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Monoprice mp voxel 3d printer review
Monoprice Voxel 3D printer review: The best value for 3D printing beginners
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There's a lot to like with the Monoprice Voxel, a neat 3D printer that produces high-quality prints
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Tom's Guide Verdict
Home and educational users will find a lot to like with the Monoprice Voxel, a neat 3D printer that produces high-quality prints at a low cost and that's one of the best budget 3D printers you can buy.
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The Monoprice Voxel is a neat, low-priced 3D printer that offers a lot for the home user. For a relatively low price, you get a 3D printer that can handle PLA and ABS filament with equally high print quality while also offering a decent-size fully enclosed build space.
The MP Voxel has are some rough edges, however: Buggy firmware and so-so software make printing a bit more difficult than it should be. Even so, the MP Voxel is an attractively priced package for school or home use, and it produces high-quality prints, and we think it's among the best 3D printers you can buy, especially for budget models.
Monoprice Voxel review: Price and availability
- Monoprice Voxel (Black Download) at Amazon for $620.66
These days, you'll find the Monoprice Voxel available at Monoprice's website for $449. But some online retailers, including Amazon , offer the 3D printer at a discount, with the price often falling below $400.
That's not the cheapest price we've seen on a printer — you can get the XYZprinting da Vinci Nano for about $250 less. But it's a pretty good value for a printer aimed at novices.
The MP Voxel has a simple, dark design, with an enclosed frame of black plastic. Clear panels that you can lift off cover the front and top of the enclosure, providing access to the print area and the mechanism. The print volume is 6.9 inches on each side, for a total of about 329 cubic inches. That’s big enough to handle most objects.
(Image credit: Monoprice)The print base is heated, which makes printing materials such as ABS much easier and more reliable. It is also easy to remove prints from the MP Voxel, as the whole top of the print bed slides out; it’s also bendable, which helps with lifting the print off.
(Image credit: Monoprice)A small LCD touch screen on the front of the printer provides on-device controls. They’re mostly easy to use, though I found it a little awkward to enter things like a WPA key on the small, on-screen keyboard.
Once the MP Voxel is connected to the Polar Cloud service, though, you don't need to use it for much, so it's not a major problem.
Monoprice Voxel: Setup and controls
The MP Voxel is a mostly plug-and-play printer. All the setup required was to unbox it, plug it in and load filament; then, you’re ready to print. The process is not without issues, though. Despite a firmware update, I couldn't connect the printer to my Wi-Fi network. I wasn't able to figure out why and ended up using the wired ethernet connection instead, which worked without issues.
(Image credit: Monoprice)Loading the filament for printing is also easy. The filament reel fits into a space on the side of the printer body, and the filament feeds up through a tube into the body and the printhead. Once you load the filament into this tube, it's fed into the printhead automatically.
The Voxel also works with the Polar Cloud, a free online service that allows you to control and monitor the printer from any web-connected device.
Polar Cloud also supports the Voxel's built-in camera, so you can see the print in progress from a smartphone or tablet. We found this service to be simple to use, and it is definitely the easiest way to use this printer.
Once registered with Polar Cloud, you can upload 3D files or create them in a basic editor. These models can then be prepared for printing and sent directly to the printer from the web — no PC required. Alternatively, you can download and use the MP Flashpoint software, available for Windows and Mac , to control the printer over USB or your local network. This software is fairly easy to use, offering the usual approach of loading a 3D model, basic editing and then outputting it to the printer or a file. This software was somewhat prone to seemingly random crashes in our tests, though.
Monoprice Voxel review: Print speed
We found that the MP Voxel was a fast printer, producing our Thinker test print in between 3.5 hours and 5 hours and 21 minutes for draft and normal quality.
That's a short time to produce a 4.5-inch tall print, and is comparable to more expensive printers such as the Lulzbot Taz Mini 2, which took about the same time. It's also much faster than XYZprinting's daVinci Nano, which took more than 7 hours to produce the same print. Another budget printer, the Polaroid PlaySmart 3D, is faster, though it usually costs more than the Monoprice Voxel.
Monoprice Voxel review: Print quality
We were impressed with the quality of prints from the MP Voxel. Our Thinker model came out with great detail and smooth, natural curves and surfaces. There were some glitches in the draft mode, which looked like random bumps on the surface of the print. These were much less evident when we printed again using the Standard mode of the Polar Cloud software, though, which produced a much cleaner, smoother print.
Our test model of a set of gears also came out well, with the gears fitting and screwing together neatly.
We only needed to do a little trimming to get rid of the odd, stray whiskers of filament.
Monoprice Voxel review: Verdict
The Monoprice Voxel represents a sweet spot of 3D printing at the moment, delivering a lot of features, high print quality and fast printing for a decent price. For around $400, it is more expensive than some entry- level printers, costing twice as much as the XYZ da Vinci Nano, though it's still not as costly as the Polaroid PlaySmart. The MP Voxel gives you a lot more for your money than less expensive printers for novices, with support for cloud printing and the heated print bed that makes printing both easier and cheaper.
For that reason, the MP Voxel is a great pick for the casual user who is interested in 3D printing or a school or small office that wants to have a printer that several people can use.
Monoprice Voxel: Price Comparison
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Richard Baguley has been working as a technology writer and journalist since 1993. As well as contributing to Tom's Guide, he writes for Cnet, T3, Wired and many other publications.
Monoprice Voxel Review - Fully Enclosed 3D Printer under $400
The Monoprice Voxel is an enclosed FDM 3D printer that ships fully assembled and can be unpacked and printing in under 15 minutes. While the Voxel has a smaller-than-average build volume of 150mm x 150mm x 150mm, the quick change nozzle assembly, integrated Wi-Fi, and flexible removable build platform all make this printer a reasonable selection for students or beginners. Let’s review the machine, print some awesome models, and list the Pros and Cons.
Table Of Contents
- Specifications
- Unboxing and Assembly
- Enclosed Build Volume
- Bed Leveling
- Polar Cloud
- Test Print
- FlashPrint-MP Slicer Software
- Testing Other Models
- Comparison
- Conclusion and Pros & Cons
Monoprice Voxel Specifications:
Build Volume: 150mm x 150mm x 150mm
Extruder: Bowden Extruder
Bed Leveling: Automatic
Material: PLA, PLA+
Build Platform: Removable Flexible Textured Build Platform
Connectivity: USB, Wi-Fi
Interface: 2.
8” Color Touchscreen LCD
Price: $359-$389
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Official Website
The Voxel is a rebrand of the Flashforge Adventurer 3, a 3D printer originally released in 2019 that has seen various upgrades and variations throughout the years.
Monoprice Voxel with shipping protection©3DWithUs – Photo: Andrew Sink
Unboxing and Assembly
The Monoprice Voxel ships in a large box with corrugated cardboard inside the printer, protecting the build platform and the hot end assembly. The printer is fully assembled from the factory and there is virtually no assembly required, just insert the filament and plug in the power cord.
Dual linear rod X axis©3DWithUs – Photo: Andrew SinkMonoprice Voxel Extruder
For anyone who has built a DIY kit printer like the Monoprice Joule, this is a welcome relief and a much faster way to get up and printing without too much effort. The printer has dual linear rods on the X axis, as well as a dual Z axis with a motor and a threaded rod on each side.
The system that was sent for review was labeled “Monoprice Vector” on the box as opposed to “Monoprice Voxel”, and the manual had the same branding on it. According to Monoprice, the original name for this machine was Vector, and some early units still carry this branding.
Enclosed Build Volume
The Voxel has an enclosed build volume, and the build platform is completely contained within the shell of the printer. Monoprice advertises the Voxel as being able to print ABS material, something that is accommodated by this enclosed build volume. During this review, I noticed that the enclosure retained heat very well, allowing the parts to remain at a consistent temperature during printing.
Fully Enclosed 3D Printer©3DWithUs – Photo: Andrew Sink
This is ideal for printing large or dense parts which may warp or deform during printing if suddenly cooled. The filament is kept inside the enclosure and held in place on an integrated spool, which can be accessed via a door on the side of the machine.
This cavity doesn’t allow for a full-size spool of material, only smaller spools such as the included 500g spool of transparent red material.
©3DWithUs – Photo: Andrew Sink
The Voxel has an integrated webcam built into the side of the printer, but it’s not accessible through the FlashPrint-MP software and can only be used with the premium subscription tier of PolarCloud. It’s disappointing that this feature can’t be used with the default software, as there’s really no reason mechanically that the webcam can’t be accessed during printing.
Bed Leveling
The Monoprice Voxel has a guided calibration assistant that allows users to automatically move the nozzle between points on the platform and manually set the offset into memory. This system works well, and it’s intuitive enough that most beginners shouldn’t have any difficulty calibrating the printer. The platform itself is a removable flexible metal platform that can be bent, allowing parts to detach effortlessly without the use of tools.
The heating element for the Voxel is located underneath the platform, and the enclosure of the machine retains the heat during printing.
©3DWithUs – Print & Photo: Andrew Sink
Polar Cloud / STEAMTrax
Included in the price of the Voxel is a free 1-year premium subscription to PolarCloud, a cloud-based platform that provides the ability to use the webcam integrated into the printer for live print monitoring, a community for sharing prints, and access to STEAMTrax lesson plans for integrating 3D printing into a classroom setting. PolarCloud is designed with education in mind, and allows students and educators to share models and submit print requests within a classroom.
Polar CloudImage: Polar3D
3D Printing the Included Test Model
The Monoprice Voxel includes a single demo print loaded in the printer, an uninspiring rectangle with the filename “20mm_Box-PLA.gx”. As advertised, printing this model results in a rectangle that measures roughly 20mm x 20mm x 10mm.
While this model works well to demonstrate the functionality of the printer, it falls short of the demo prints included on printers like the Monoprice Mini Delta V2 which includes multiple small models that show functionality while creating fun and engaging prints for beginners. Sliced with default settings, the 3DBenchy acted as a suitable demo model, and I would have preferred to see a model like this included with the Voxel.
Test Printing Cube©3DWithUs – Photo: Andrew SinkTest PrintTest Print Benchy
©3DWithUs – Print & Photo: Andrew Sink
FlashPrint-MP Slicer Software
Interestingly enough, the Monoprice Voxel doesn’t ship with an SD card, USB stick, or any other memory device. I downloaded software for the Voxel directly from the Monoprice site, which also hosts the user manual, FAQ, and firmware updates for the machine. The Voxel is compatible with FlashPrint-MP, a slicer designed specifically for the Monoprice Voxel, Guider II, Inventor I, and Inventor II 3D printers.
This slicer software is clearly designed with beginners in mind, and it features a stripped down “Basic” menu which allows a user to prepare a model in as little as two clicks.
FlashPrint-MP is able to send prints to the Voxel through Wi-Fi as well as exporting the .gx file format used by the Voxel for transporting files through a USB stick. Files sent via Wi-Fi are stored on the Voxel and can be reprinted by selecting them from the menu.
FlashPrint-MP Software Basic and Advanced menusThe “Basic” menu of FlashPrint-MP offers options to toggle between material, supports, raft, and resolution. These basic settings allow users to focus on the overall performance of the printer without worrying about making minor adjustments. Selecting “Standard” will toggle the layer height to .18mm, 2 perimeters, 4 top layers, and 3 bottom layers. Selecting “Hyper” will reduce the layer height to 0.08mm and make adjustments to the number of perimeters as well as top and bottom layers.
Test Printing with the Monoprice Voxel
Test PrintModel: Cali Dragon by McGyBeer
©3DWithUs – Print & Photo: Andrew SinkCali Dragon Back View
Printed using SliceWorx Vault Yellow PLA filament and the “Standard” profile in FlashPrint-MP, the Cali-Dragon by McGybeer shows a high level of detail and an even surface on the sides of the printed model.
Articulated Object Test PrintModel: Spirit Dragon by sunset
©3DWithUs – Print & Photo: Andrew Sink3D Printed Spirit Dragon by sunset
The quality of this print is on-par with more expensive printers like the Anycubic Kobra Plus, but the limitation of the 150mm³ build volume becomes apparent when loading in larger models like the Spirit Dragon by sunset which need to be resized to fit in the build volume of the Voxel.
Test Print in White PLAModel: Moon City by Kijai
©3DWithUs – Print & Photo: Andrew SinkMoon City Back ViewMoon City Close Look
Larger, more complex models like the Moon City 2 by Kijai are also easily printed using the “Standard” setting.
Adjusting the detail to “Hyper” and printing miniature models like the Crusader Knight by Brite Minis shows the impact this has on the printed parts, and the Voxel had no issue printing fine detail even at this thin layer height.
Model: Crusader Knight by Brite Minis
©3DWithUs – Print & Photo: Andrew SinkCrusader Knight Back View
Unfortunately, because the Monoprice Premium White PLA was a standard 1 kg spool, I had to use an external spool holder instead of the built-in one, increasing the amount of desk space taken up by the Voxel.
The Monoprice Voxel with External Spool Holder©3DWithUs – Photo: Andrew Sink
Compare to Other 3D Printers
Compare to the similar volume FDM 3D printers in the same price range:
- Flashforge Adventurer 3
- Elegoo Neptune X
Compare to other Monoprice 3D printers:
- Monoprice Mini Delta V2
- Monoprice Joule
Conclusion and Pros & Cons
The Monoprice Voxel is not a 3D printer for everyone, but the enclosed build platform and simple start-up process make it ideal for environments like classrooms, makerspaces, and hobby shops where safety is a priority.
The printer worked very well during this review, but the small build volume, size-limiting spool holder, and inaccessible webcam will likely be a deterrent for hobbyists looking for a high-performance machine. The Voxel has a lot of competition at the sub-$400 price point, so anyone interested in a printer that offers a larger build volume at the expense of manual assembly might consider printers like the Elegoo Neptune X instead.
Amazon
Official Website
Monoprice Voxel Review
Review Summary
The Monoprice Voxel is an enclosed FDM 3D printer that ships fully assembled and can be up and printing in under 15 minutes. While the Voxel has a smaller-than-average build volume of 150mm x 150mm x 150mm, the quick change nozzle assembly, integrated Wi-Fi, and flexible removable build platform all make this printer a reasonable selection for students or beginners.
PROS:
– Quick change nozzle system
– Integrated Wi-Fi and model storage
– Fully enclosed build volume
CONS:
– Enclosure rattles during printing
– Camera can’t be accessed without software subscription
– Side-mounted filament holder doesn’t hold standard 1kg spools
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Expert Review: : Tony Hoffman (pcmag.com)
Monoprice Voxel 3D Printer
The Monoprice Voxel is an under-$400 3D printer that's easy to set up and use. It exhibits generally good print quality, but it was unable to print two of our test objects.
Easy to set up and use. Budget price for printer and filament spools. Supports PLA, ABS, and several composite filament types. Versatile software. Prints over Ethernet or Wi-Fi, or from a USB thumb drive.
Frequent misprints on certain test objects. Slightly balky touchscreen.
Bottom Line: The Monoprice Voxel is an under-$400 3D printer that's easy to set up and use.
It exhibits generally good print quality, but it was unable to print two of our test objects.
Apr, 2019
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Expert Review: : Richard Baguley (tomsguide.com)
Monoprice Voxel 3D Printer Review: The Best Value for 3D Printing Beginners
Home and educational users will find a lot to like with the Monoprice Voxel, a neat 3D printer that produces high-quality prints at a low cost.
Excellent print quality ; Fast print speed ; Easy to use with cloud software Heated print bed
Lackluster software ; Some Wi-Fi connection issues
For that reason, the MP Voxel is a great pick for the casual user who is interested in 3D printing or a school or small office that wants to have a printer that several people can use.
Feb, 2021
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Monoprice Cadet - EliteTech 9 3D printer review0001
Monoprice Cadet ($249.99) is an inexpensive 3D printer aimed at beginners of all ages. A setup failure, its tiny build volume, and awkward filament handling keep it from taking the XYZprinting da Vinci Mini's Editors' Choice of our budget 3D printer. However, in our tests it is easy and safe to use and consistently produce good print quality objects.
Little Miracle
Testing and reviewing products at home rather than in PC labs, I had a clear understanding of the dimensions of products and their packaging, determining how and where to place them in my New York apartment. While 3D printers often come in huge boxes, the Cadet is a lucky exception, shipping in a relatively tiny 16.7 by 11.4 by 11.4 inch cardboard box. Packed tightly inside the box is a small padded box containing the Cadet and a bag of accessories.
These include a power supply and cord, a USB cable, a microSD card and card reader, tools such as wrenches, a glue stick, an extra sheet of tape for the build plate, and a small spool of filament (more on that later). There is a QR code sticker on the top of the Cadet that makes it easy to download the user manual.
My first reaction when I took the Cadet out of the box and saw this tiny printer measuring just 10.6 by 8.5 by 7.9 inches with a white border, gray top and bottom, and a blue LCD screen on top, was: "This is amazing!" The price of this miniaturization is that the print volume is also small, only 4.1 by 3.9 by 3.9 inches (HWD). This is the smallest build volume of any 3D printer we reviewed - even smaller than the MakerBot Replicator Mini (4.9 by 3.9 by 3.9inches), a Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printer (4.7 inches cubed), and a FlashForge Finder 3D printer. (5.5 inches cubed). The non-heated build plate is covered with a sheet of matte tape, on which objects stick during printing.
The metal build plate is detachable, and printed objects can be easily removed by bending the plate.
Unlike the Monoprice Voxel 3D printer, which prints using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or polylactic acid (PLA), the Cadet exclusively uses PLA-based filaments (including PLA, PLA Plus+ and PLA Pro). The same is true for some other budget 3D printers like the XYZprinting da Vinci Mini as well as some high end machines like the Dremel DigiLab 3D40 Flex 3D printer. PLA is well-suited for entry-level 3D printers as it doesn't emit nasty fumes like ABS.
Another beginner-friendly feature is a porous metal sheet that drops down and stands in front of the extruder during printing. This prevents users from touching the hot end of the extruder and getting burned.
Filament Worry
Monoprice touts Cadet's ease of setup, claiming you'll be up and running in less than 30 seconds. This seems overly optimistic in the best of circumstances - more like saying "I'll be done in a second" - and it certainly hasn't been my experience, mostly due to one major glitch.
The basic setup procedure is quite simple and consists of removing various pieces of protective foam from the printer, attaching a guide tube to the top of the filament feeder, and then using the non-touch LCD display paired with a knob that you can use to control a wide range of printer functions - to starting the thread loading process.
You then insert the end of the thread into the bottom of the thread feeder, keeping the spring-loaded clip open so that the thread can pass up between the two gears. You then release the clamp to let the gears grab the filament and push the handle to advance the filament through the guide tube and into the extruder assembly where it heats up to its melting point in preparation for printing. You can then insert the included microSD card into the appropriate slot, navigate to one of three sample files, and start your first print.
When I first tried to load the filament, I heard a familiar noise that told me the gears were slipping without pulling the filament, and I verified this by taking some filament and noting that it was not moving.
After I tried uploading and re-uploading the thread with the same results, I checked the user manual but didn't see any hints on how to fix the problem. I thought I would have to call tech support, but then I noticed that there is a bolt that helps hold the filament guide tube in place. By adjusting the bolt, I achieved the correct feed of the thread. I don't know if I would have considered trying this if I hadn't installed about three dozen 3D printers over the years.
Cadet has a filament spool holder, a lever that is detachable from the printer side, lowers and sticks out. It is short so it only fits relatively narrow spools of filament, and it sits quite low so it can't easily hold thick spools of thread. In testing, I ditched it in favor of a jury-created reel holder consisting of a dowel (part of the tripod shaft) supported by two stacks of books, one on each side, and a Cadet accessory box on the back. You can also buy or even 3D print spool holders—although perhaps not with Cadet due to its low build volume.
The only filament that came with Cadet was a small white PLA spool, enough to print two objects. I say "maybe" because after printing one of the Monoprice sample files - the Dragon - I almost completely printed Fortune Cat when the thread caught and the print failed. (This was partly my fault, because I just put the spool on the table instead of winding it on the spool holder and didn't look when it caught.) If you get the Cadet, you'll definitely want to buy extra thread with it.
Monoprice does not offer any specific suggestions for filament to be used with Cadet (other than that it must be PLA based). To work with the printer's own spool holder, the spools must be small (less than 0.5 kg), and they can still be problematic. I tried several PLA spools from different manufacturers and they all printed flawlessly with Cadet.
Software and connectivity
A customized version of the popular open source 3D printing program Cura 4.3—other versions we've seen included with many other printers—shipped with Cadet.
Cura performs all the basic functions of preparing a 3D object file for printing: performing basic changes, such as scaling, moving and rotating an object - a virtual representation of which in the construction area is displayed on the screen; setting options such as resolution and support; slicing an object into virtual layers for printing; and saving the file in GCODE format. I used Cura to prepare our files for Cadet printing, with the exception of the included example files, which were pre-rendered and ready to print.
Monoprice also includes the Wiibuilder 3D printing cutting utility with Cadet. I looked at it and came to the conclusion that Cura performs the same functions and is faster, so I stuck with the latter when testing Cadet.
I printed most of our test files from the included microSD card. Cadet also supports USB and Wi-Fi printing, the latter through the Monoprice Poloprint app, which can be installed on both Apple and Android devices. From Poloprint, you can print files stored in the Monoprice cloud or on a microSD card inserted in your printer.
Good quality test prints
The default is 200 microns draft, 100 microns fine, and 60 microns extra fine. The higher the resolution, the longer the print time. I printed nine proof prints with Cadet, eight at draft resolution, and one at good resolution. The quality of the rough objects compared to Fine was good enough that unless you are printing a project where high resolution is paramount, there should be no reason to use Fine or Very Fine.
I printed out our standard test items, as well as a few files that came with the printer. With the exception of the aforementioned thread hook, there were no typos and the print quality was consistently good. The tiny Cadet printable area limits the size of printed objects. I scaled down one of our standard test objects, which combines geometric shapes and embossed text, down to 60 percent of its normal size. To my surprise, with the exception of a couple of rough edges, it printed well, despite its diminutiveness.
