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Personal 3d printer for sale


The Best Cheap 3D Printers for 2022

While we'd hesitate to call 3D printing a mature technology, you might say it has reached its teenage years. Through their first decade-and-change, 3D printers have come down in price, grown easier to set up and operate, and become more reliable. And you may pay less than you expect: Many once-high-end features have migrated down to inexpensive models.

PC Labs has been reviewing 3D printers since 2013. Today, the state of 3D printing is strong, but that wasn’t always the case. For the first several years, it was often an adventure getting one of these printers up and running, let alone successfully through our testing regimen. Issues with filament-based—aka fused filament fabrication (FFF) or fused deposition modeling (FDM)—printers were abundant.

Filament feeders had to be coaxed into delivering filament from the spool to the extruder. Print beds had to be manually aligned. The extruder or hot end had to be positioned just right to minimize the gap between the nozzle and the build plate (the flat surface on which the object is printed). Objects frequently stuck to the build plate, and required careful, sometimes unsuccessful, efforts to pry them off. These and other issues required painstaking effort to resolve, often combined with calls to tech support.

Not so much anymore. While they can still be rebellious at times, 3D printers have grown up a lot, and achieving the 3D printer basics has gotten a lot less likely to end in a shouting match over small things. And they've gotten a lot more affordable, too, for curious DIY-ers and hobbyists to try.

If you're in the market for a beginner or low-cost 3D printer, it's important to know how lower-end models differ. Read on for mini-reviews of the top budget 3D printers we've tested. After that, we go into more detail on understanding the 3D printer specs and tech relevant to beginning buyers. Ready to take the plunge? Read on.

Original Prusa Mini

Best Overall Budget 3D Printer

4.5 Outstanding

Bottom Line:

It requires assembly and calibration care (plus shipping from the Czech Republic), but the Original Prusa Mini is a compact, open-frame 3D printer that consistently produces superb-quality output for a great price.

PROS

  • Top-notch object quality
  • Supports a variety of filament types
  • Useful, professionally printed user guide
  • Great support resources
  • Versatile, user-friendly software

CONS

  • First-layer calibration can be tricky
  • Only includes starter packets of filament
  • Requires monitoring if young children or pets are around

Sold By List Price Price
Prusa Research $399.00 $399.00 See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Original Prusa Mini Review

XYZprinting da Vinci Mini

Best Budget 3D Printer for Schools, Community Centers

4.0 Excellent

Bottom Line:

The XYZprinting da Vinci Mini is a consumer-oriented 3D printer that provides a winning combination of low price, ease of setup and use, solid print quality, and smooth, misprint-free operation.

PROS

  • Very low price.
  • Reasonably priced filament.
  • Good print quality.
  • No misprints in testing.
  • Easy setup and operation.
  • Quiet.
  • Prints over a USB or Wi-Fi connection.

CONS

  • Occasional problems in trying to launch prints.
  • Removing printed objects from the print bed is sometimes tricky.

Sold By List Price Price
Walmart $199.95 $199.95 See It (Opens in a new window)
Amazon $199.95 $199.95 See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our XYZprinting da Vinci Mini Review

Toybox 3D Printer

Best Budget 3D Printer for Children

4.0 Excellent

Bottom Line:

The Toybox 3D Printer works well as a model designed for children, offering reliable printing from a browser or mobile device and a few thousand toys to print, plus creative options to output drawings or photos. Just bear in mind the tiny build area.

PROS

  • Reliable, misprint-free printing
  • Easy setup
  • One-touch operation
  • Well-composed help resources
  • Access to more than 2,000 printable toys and projects
  • Lets you create your own printable designs

CONS

  • Tiny build area
  • Not ideal for importing 3D files created elsewhere

Sold By List Price Price
Amazon $299.00 $299.00 See It (Opens in a new window)
Toybox Labs $379.00 $299.00 See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Toybox 3D Printer Review

Monoprice Mini Delta V2 3D Printer

Best Budget 3D Printer for Beginners, Non-Techies

4.0 Excellent

Bottom Line:

3D printing gurus will be intrigued by the Monoprice Mini Delta V2's use of the delta rather than Cartesian coordinate system, but beginners will just enjoy its low price, ease of use, and speedy printing.

PROS

  • Sub-$200 price
  • Quick, nearly misprint-free printing
  • Easy setup and operation
  • Sturdy steel-and-aluminum frame
  • Supports multiple filament types

CONS

  • Tiny build area
  • So-so print quality
  • Mere one-year warranty

Sold By List Price Price
Amazon $179.99 $179.99 See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Monoprice Mini Delta V2 3D Printer Review

Anycubic i3 Mega S

Best Budget 3D Printer With an Open Design, Big Build Area

3.5 Good

Bottom Line:

The Anycubic i3 Mega S, an inexpensive open-frame 3D printer, produced decent-quality prints in our testing. To get the most out of it, though, may require precise calibration.

PROS

  • Modestly priced
  • Large build area for an inexpensive printer
  • Supports a variety of filament types
  • Generally solid print quality
  • Uses well-known Cura software

CONS

  • Finicky print-platform alignment
  • Supported coils of filament are small
  • Poorly placed spool holder

Sold By List Price Price
Amazon $229. 98 $229.98 Check Stock (Opens in a new window)
AnyCubic $279.00 $279.00 Check Stock (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Anycubic i3 Mega S Review

Anycubic Vyper

Best Budget 3D Printer for the Biggest Build Area Possible

3.5 Good

Bottom Line:

Anycubic's modestly priced Vyper whips up large 3D prints on its open-frame design, and provides automatic print-bed leveling. Just know that some minor assembly is required—and printed objects may require a bit of cleanup.

PROS

  • Relatively large build area
  • Automatic bed leveling
  • Simple assembly

CONS

  • Short (one-year) warranty
  • Includes only a small starter filament coil
  • Using Cura software with the Vyper requires tweaking a couple of settings
  • Test prints showed some "hairy" filament residue

Sold By List Price Price
Amazon $429. 99 $429.99 See It (Opens in a new window)
AnyCubic $369.00 $319.00 See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Anycubic Vyper Review

Creality Ender-3 V2

Best Budget 3D Printer for Tinkerers and DIY Types

3.5 Good

Bottom Line:

Hands-on tweaking defines Creality's budget-price Ender-3 V2, an open-frame 3D printer that you build from a kit. It produces generally above-par prints, but its print bed can be tricky to keep leveled.

PROS

  • Inexpensive
  • Slightly above-average print quality
  • Good-size build area for its price
  • Supports several filament types

CONS

  • Manual print-bed leveling can be tricky
  • Setup instructions could be deeper, more legible
  • Questionable quality control on some parts

Sold By List Price Price
Amazon $299. 00 $246.00 See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Creality Ender-3 V2 Review

Flashforge Finder 3D Printer

Best 3D Printer for the Very Tightest Budgets

3.5 Good

Bottom Line:

The Flashforge Finder 3D Printer is moderately priced and offers good print quality, but it proved tricky to get up and running in our tests.

PROS

  • Quiet.
  • Good print quality.
  • Connects via USB 2.0 cable, USB thumb drive, or Wi-Fi.
  • Reasonably priced.

CONS

  • Some objects pulled off the platform during testing.
  • Poor documentation.
  • Modest build volume.
  • Limited to printing with polylactic acid filament (PLA).

Sold By List Price Price
Amazon $729.00 $729.00 Check Stock (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Flashforge Finder 3D Printer Review

Polaroid PlaySmart 3D Printer

Best Budget 3D Printer for Dabbling in Small Objects

3. 5 Good

Bottom Line:

The Polaroid PlaySmart 3D Printer is a compact, stylish 3D printer with above-par overall print quality, but, alas, a tiny build area for the money.

PROS

  • Small, lightweight for a desktop 3D printer.
  • Easy to set up and use.
  • Supports PLA, PETG, and wood composite filaments.
  • Multiple-color support.
  • Wi-Fi camera monitors print jobs.
  • Prints from USB drives, SD cards, or mobile devices.

CONS

  • High price for its capabilities.
  • Small build area.
  • Too-brief warranty.

Sold By List Price Price
Amazon $699.00 $699.00 See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Polaroid PlaySmart 3D Printer Review

XYZprinting da Vinci Jr. 1.0 A Pro

Best Budget 3D Printer With Closed Design, Roomy Build Area

3. 5 Good

Bottom Line:

The XYZprinting da Vinci Jr. 1.0 A Pro is a moderately priced closed-frame 3D printer with a large build volume and overall good performance, but a potentially balky filament-feeding system.

PROS

  • Spacious build area
  • Works with third-party filaments
  • Self-leveling print bed

CONS

  • Build plate is not heated
  • Limited to PLA- and PETG-based filaments
  • Guide tube is prone to detaching

Sold By List Price Price
Amazon $299.95 $199.95 See It (Opens in a new window)
Best Buy $449.95 $449.95 Check Stock (Opens in a new window)

Read Our XYZprinting da Vinci Jr. 1.0 A Pro Review

Monoprice Voxel 3D Printer

Best Budget 3D Printer for Cheap Filament

3. 0 Average

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.

PROS

  • 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.

CONS

  • Frequent misprints on certain test objects.
  • Slightly balky touch screen.

Sold By List Price Price
Amazon $449.99 $369.26 See It (Opens in a new window)
Walmart $429.99 $369.26 See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Monoprice Voxel 3D Printer Review

Buying Guide: The Best Cheap 3D Printers for 2022

How to Buy a Cheap 3D Printer

The biggest changes to 3D printers over the last few years have come to the cheaper models. Nowadays, many of those classic, ornery 3D-printing issues have been resolved (most of the time, anyway), even for consumer and bargain-priced 3D printers. Automatic print-bed leveling is the norm, and you can usually remove 3D-printed objects from heated and/or flexible build plates with a minimum of coaxing. And most 3D printer manufacturers have either developed and refined their own software, or have adapted an open-source printing platform such as Cura(Opens in a new window).

(Credit: Zlata Ivleva)

What separates more expensive 3D printers from cheap ones ("cheap" defined as $500 or less, for the purposes of this article) is often a select group of features. These include the build volume, the type of frame, the varieties of supported filament, the software, and the connectivity mix. Let's run through those in turn.

What's the Right Build Volume for a 3D Printer?

A 3D printer’s build volume is the maximum dimensions (HWD) of a part that it can print. (We say “a part” because a 3D-printed object can consist of multiple parts that are printed, then glued or otherwise pieced together.) While the smallest build volume of any 3D printer we have tested is 3.9 by 3.9 by 4.9 inches, we consider any build volume smaller than 6 by 6 by 6 inches to be small, any between that and 10 by 10 by 10 inches as medium, and any printer with at least one build dimension of more than 10 inches as having a large build volume.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

As a general rule, inexpensive 3D printers have small build volumes, while more expensive ones have larger build volumes. This depends in part on the type of printer. Closed-frame 3D printers—and most semi-open models, which have a rigid top, base, and sides but are open in front and, often, back—tend to have small build volumes, while open-frame printers, lacking as rigid a physical structure, often have relatively large build volumes for the price. You'll want to weigh the build volume against the kinds of objects you will print.

Should I Get an Open-Frame or Closed-Frame 3D Printer?

Which brings us to the frame "form factor" question: open-frame versus closed-frame. Closed-frame 3D printers are boxlike devices, with a rigid base, walls (with a see-through door in front), and top. Among their advantages? They muffle the operating noise, as well as reduce the odor from melted filament (which is potentially an issue with ABS plastic), and they provide some protection for people or pets who might inadvertently touch the hot extruder. A downside: They tend to have smaller build volumes than open-frame 3D printers, which have fewer (often, no) walls to constrict them.

(Credit: Zlata Ivleva)

Low-cost 3D printers include both open-frame and closed-frame models, as well as a few stereolithography printers. If a relatively large build volume is a priority, you’re likely to get more bang for the buck with an open-frame model. Open-frames do have some clear downsides by definition: They tend to be noisy, emit odors when certain plastics are melted, and provide little protection for someone who might touch the hot extruder.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

Also, recognize some potential negatives of open frames, depending on the model. Some require assembly, being essentially kits, and most require more setup care than a closed-frame printer, plus more maintenance to keep them running smoothly. Still, these very traits should not deter—and may even appeal to—hobbyists and DIY folks.

What Should I Look for in 3D Printer Software and Connectivity?

Gone are the days when tinkerers had to cobble together several different programs to get a 3D printer to run. Manufacturers either include their own 3D printing program or modify an existing platform such as the open-source Cura.

3D printing software performs three main functions: processing an object file (resizing, moving, rotating, and in some cases duplicating it), slicing it (into virtual layers, based on your chosen resolution), and printing it. These are almost universally combined into a seamless process. Some high-end printers have software that supports a wider range of settings you can tweak, but even the basic suites work at least reasonably well.

More likely to vary among the cheaper set is the array of connection options from model to model. Nearly all have a USB Type-A port to fit a thumb drive for printing from document files. Most also have a USB Type-B port for connecting directly to a computer, and some offer Wi-Fi, too (or as an alternative), while a handful let you connect via Ethernet to share the printer across a local network.

Some printers support storing 3D files on an SD or microSD card (which may also contain the printer’s system files). Most 3D printer manufacturers (even the discount ones) have a mobile app to launch and monitor print jobs, and a few provide access to cloud services from which you can print.

While high-end 3D printers tend to have an abundance of connection choices, discount models vary widely in their choices. Some are generous and some are basic, so it pays to assess what a given model offers.

What Should I Look for in Filament Support?

Filament support tends to be a key area that separates the cheaper models from the higher-end ones. (See our guide to understanding 3D printing filaments for more particulars.) Inexpensive 3D printers tend to support a limited number of plastic filament types, some of them only PLA and/or ABS.

Recommended by Our Editors

3D Printing: What You Need to Know

3D Printer Filaments Explained

(Credit: Molly Flores)

PLA (polylactic acid) is a biodegradable, plant-based polymer, while ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) is the same tough plastic that Legos are made from. Objects printed from ABS are durable and nontoxic, though the material can be tricky to work with. ABS can emit an acrid, unpleasant odor during printing, and the bottom corners of objects being printed with it have a tendency to curl upward a bit, especially if you are using a non-heated print bed. This can lead to unsightly prints, and/or prints prematurely pulling off the build plate, ruining them.

Many entry-level and low-price 3D printers stick exclusively to PLA. If you want to experiment with a larger variety of filaments—which include water-soluble filament, wood- and metal-laced composites, and both tough and flexible varieties—you may have to pay more, although a few discount models support a wide range of materials.

Should I Consider a 3D Printing Pen Instead?

Although they aren’t printers per se, inexpensive 3D pens are close kin to 3D printers—using the same filament types and a similar extrusion system—and we include them in the 3D printing category. Rather than tracing out a programmed pattern, you use the 3D pen much like a normal pen, except that you draw with molten plastic. You can trace a pattern or draw freehand, and even draw in three dimensions as the plastic quickly solidifies and hardens once extruded.

(Credit: 3Doodler)

Most 3D pens cost less than $100, and some cost $50 or less. At a glance, 3D pens may appear to be toys, but some artists and craftspeople have taken to them, as it is possible to make quite complicated and beautiful objects with them. If your aim in 3D printing is something closer to freehand design and free expression than computer-centric, structured, and repeatable output, you might give one a try.

So, What Is the Best Cheap 3D Printer to Buy?

Buying a budget 3D printer needn’t mean a world of sacrifice. Plenty of capable and reliable models sell at less than $500, and while they may not be as feature-rich as their more expensive cousins, there's no sense in paying for things you don’t need.

Many casual 3D-printing experimenters will be fine with printing over a USB cable or from a thumb drive, and sticking to PLA may be the best choice for a starter 3D printer. If you focus just on the features you want, you may be pleasantly surprised at what you find. Below, check out a spec breakdown of the best under-$500 3D printers we have reviewed, paralleling our picks above. Also, for a look at the broader market, see our guide to our favorite 3D printers overall.

3D Printers for Personal Use

For beginners and hobbyists looking to break into 3D printing, this collection of 3D printers gets you on the ground floor with room to grow and upgrade. With lower price-points for easy entry into 3D printing, you will have more budget available for filament, materials, and 3D printer accessories. This collection is also for the small-business person looking to expand their production with 3D printing without breaking the budget. Adding 3D printing to your hobby or profession has never been easier.

Guides & Articles

How to Succeed with Quantum Dichromatic PLA Filament

Follow this guide for tips and tricks on how to get the best results when 3D printing with Quantum Dichromatic PLA filament.

How To Succeed with LayerLock SLA Build Surfaces

Successfully achieve strong bed adhesion for Laser, DLP, and SLA resin prints using LayerLock SLA Resin 3D Printing Build Surfaces.

How To Build A Successful Makerspace

Find out the necessary components to create an effective space for your maker community.

How to Succeed When 3D Printing with Polypropylene

Successfully produce 3D printed parts out of polypropylene filament with these tips on achieving stronger bed adhesion and minimizing shrinkage.

Tech Breakdown and How to Succeed: Ionic Hybrid Support Material

Supporting engineering-grade filament has been difficult without a support material dedicated to higher temperature 3D printing. Ionic aims to solve that.

How To Succeed with OBC 3D Printing Filament

From Dow Chemical, OBC combines flexible and rigid into one unique material with properties of both.

How To Succeed with LayerLock Garolite Build Surfaces

Successfully achieve strong bed adhesion for NylonX, NylonG, and standard filaments using LayerLock Garolite Build Surfaces.

How to Succeed with LayerLock Powder Coated PEI Build Plates

Powder coated PEI steel sheets are a great alternative build surface for strong bed adhesion. Here's how you can succeed using this durable build plate.

How To Succeed When 3D Printing With Nylon

Learn how to 3D print Nylon like a pro. Nylon is a stronger and more durable alternative to PLA or ABS and easy to 3D print with using these Tips and Tricks.

How To Succeed When 3D Printing With ASA Filament

Follow this step-by-step guide to learn how to print with ASA, the perfect material for any outdoor projects.

How to Succeed when 3D Printing with Polycarbonate Filament

Follow these helpful steps to start successfully printing with this extremely tough, professional grade material.

How to Succeed with NylonX

NylonX has quickly become one of our favorite filaments for strong, durable, and ready-to-use parts. Here's an in-depth look at Nylon X, and some printing tips to get the most out of this great new material.

How to choose a personal 3D printer? Top home printers in 2022

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3D printers are becoming increasingly available for personal use in the home. But the success of their application largely depends on how accurately the model is selected, taking into account the solution of specific problems. When buying 3D equipment, you need to focus on several parameters: what the equipment will be used for, what properties the finished models should have, what is more important: the detail and smoothness of the surface or the physical characteristics of the product. nine0012

Consider the main criteria for choosing a personal 3D printer.

Print platform size

Dimensions of created objects depend on this parameter. The larger the platform, the larger the final product can be. For use at home, a 3D printer with a small platform is suitable. The standard for entry-level printers is a 130x130x130mm platform, suitable for printing most products.

Printing technology

Resin model making

To create small, detailed objects with a flat, smooth surface, a personal 3D printer using photopolymer resin 3D printing technology is suitable. These technologies include SLA, DLP, and LCD, which work by layer-by-layer processing of resin with light radiation. The liquid polymer solidifies under the influence of light, which makes it possible to produce objects of any geometry and detailing without distortions and deformations. On sale you can find different options for liquid photopolymers, including engineering ones for creating objects of increased strength. nine0012

Types of photopolymer technologies:

  1. SLA - layer-by-layer illumination of certain areas of the resin with a precisely focused beam. Allows you to create high-precision objects with a perfectly smooth surface. Due to the high cost of equipment and consumables, it is used mainly for industrial purposes. For example, in the dental and jewelry industries. The disadvantage of SLA printers is the low print speed.
  2. DLP printing is similar to SLA technology, but uses a projector as a radiation source, which illuminates the entire layer at once. Due to this feature, the printing speed is significantly increased. In terms of the quality of manufacturing objects, DLP printers are almost as good as SLA equipment, and consumables for them are slightly cheaper than materials for SLA. Among the disadvantages of the technology - the accuracy of printing may decrease at the edges of the working area, there may be problems with stray light. nine0004
  3. LCD printers use technology based on the DLP principle, but the liquid crystal display acts as a template or matrix, and LED elements act as a source of UV radiation. The disadvantages of LCD equipment are similar to the disadvantages of DLP printers, but they are fully compensated by the relatively low price of equipment and consumables.

The optimal personal equipment for printing photopolymers at home are LCD printers - high-quality and affordable devices that can print a wide range of models. nine0012

When buying a personal photopolymer printing device, it is worth choosing a modification with a filter or a closed housing, since the resin can emit a strong unpleasant odor during printing. Also important criteria are the rigidity of the platform and the accuracy of its positioning along the Z axis. The quality of the surface of the finished models depends on this.

Top personal LCD 3D printers for home use

  1. Anycubic Photon Mono 4K is a 3D equipment with a matrix that provides high speed and accuracy of printing. Ideal for modeling and hobbies at home. nine0004

Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K is a high resolution monochrome LCD printer with a large work area. The screen effectively transmits UV rays, providing fast printing, and has a working life of over 2000 hours. Suitable for a wide range of tasks.

The Anycubic Photon Mono SE is a 3D printer with a parallel light source that minimizes distortion at the edges of the printed area. Allows you to maximize the use of the working area and simultaneously produce a large number of small models. nine0012

Wanhao GR2 is a productive technique with a large print area without distortion along the edges and high accuracy in building objects. Suitable for use in manufacturing, hobby and other industries.

The Anycubic Photon Ultra is a compact, low-cost entry-level model for printing small figures or engineering models.

Printing with plastic filaments

If you plan to produce large models with different properties at home, FDM 3D printers are suitable. The devices build the object in layers on the build platform using molten plastic filament that comes from the extruder (print head). It should be borne in mind that in this case the finished parts have a slightly rough surface and they must be subjected to additional processing (grinding). nine0012

Since FDM is the first mass-produced volumetric printing technology, a wide range of printers based on it, as well as compatible consumables, is currently being produced. Including engineering filaments for the production of functional layouts or models and decorative plastics that imitate different materials.

FDM printer designs:

  1. Prusa kinematics (including cantilever kinematics) is the most popular type of mechanics among personal 3D printers using FDM technology. Design features: the work table moves along the Y axis, and the extruder moves along the other axes. Advantages: low price, affordable spare parts, a large number of reviews and clear operating instructions. Disadvantages: low speed (deterioration of print quality at high speeds), insufficiently rigid frame for some models. nine0004
  2. Ultimaker kinematics - the print platform moves along the Z axis, and the extruder moves along the X and Y axes. To lighten the weight of the moving elements, the motor is mounted on the body, which ensures high quality construction of objects at high speeds. Other pluses: the ability to completely close the case, a rigid frame. Cons: increased requirements for the quality of guides, high cost compared to other kinematic mechanisms.
  3. MakerBot kinematics - the design is similar to Ultimaker, but one of the motors is mounted on the X or Y axis carriage. The advantages of this mechanism are high print quality, the ability to close the case. Disadvantages: increased requirements for the quality of components, deterioration in the quality of building models at high speeds (due to the fact that one of the motors moves along with the carriage, adding extra weight). nine0004
  4. Core-XY or H-BOT are complex mechanisms in which the platform moves along the Z axis, and the print head moves along the X and Y axes. 2 matched stepper motors and 1-2 long belts are used to move the extruder. Pros: high speed and accuracy of printing, the ability to completely close the case. Cons: high price, regular adjustment or replacement of a stretched belt, increased requirements for the quality of components.
  5. Delta - a structure of three columns along which the carriages move. The platform is statically fixed to the body, and the location of the printhead is calculated using a complex formula. Advantages: low cost, high speed and accuracy of printing, available spare parts. Disadvantages: high requirements for assembly accuracy and structural rigidity, difficult calibration. nine0004

Other options for choosing an FDM printer for the home:

  1. Camera type - open or closed. For printing functional parts, models and prototypes using engineering plastic, equipment with a closed chamber is suitable. The presence of heating slows down the cooling of the material and prevents its cracking. An example of a 3D printer with an open chamber: Artillery Sidewinder X2, with a closed chamber: Picaso Designer X model.

Platen heating. This option improves the adhesion of the first layer of the product. 3D printing with engineering plastics requires mandatory heating of the desktop. For example, like the model FlashForge Adventurer 4.

Number of extruders. One print head allows you to create simple one-component objects. For two-color printing, creating dissolvable supports, or making complex parts with internal cavities, it is worth using a 3D printer with two extruders. An example of a model with one extruder - FlashForge Guider IIS, with two - FlashForge Creator 3 Pro.

Print head feed type - direct or bowden. With direct feeding, the mechanism and motor are on the extruder, which makes it possible to use any plastics, but increases the weight of the extruder. With bowden feed, the mechanism and motor are located on the body, which provides high-quality printing at high speeds without unnecessary stress on the printhead, but due to the long tube, it creates problems when using soft plastic filaments. An example of a direct feed model is Raise3D Pro3, bowden feed is used, for example, in the Ultimaker S3 model. nine0012

Power outage protection - remembering the place of an unexpected stop of the printing process. This is especially true in the manufacture of large, complex models. The Raise3D Pro3 Plus 3D printer has this option.

Filament sensor to automatically pause printing when the filament runs out. The Raise3D E2 is equipped with this setting.

Additional options for more comfortable work - touch screen, automatic calibration, wireless operation (connection to a computer via LAN or Wi-Fi, internal memory). All these features have the model Imprinta Hercules G4. nine0012

Top home FDM printers

  1. Anycubic Mega S is a budget printer with an upgraded extruder that allows you to print flexible and rigid parts with TPU filaments, as well as objects of different sizes using ABS, PLA, HIPS, Wood. Printing accuracy is 50 microns. The model is optimally suited for prototyping and can be used in educational institutions to create visual aids.

FlashForge Finder 2.0 is a compact personal 3D printer designed for educational institutions or to introduce children to the basics of 3D modeling. It has a secure design with Wi-Fi module, calibration assistant and other additional options. nine0012

Creality3D Ender 3 Pro is a budget printer with a heated bed and a large print area. Supplied both assembled and as a self-assembly kit.

Wanhao Duplicator 6 Plus is a machine with Ultimaker kinematics, direct feed and open or closed body. Suitable for printing on soft materials.

FlashForge Dreamer is a 3D printer with two extruders, MakerBot kinematics and a closed housing, designed to build objects of any complexity. Suitable for lovers of experiments with materials and engineers. nine0012

FlyingBear Ghost 5 - Supplied as an assembly kit. The printer is equipped with a Wi-Fi module, a function to resume printing after a power outage and a filament sensor. Great for beginners.

The Picaso Designer Classic is an affordable basic printer designed to introduce you to 3D modeling. Customized profiles for popular materials and clear controls will help you quickly master the new technology.

Imprinta Hercules G3 is a compact professional FDM printer with a print area of ​​300x200x300 mm and advanced functionality, equipped with a high-temperature extruder. Designed for rapid construction of conceptual and functional prototypes of any level of complexity. The model prints at speeds up to 125 mm / s, due to which it is characterized by increased productivity - up to 162 cu. cm/h Printing accuracy reaches 0.002 mm.

Imprinta Hercules G6 - large-format outdoor 3D equipment with a large print area (600x400x900 mm), high temperature printhead, heated bed and increased thermal insulation. The main purpose of the printer is to produce high quality prototypes for testing and final products for small and medium businesses using flexible, technical, high temperature and other types of plastics.

Summary

When choosing a home 3D printer, it is important to consider what it will be used for.

For beginners, inexpensive devices with a Prusa kinematic mechanism are excellent, about which many available reviews have been filmed and written and for which there are many upgrades. After mastering, the device can be changed to a more suitable model or modified for specific tasks. nine0012

For creators of detailed figurines and miniatures, a technique that prints with photopolymer resins is the best choice. Devices of this type allow you to achieve maximum detail, which compensates for their small print area.

For experimenters and engineers, a two-head FDM printer with a closed chamber, such as the Raise3D Pro2, is a good choice. This design makes it possible to use different types of plastic filaments.

When buying a 3D printer for a child, you need to focus on safety in use. In this case, a model without a heated platform, which prints with safe PLA plastic, is suitable. Or a technique in which all the heating and moving mechanisms are inside the case. nine0012

Article source - 3DVision company blog: https://3dvision.su/blog/kak-vybrat-personalnyy-3d-printer-top-domashnikh-printerov-v-2022-godu/

History of 3D printing

In this section, we wanted to trace the history of 3D printing from its inception to the present day, as well as give a forecast regarding the future development of technology.


The first 3d printer was invented by the American Charles Hull, he worked on the technology of stereolithography (SLA), the patent for the technology was filed in 1986. The printer was a fairly large industrial installation. The installation "grew" a three-dimensional model by applying a photopolymerizable material to a moving platform. The basis was a digital model pre-modeled on a computer (3D model). This 3d printer created three-dimensional objects, rising by 0.1-0.2 mm - the height of the layer. Despite the fact that the first device had many disadvantages, the technology has received its application. Charles Hull is also the co-founder of 3dsystems, one of the world's leading manufacturers of industrial 3D printers. nine0012

Charles Hull was not the only one to experiment with 3D printing technology, as in 1986 Carl Deckard invented Selective Laser Sintering (SLS). You can learn more about the method in another article, briefly: a laser beam sinters a powder (plastic, metal, etc.), while the mass of the powder is heated in the working chamber to a temperature close to the melting point. The basis is also a digital model pre-modeled on a computer (3D model). After the laser passes through the horizontal layer, the chamber is lowered to the layer height (usually 0.1-0.2 mm), the powder mass is leveled with a special device and a new layer is applied. nine0012

However, the most famous and widespread 3D printing method today is layer-by-layer direction (FDM). The idea of ​​technology belongs to Scott Crump (Scott Crump), the patent dates back to 1988. You can learn more about the method in another article, in short: material (usually plastic) is fed from the heated nozzle of the print head using a stepper motor, the print head moves on linear guides along 1 or two axes, and the platform moves along 1 or 2 axes . The basis of the movement is also a 3D model. The molten plastic is laid on the platform along the established contour, after which the head or platform is moved and a new layer is applied on top of the old one. Scott Crump is one of the founders of Stratasys, which is also one of the leaders in the production of industrial 3D printers. nine0012

All the devices described above belonged to the class of industrial devices and were quite expensive, so one of the first 3d Dimension printers from Stratasys in 1991 cost from 50 to 220 thousand US dollars (depending on the model and configuration). Printers based on the technologies described above cost even more and until very recently, only a narrow circle of interested specialists knew about these devices.

Everything began to change since 2006, when the RepRap project (from the English Replicating Rapid Prototyper - a self-replicating mechanism for rapid prototyping) was founded, with the goal of creating a self-copying device, which was a 3D printer operating on technology FDM (layer by layer deposition). Only, unlike expensive industrial devices, it looked like a clumsy invention made from improvised means. Metal shafts serve as a frame, they also serve as guides for the print head. driven by simple stepper motors. The software is open source. Almost all connecting parts are printed from plastic on the 3D printer itself. This idea originated among English scientists and aimed at spreading available additive technologies so that users can download 3D models on the Internet and create the necessary products, thus minimizing the production chain. nine0012

Leaving aside the ideological component, the community (which exists and develops to this day) managed to create a 3d printer accessible to the "ordinary person". So a set of unprinted parts can cost around a couple of hundred US dollars and a finished device from $500. And even though these devices looked unsightly and were significantly inferior in quality to their industrial counterparts, all this was an incredible impetus for the development of 3D printing technology.
As the RepRap project developed, 3D printers began to appear, taking as a basis the base laid down by the movement in technical and, sometimes, ideological terms (for example, commitment to the concept of open source - OpenSource). The companies that made printers tried to make them better both in terms of performance, design and user experience. The first RepRap printers cannot be called a commercial product, since it is not so easy to manage (and even more so to assemble) and it is not always possible to achieve stable work results. Nevertheless, companies tried to close the more than significant gap in quality, leaving a significant gap in cost whenever possible. nine0012

First of all, it is worth mentioning the MakerBot company, which started as a startup, took the ideas of RepRap as a basis and gradually turned them into a product of a new quality. " personal" segment (according to 3dhubs). The word "personal" is in brackets because this printer, which cost $2,200 at the time of release, was (and is) primarily used for business purposes, but falls into the personal segment due to its cost. This model differs from its progenitors (RepRap), being, in fact, a finished commercial product. Manufacturers abandoned the concept of OpenSource, closing all sources and software codes. nine0012

In parallel with the release of technology, the company actively developed the Thingiverse resource, which contains many models for 3d printing, available for download for free. During the development of the first printer and beyond, the community has helped the company a lot, testing the product and offering various upgrades. After the release of the Replicator 2 (and the closure of development), the situation has changed. You can learn more about the history of MakerBot and other companies and people associated with 3d printing by watching the film Print the legend. nine0012

This film also highlights the history of Formlabs, one of the first companies to launch an affordable 3D printer using SLA technology (Strereolithography). The company raised funds for the first FORM 1 model through crowdfunding, encountered production difficulties, but eventually released an affordable and productive 3D printer, closing the quality gap described above.

Although the 3D printers described above were far from perfect, they started the development of affordable 3D printing technology, which continues to this day. At the moment, the quality of FDM and SLA printers is increasing, but there is no significant price reduction, rather, on the contrary, it is growing slightly. Along with FDM and SLA, many companies are developing in the field of powder sintering (SLS), as well as metal printing. Despite the fact that such printers cannot be called affordable, their price is much lower in comparison with analogues from the professional segment. It is also worth noting the development of the line of materials, in addition to the standard ABS and PLA plastics, today many different materials are used, including nylon, carbon fiber and other durable and refractory materials. nine0012

Personal 3d printers of today are very close to professional devices, the development of which also does not stop. In addition to the "founders" of the technology (Stratasys, 3dsystems), many small companies specializing in industrial 3D printing technologies (metal in particular) have emerged. 3D printing is also attracting the attention of large corporations, which, with varying degrees of success, are striving to take their place in a growing market. Here it is worth highlighting HP, which recently released the HP Jet Fusion 3D 4200 model, which has gained popularity among 3d printing professionals (as of 2018, it is at the top of the ranking of professional 3D printers in the quarterly reports of the 3dhubs portal). nine0012

However, 3D printing technologies are developing not only in breadth, but also in depth. One of the main disadvantages of 3D printing, compared to other production methods, is the low speed of creating models. A significant advance in terms of accelerating 3D printing was the invention of CLIP technology by CARBON, printers operating on this technology can produce models 100 times faster than classic SLA technology.

There is also a constant expansion of the range, properties and quality of materials and post-processing of products. All this accelerates the transition to the use of 3d printers in production, and not just as prototyping devices. Today, many large and not only companies and organizations are closely using a 3D printer in their production chain: from consumer goods manufacturers NIKE and PUMA to BOEING and SPACE X (the latter prints engine parts for its rockets that could not be made in any other way) . nine0012

In addition to the "classic" scope of 3D printing, today you can increasingly see news about how a house or some organ (or rather, a small part of it) was printed on a 3D printer from bio-material. And this is true, several companies around the world are testing or already partially using 3D printing in the construction of buildings and structures. This mainly concerns the contour pouring of walls (similar to the FDM method) with a special composite concrete mixture. And in Amsterdam there is a 3D printed bridge project and this list will only expand over time, since the use of 3D printing in construction can significantly reduce costs and increase the speed of work at certain stages. nine0177 With regards to medicine, here 3D printing also finds application, but at the moment it is not printing organs, but rather the use of technology in prosthetics (of various kinds) and bone replacement. Also, 3D printing technology is widely used in dentistry (SLA technology). Regarding the printing of organs, this is still far in the future, at the moment bio-3D printers are experimental facilities in the early stages, the success of which is limited to printing a few limited-viable cells. nine0012

Looking to the future, it is safe to say that 3D printing technology will expand both in breadth and depth, improving technology, speeding up processes, improving quality and improving material properties. 3D printers will increasingly replace old methods in production chains of various scales, and world production, due to this, will move towards the “on demand” scheme of work, increasing the degree of product customization. Perhaps someday, 3D printers will be widely used at the household level for the production of necessary things (the dream and goal of the RepRap movement), but this requires not only the development of technology, but also a paradigm shift in social thinking, as well as the development of a powerful design ecosystem ( 3d modeling) products (which is often forgotten). nine0012

3d printing of houses (and other structures) will no doubt also develop, reducing costs and production times, which, together with the development of new approaches in architecture and urban planning (such as modular construction and the prefabricated method), will give a tangible impetus to development the industry as a whole.

Biological 3D printers will be an important tool in scientific research.

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