many small models at a time.

Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K

Model with high resolution LCD display and large print area. The monochrome display transmits UV rays better and allows you to print much faster than similar devices with a conventional display. The manufacturer claims a screen life of more than 2000 hours. Phrozen Sonic mini 4k is suitable for almost any task. nine0003

Wanhao GR1

Wanhao GR1 has high precision and large print area (140x78x200mm). The manufacturer tried to reduce distortion at the edges of the display, this allows you to make the most of the entire work area. High precision and large print area make Wanhao GR1 not only for hobby use, but also for production.

Anycubic Photon Zero

Small and very budgetary LCD device. Its resolution and small working area (total 97x54x150 mm) is enough for printing small miniatures, figurines or small engineering models. Anycubic Photon Zero is a good choice for beginners who want to get into photopolymer printing without spending a lot of money.

Choosing an FDM printer

If you plan to produce large and diverse functional models or experiment, a 3D printer that prints using FDM technology is an excellent choice.

First, decide on the size of the printable area and the properties that the finished model should have. After all, some materials require a closed chamber or good airflow to work. nine0019

Some printer models can be “upgraded” in the future. For example, if necessary, purchase spare parts for a closed case, put a nozzle of a different diameter, or change the thermal barrier to an all-metal one. But not all manufacturers provide for the possibility of such upgrades.

Printer design

Despite the same principle of operation, there are several different mechanics, which have their pros and cons. nine0003

Kinematics “Prusa” (Prusa)

Perhaps the most popular kinematics among home FDM devices. Mainly due to its simplicity and low cost. The main feature is the table that moves along the Y axis, while the extruder moves along the rest of the axes. Because of this, such kinematics was nicknamed “dragstol”.

Prusa kinematics

nine0056 Pros:

Cons:

• Slow print speeds. A massive table with a model is forced to constantly move along the Y axis, because of this, print quality will be worse at high speeds.

• Some models have design flaws (for example, insufficient frame rigidity), they can be fixed, but for this you have to be a little inventor. Or find a ready-made solution on the Internet. nine0003

This category also includes 3D printers with console kinematics. The same prusa, only halved. Because of this, the frame is less rigid, but the printer itself is more compact.

Kinematics Ultimaker

The extruder moves along the X-Y axes, and the table only along the Z axis. All motors are trying to be fixed on the body to lighten the weight of the moving mechanisms, thanks to which it is possible to achieve high print quality at high speeds. nine0003

Ultimaker kinematic diagram

Pros:

Cons:

H-BOT or Core-XY

These are 2 similar but more complex kinematics - the table moves only along the Z axis, and the extruder along the X-Y. But to move the extruder, 1 or 2 long belts and 2 stepper motors work in concert.

Example Core-XY kinematics

Pros:

• High print quality

• High print speeds without loss of quality.

• Can be easily closed completely

Cons:

nine0056 MakerBot Kinematics

Similar to Ultimaker kinematics, but one of the motors is located on the Y or X axis carriage.

Pros:

Cons:

Delta

Deltas do not have the usual XYZ axes. There are 3 columns in the deltas, along which the carriages move, and the position of the extruder in space is calculated using a complex formula. The table is usually statically fixed to the body. nine0003

Delta printer example

Pros:

Cons:

Nuances of choosing an FDM 3D printer

In addition to kinematics, when choosing a printer, it is important to take into account some design features.

One or two extruders?

Two extruders can be used for dual color printing, but most commonly the second extruder is used for solvent support printing. If you need to print complex parts with internal cavities, then you should choose a dual extruder printer. nine0003

Closed or open printer?

Printing of functional models and parts uses plastic, which usually requires a closed chamber. If you plan to print functional prototypes or various models, you should look at printers with a closed chamber.

Bowden or direct?

There are 2 types of material supply to the print head of the printer - bowden and direct. nine0003

In a bowden, the feed mechanism motor is located on the printer body. This allows you to reduce the weight of the extruder and print at higher speeds without losing quality. But because of the long tube, printing with very soft plastics can be problematic.

Bowden feed pattern

In direct feeding, the motor and feed mechanism are located on the extruder. This increases the weight of the print head, but allows you to print with any kind of plastics. nine0003

Direct feeding scheme

Heated table or not?

The heating of the table improves the adhesion of the first layer of the model. And engineering plastics cannot be printed without a heated table.

Many manufacturers add useful additional features. They do not affect the quality of the print, but save time and nerves. The most useful additional functions are the filament presence sensor and remembering the print location after a power outage. nine0003

Filament sensor.

It will automatically pause printing if the plastic runs out. When there is a little plastic left on the spool, this feature will allow you not to stand over the guard printer until the old spool runs out in order to have time to push in a new bar “on the go”.

Power outage protection.

Remembering where to print when the power goes out can save you a lot of nerves when printing large models. You won't have to worry that after a power outage, you will have to run the model again for many hours or cut and reprint a piece of the model. It is especially disappointing to throw away a complex underprinted model with supports due to a one-minute outage. nine0003

There are also many extras. features that make using the printer more comfortable. For example, automatic calibration, touch screen, Wi-Fi and others.

Rating of the best FDM 3D printers for home

Anycubic Mega Zero 2.0

Inexpensive model with Pryusha kinematics. Good for getting started with 3D printing without a big investment. Despite the low cost, Anycubic Mega Zero 2.0 has a heated table and a resume function after a power outage. Thanks to direct feed, printing with soft materials should not be difficult. nine0003

Creality3D Ender 3 Pro

A very popular device due to its low price. But despite this, the Ender 3 Pro has a heated table and a decent print area. Can be sold assembled or as a DIY kit.

Flash Forge Finder

Small home appliance intended for children or educational institutions. The Finder doesn't have a heated table, but it does have a calibration assistant, a Wi-Fi module, and other extras that make getting to know it a lot easier. All moving and heated elements are hidden as much as possible in the case so that the child cannot get burned. nine0003

Wanhao Duplicator 6 Plus

Wanhao Duplicator 6 Plus was based on Ultimaker kinematics, but instead of bowden feed, they made direct. Because of this, it will not be possible to print super fast, without quality loss, but there will be no problems with printing with soft types of plastics. There are 2 trim levels - with a closed case and without.

Flashforge Dreamer

The Dreamer is a closed body dual extruder printer with MakerBot kinematics. Thanks to this, he can cope with printing models of any complexity. Using a second extruder for soluble support, models with complex geometries can be produced. A good choice for engineers and those who like to experiment with different materials. nine0003

FlyingBear Ghost 5

Most commonly sold as a kit (assembly kit). Assembly usually does not cause any great difficulties, even for people far from electronics or mechanics. Flying Bear is equipped with a filament sensor, a function to resume printing after a power outage and Wi-Fi connectivity.

The Flying Bear makes a great first printer for the novice user who is ready to build their own printer. nine0003

Totals

In order for the printer not to become a useless toy, you should clearly understand what it is for.

For a fan of miniatures or detailed figurines, a photopolymer printer is a good choice. A small work area is more than offset by the detail that cannot be obtained using other technologies.

For an engineer or a fan of experiments, an FDM machine with a closed chamber and two extruders is well suited. This will allow you not to limit yourself in the choice of plastics and comfortably experiment with any materials. nine0003

For a beginner who has not yet decided whether he needs 3D printing, you can opt for inexpensive machines with slick kinematics. Due to their great popularity, you can find a lot of upgrades and reviews on them. In the future, it will be possible to modify the printer for specific tasks or change it to a more suitable model.

For a child, safety is paramount. As the first children's printer, models without a heated bed are suitable, in which the main emphasis is on printing with safe PLA plastic. Or models in which all moving and heating mechanisms are hidden in the case. nine0003

A 3D printer is a handy tool, and whether it brings joy or frustration depends on the user.

3D printers 2021, low cost 3D printer rankings The list will include the best-selling devices in two price ranges (up to 30 tr and up to 60 tr). Printers working with both plastic filament (FDM) and photopolymers (LCD/DLP) will be presented. This list will always be up to date, as it is periodically updated and supplemented. nine0057

Last updated March 12, 2021

Contents:

- up to 30 000 rub.
Inexpensive FDM 3D printers from 15 000 rub. - up to 30 000 rub.
Budget photopolymers - up to 60,000 rubles.

1.

Anycubic Mega Zero .

Working chamber: 220 x 220 x 250 mm

Print technology: FDM

Layer thickness: 100 µm

Model year: 2020

One of the best budget printers from Anycubic, in which low cost does not come at the expense of quality, but rather, on the contrary, it is compensated by better components and thoughtful design. The adage that "less is more" fits perfectly with this printer. Many will object and say that it does not have a heated platform, but if you look at it from a pragmatic side, then Mega Zero shows excellent results in printing with PLA and TPU plastic (the variety of types and colors of which just rolls over). nine0003

Cost: 16 480

Order

2.

Anycubic Mega S .

Working camera: 210 x 210 x 205 mm

Print technology: FDM

Layer thickness: 100 μm

Model year: 2018

Another wonderful, inexpensive printer in the line of this Chinese manufacturer is Anycubic Mega S . The machine has an all-metal body. Simple and rigid frame, high quality printing stability. In addition to the beautiful design and full-color touch screen, Mega S boasts a fairly large build area in its class, which is 210x210x205 mm. The 3D printer is equipped with the already famous Anycubic Ultrabase heated platform. This means that the print will be well glued to the table during printing and can be easily removed when it is completed. nine0003

Cost: 24 490

Order

3.

Anet ET4 .

Working camera: 220 x 220 x 250 mm

Print technology: FDM

Layer thickness: 100 μm

Model year: 2019

ANET ET4 - a modern 3D printer with an integral design and a whole -metal structure and display 2.8 inches. One of the fat pluses is the automatic calibration of the platform by 25 points. ET4 will notify you in advance if the filament is running out, and will also resume operation in case of an emergency power outage, without compromising print quality. The printer is equipped with Trinamic stepper drivers, thanks to which the machine is able to print almost silently, even at the highest speed. nine0003

Cost: 19 900

Order

4.

Two Trees Bluer .

Layer Thickness: 100 µm on the market, perfect for getting started with 3D printing. It provides great opportunities for home experimentation, learning and prototyping. Supplied as a self-assembly kit. Despite the low price, this model can offer high print quality and out of the box it has quite serious characteristics: “quiet” drivers, a heated table, double-sided airflow, a thread break sensor and a 32-bit control board. nine0003

Cost: 21 900

Order

5.

Creality Ender 3 .

Working camera: 220 x 220 x 250 mm

Print technology: FDM

Layer thickness: 100 μm

Model year: 2017

Crealy Ender 3 - is one of the most popular, low -cost 3D printers on the market. For its reliability and simplicity, in the world of 3D printing it is compared to a Kalashnikov assault rifle. It has a working volume of 220 x 220 x 250 mm, a heated desktop, a print emergency recovery mode, and supports flexible plastics. The combination of these characteristics is not even in some, more expensive printers. Ender 3 is easy and quick to assemble. The Creality Ender 3 is a great 3D printer for beginners and is one of the best value printers out there. Ready to print right out of the box, and thanks to the rapidly growing community of owners of this 3D printer, it has a huge number of add-ons and upgrades. nine0003

Cost: 20 500

Order

6.

Creality Ender 3 v.2 .

Layer thickness: 100 microns Excellent print quality right out of the box without additional settings and upgrades. It has a beautiful external design, almost silent stepper drivers, a 32-bit motherboard. Hardened glass platform with carborundum coating. Most cheap 3D printers have hideous and awkward displays, but the Ender 3 v.2 comes with a color screen. It is also worth noting that the new model has a lot of minor, but pleasant improvements. For example, a drawer for tools or interchangeable nozzles. Another useful option is the belt tensioner, which can be used to easily increase the tension of a stretched belt. nine0003

Cost: 20 500

Order

7.

Wanhao D12 230 .

Printing technology: FDM The model offers advanced printing options with two MK12 extruders. Print models with two colors of plastic or complex products with soluble supports. The high heating temperature of the extruder makes it compatible with all plastics with melting points up to 260°C. High torque filament feeding system and 360° cooling ensure high quality printed models. nine0003

Cost: 25 900

Order

1.

Anycubic Chiron .

Working chamber: 400 x 400 x 450 mm

Print technology: FDM 400 x 450 mm. The Ultrabase Pro desktop is a heavy-duty glass with a perforated overlay that perfectly holds prints when heated, and easily "releases" when cool. The frame is made of aluminum profiles, fixed with metal T-shaped plates. At the base of the 3D printer there is a standard power supply with an LCD display and a Trigorilla MOSFET motherboard. nine0003

Cost: 41 900

Order

2.

Artillery Genius .

Working camera: 220 x 220 x 250 mm

Press technology: FDM

Layer thickness: 50 μm

Model year: 2019

Artillery Genius Popular, Budget 3D printer, with a 220 x 220 x 220 x 220 area 250 mm. The device is equipped with a heated Ultrabase platform with an increased heating temperature up to 100°C. The platform is calibrated manually using four points, but at the same time, the manufacturer provided the opportunity to upgrade and install touch sensors for automatic platform leveling. The extruder uses a direct plastic feed mechanism, which makes it possible to print flexible materials such as TPU. Thanks to the ultra-quiet stepper drivers, Genius boasts near-silent operation, which is very important for extended use at home. nine0003

Cost: 31 900

Order

3.

Artillery Sidewinder X1 .

Working chamber: 300 x 300 x 400 mm

Printing technology: FDM but due to the quality of this model has a good potential. The device consists of modules and is delivered assembled for 9five%. It is equipped with a heated platform covered with perforated glass and a large print area measuring 300x300x400 mm. You really enjoy working with the printer. Prints great, although it needs some minor adjustments before launch.

Cost: 38 900

Order

4.

BIQU B1 .

Working chamber: 235 x 235 x 270 mm

Print technology: FDM

Layer thickness: 50 µm

Model Year: 2020

Biqu is a brand of BigTreeTech, a well-known manufacturer of 3D printer accessories and components, especially for the Ender 3 series. The Biqu B1 is essentially an improved clone of the Ender 3. It has a substantially higher print volume of 235 x 235 x 270 mm, Y-adjustable belt tensioner and compact unit.

Cost: 31 900

Order

5.

Flashforge Adventurer 3 .

Working chamber: 150 x 150 x 150 mm

Printing technology: FDM

Layer thickness: 50 microns

Model year: 2018 institutions. It has a completely closed print chamber, a built-in camera for remote control of the print process, a convenient removable platform. If you are interested in 3D printing, this machine is a great choice. The design is quite discreet and will fit well in a school, office or workshop. All in all, a great all-round printer. nine0003

Cost: 40 900

Order

6.

QIDI Tech X-Maker .

Working chamber: 170 x 150 x 150 mm

Print technology: FDM

Layer thickness: 50 microns start printing immediately after unpacking. It has a pleasant and modern appearance, thanks to the closed print chamber it is quite silent. You will appreciate the convenient mounting of the coil, as well as features such as Wi-Fi connection, a thermal camera with removable panels and a cover, the ability to print on a flexible removable magnetic table, which, after being removed, only need to be bent to separate the product. nine0003

Cost: 40 900

Order

1.

Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K .

Working chamber: 135 x 75 x 130 mm

Print technology: LCD

Layer thickness: 10 microns

Model year: 2020 with ultra high resolution 772 PPI. The device provides 4K resolution printing with a layer thickness of 35 microns and a total print area of ​​155 mm. These parameters allow you to grow highly detailed 3D models that will accurately fit the 3D design, regardless of size. Using a monochrome LCD display, the Sonic Mini 4K can print one layer in two seconds. The screen resource is more than 2,000 hours of operation. nine0003

Cost: 39 900

Order

2.

Anycubic Photon Mono .

Working camera: 130 x 80 x 165 mm

Printing Technology: LCD

Layer thickness: 10 μm

Model year: 2020

Anycubic Photon Mono is equipped with a LCD screen and has a model of a model size 130 x 80 x 165 mm. The minimum layer print resolution is adjustable from 10 to 15 microns. These settings allow Photon Mono to cure a layer in 1.5 seconds, and print speeds are twice as fast as the previous generation printer. In addition, the next-generation UV sensor provides a more even distribution of light, which greatly improves print quality. The new, well-designed cooling system also contributes to increased stability. nine0003

Cost: 29 900

Order

3.

Anycubic Photon Mono SE .

Working chamber: 130 x 78 x 160 mm

Print technology: LCD

Layer thickness: 10 µm print and resolution. This technology is becoming more and more popular, so Anycubic put their new budget model Photon Mono SE on the pedestal. As a light source, the printer is equipped with a six-inch 2K monochrome LCD (2560 x 1520 Px). This resolution allows to achieve an accuracy of 51 microns in the XY axis, and 10 microns in the Z axis. The device is also equipped with a matrix with a parallel light source, which contributes to a more uniform effect and better dissipates heat. nine0003

Cost: 42 900

Order

4.

Qidi Tech Shadow 5.5 S .

Layer thickness: 10 µm in a stylish case. QIDI Shadow 5.5s has a unique dual rail with double lock, equipped with 4 optical axis structures, for a more accurate and stable printing process. The walls of the printer are made of high-strength tempered glass with a built-in 2K LCD screen. The high-quality LCD screen ensures that the material is quickly cured by UV radiation, and the accuracy and printing result are improved.

---

Learn more

• 
  Newest 3d printing technology
• 
  3D printed gun receiver
• 
  Two up v2 3d printer
• 
  3D printer healthcare
• 
  Eos m100 3d printer price
• 
  Stuff to 3d print and sell
• 
  3D print gcode
• 
  Clear resin for 3d printing
• 
  3D print metal jewelry
• 
  3D printed sewing tools
• 
  3D printed shrek toothpaste cap