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Polaroid 3d printer review
Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printer review
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The Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printer turns out great prints, but it's pricier than many novice models
(Image: © Polaroid)
Tom's Guide Verdict
The Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printer offers a lot of features and performance for the price, making it a great pick for home users curious about 3D printing.
TODAY'S BEST DEALS
Pros
- +
High-quality prints
- +
Good print speed
- +
Simple, usable interface
Cons
- -
Smaller print area than similar models
- -
Software is not very flexible
Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Polaroid isn’t a name that springs to mind for 3D printing — at least not for U.S. shoppers — but the Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printer might change that. Polaroid has built a simple device that produces excellent quality prints using a variety of materials, as we discovered during testing our Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printer review.
The Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printer costs $599. Like the Polaroid 3D Play Pen we tested for our 3D pen face-off, Polaroid's 3D printer is an exclusive at craft retailer Joann , currently offering the printer at an attractive discount as of this writing.
Without that discount, you’ll find less expensive choices for novice users among our list of the best 3D printers. But the Polaroid name and the quality output from the PlaySmart make this device worth a look if you want a 3D printer for the home.
- Polaroid Play Smart at Amazon for $699
Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printer specs
3D Printer Type: FFF
Layer Resolution: 50 - 300 microns
Materials: PLA, P-Wood, PETG
Controls: 3.
5-inch LCD color touchscreen
Build Volume: 4.7 x 4.7 x 4.7 inches
Printer Size: 12.6 x 11.8 10.6 inches
Printer Weight: 11 pounds
Polaroid’s better known for its instant cameras, and the PlaySmart takes some design cues from that iconic product, using white and black plastic and the Polaroid logo. The printer might come across as dated to some, but it didn’t look out of place next to one of my vintage 1970s Polaroid cameras.
The print area of the PlaySmart is rather small, at just 4.7 by 4.7 by 4.7 inches, for a total of 103 cubic inches. That’s a lot less than comparable printers like the Monoprice Voxel (329 cubic inches in total), but it’s the same as the Da Vinci Nano. Printing area is less of an issue than you might first suspect, though: it isn’t difficult to cut objects into parts and print one at a time if need be.
(Image credit: Polaroid)Above the PlaySmart’s print area is a small camera, used to monitor prints in progress and to produce timelapse videos.
The filament is stored on a separate holder that also monitors how much filament you have left. It’s a nice touch, but one that feels somewhat redundant when you can clearly see how much filament is left on the roll. The PlaySmart works with filament from either Polaroid or third-party manufacturers.
Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printer review: Controls
Next to the print area, the Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printer features an LCD controller, which is a small but easy-to-read touch screen. It is also responsive, and picking out on-screen options is easy to do.
Still, you’ll find it easier to control the PlaySmart with the Polaroid PLAYSmart app, available for iOS and Android . This free app allows you to start prints from the library of manufacturer-supplied models, monitor a print in progress through the camera or run maintenance tasks. If you’re printing your own model though, you’ll need to use the control panel and the Polaroid SmartPrep software for Windows or Mac.
This simple 3D modeling program can load existing models in the .STL and .OBJ formats. You can resize, move, combine or otherwise manipulate your models, saving them and preparing them for printing. The print file can’t be sent directly to the PlaySmart printer, though: you have to save the print files to a USB drive, then connect this to the printer yourself and select it for printing. That seems like an odd requirement as the PlaySmart supports Wi-Fi.
Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printer review: Print speed
The PlaySmart is a pretty fast printer: it cranked out a 4-inch high print of our Thinker model in 3 hours and 56 minutes in Draft mode. Changing the settings to Fine mode lengthened the print time to 10 hours and 13 minutes. That means the PlaySmart can quickly produce a rough print when required or produce a finer, smoother print overnight.
The PlaySmart is a little faster than most printers we have tested, producing a draft print quicker than the Monoprice Voxel, currently our favorite 3D printer for beginners.
Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printer review: Print materials
The PlaySmart can print using three different materials: PLA, P-Wood and PETG. PLA, or polylactic acid is the standard printing material that most 3D printers use. PETG, or Polyethylene terephthalate, is a plastic that is commonly used in plastic bottles and the like. It is lighter and stronger than PLA, but is also more expensive. P-Wood is a form of PLA that is mixed with sawdust to produce a wood-like feel.
(Image credit: Polaroid)These materials aren’t expensive: a 1KG reel of PLA costs $38 , while a similar amount of PETG costs $48 and P-Wood is $55 for half a kilogram. You aren’t limited to these filaments, though: the PlaySmart can also use third-party filament, making this device more flexible than 3D printers restricting you to their manufacturers’ filaments.
Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printer: Print Quality
As fast as the Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printer created prints, we also were impressed by the print quality of those models.
The PlaySmart 3D printer yielded prints with clean, smooth details and very few issues.
We test print quality by printing three models: a scan of Rodin’s Thinker sculpture, a geometric sculpture and a set of gears. Our first test model came out very well: the Thinker sculpture had excellent detail and smooth, organic-looking surfaces. The printer did a great job of reproducing the curves of the sculptures back and muscles. The layers of the print were rather obvious in all of the print modes, though: the print lacked the polished smoothness of SLA printers and some more expensive FDM printers.
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)Our second test model uses a geometric sculpture that really showcases the ability of a 3D printer to produce clean, sharp edges. The PlaySmart struggled a little here, with a print that had a lot of thin filaments of PLA between the edges of the print. Those filaments were produced by the material stretching as the print head moved between the different parts of the print.
These are not difficult to trim off, though, and once removed the PlaySmart’s geometric sculpture print had sharp, smooth edges and well-defined points.
Finally, we printed a set of gears that are designed to snap together to form a set of hand-cranked planetary gears. The PlaySmart handled these without too many issues, producing a set of gears that fit together with only minimal cleaning. We did have to trim off a lot of the brim that held the print onto the print bed, though.
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printer review: Verdict
The Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printer offers a lot for $599: it can produce high-quality prints and churn out quick draft prints very rapidly. It also supports a variety of materials and doesn’t lock you into one supplier for your filament.
But when comparing this device to other 3D printers aimed at novices for our Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printer preview, Polaroid’s offering is relatively expensive.
The Monoprice Voxel, for example, can produce prints that are nearly as good while costing $200 less.
Even at its regular price, though, you're getting a high-quality device for your money with the Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printer. And if that price drops below $599, then it becomes a very good deal indeed. Even when not on sale, though, the Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printer is a very good pick for home users who want to get started with 3D printing and want the very best prints, regardless of how much they have to pay upfront.
Polaroid Play Smart: Price Comparison
$699
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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.
Tom's Guide is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher.
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Polaroid Playsmart 3D Printer In-Depth Review
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8.7Expert Score
Polaroid Playsmart
Playsmart is capable of producing high-quality 3D prints rapidly. It also supports various filaments and has a built camera. Overall the printer is a perfect machine for learners, hobbyists, and academicians in the field of 3D printing.
Affordability
8
Quality
8
Speed
10
Capability
8
Practicality
8
User Expectations
10
PROS
- Produces high quality prints in commendable print time.
- Has a simple and easy to use user interface.
- A built-in camera to monitor complete 3D printing process.
CONS
- Software of the printer is not very flexible.
Equipped with an onboard wi-fi camera, Polaroid Playsmart is an affordable lightweight desktop 3D printer that enables users to monitor their prints ...
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75 mm 0.07 inTable of Contents
Here’s a simple device that is capable of producing excellent quality 3D prints using a variety of materials.
Playsmart is made available to you by none other than the company that is well-known for making techy gadgets such as Polaroid cameras.
If you are a beginner in the field of 3D printing and are looking to learn the technology, Playsmart is a smart option for you.
Even money-wise it will definitely suit your budget. Moreover, it would not occupy much space on your work desk and yet let you produce parts and functional prototypes of decent print volume.
Based on FFF 3D printing technology, Playsmart is no less than any desktop 3D printer. Not only does it offer a decent build volume, but also commendable print quality. And it’s so much easy to transfer the printer from one place to the other.
It’s one of those cute looking functionally efficient gadgets that can be compared with not-cute looking functionally immensely efficient gadgets.
Above all, in such a small scale budget you get a device that you can monitor while 3D printing amazingly useful objects.
So, it obviously makes you curious about the aspects that make this printer, doesn’t it?
Don’t worry! This article is just for you. We’ve covered almost all the characteristics of the printer.
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Features
Polaroid Playsmart 3D printer offers a huge list of features that differentiate it from others in the same price range.
Based on Renowned Simplest 3D Printing Technology
FFF is the short form of Fused Filament Fabrication! Most of the 3D printers that you will come across will be based on this 3D printing technology.
There is a reason why this technology is the most favored by printer manufacturers all across the world. It gives beginners an instant connecting link because it’s simpler than other 3D printing technologies.
So, if you are thinking to start learning 3D printing technology, it’s advised even by the experts to choose one of the many FFF 3D printers available in the market.
And Playsmart is one of them. It’s simple to use. All you’ve got to do is load the filament, upload the sliced 3D file, check the settings and start to 3D print.
Wide Range of Layer Resolution
If you wish to measure and compare the 3D print quality of a printer, you can do that by looking at its layer resolution range.
Playsmart from Polaroid offers a layer resolution range of 50 to 300 microns. Meaning that every part or functional prototype printed on the printer will be having layer height in the above-mentioned range.
The lower the resolution range is, the lesser noticeable the layers in the printed parts will be and vice versa.
For an FFF 3D printer like Playsmart, it’s very noteworthy to offer such a resolution range because generally, FFF 3D printers are not known to offers good quality prints.
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Printing with Variety of Materials
In case you get a 3D printer in the range of Playsmart, do compare it with the variety of materials that this one offers 3D printing with.
Not many 3D printers offer such a feature.
Generally, affordable 3D printers are limited either to one or two 3D printing materials. On the contrary, Playsmart offers 3D printing with PLA, P-Wood, and PETG.
All these three 3D printing filaments are rare ones. You will find 3D printers offering you printing with ABS and other filaments, but not with PLA, P-Wood, and PETG. This is another special feature offered by Polaroid in its cute little functional Playsmart.
Decent Build Volume and Lightweight
3D printers are either known to be affordable or offer decent build volumes, Playsmart is the rare one to be a two in one 3D printer.
It has a dimension of 12.6 inches * 11.8 inches * 10.6 inches, from which 4.7 inches * 4.7 inches * 4.7 inches is offered to you as build volume.
So, you can easily print parts that you need for daily use at your home using it. You can build some amazing craft projects using the printer.
Search for some 3D files online and you will find a great collection within the mentioned build volume.
Additionally, the printer is very easy to carry. Often desktop 3D printers are very heavy that if you keep them at one desk, it’s very hard to lift them and transport them to another.
That’s not the case with Playsmart. It weighs only 11 pounds. That’s like lifting a heavy laptop or something. It’s that easy!
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LCD Color Touch Screen
Although many 3D printer manufacturers have chosen the way to give in their machines touch screen user interface, it’s still rare in the price range that Playsmart falls into.
Polaroid must be appreciated for giving its users a 3.5-inch LCD color touch screen user interface that lets you play with the printer with simple clicks.
And the fact that you are already used to playing like this with your phone’s touch screen makes it intriguing. Almost all the functions of the 3D printer can be carried out using this LCD color screen.
You can change the important settings, monitor the printer, control its print speed, etc.
It’s not only responsive but just picking out options on it is a simple thing to do.
Built-in Camera
To monitor the complete 3D printing process in real-time Playsmart’s print area has a small camera. It is also capable of producing timelapse videos.
Because of this feature, you can pause your print in case you see it going in some other direction than desired.
Specifications
Credit: pcmag.comPolaroid Playsmart offers you a print size of 120 mm * 120 mm * 120 mm. Each and every part that you print with the printer is going to have a layer height ranging anywhere from 50 microns to 300 microns.
For easing the user interaction with the machine the printer manufacturer has put in place an LCD touch screen which is 3.5 inches long.
A Wi-fi camera enables you to completely monitor the 3D printing process and take immediate decisions regarding it.
For data transfer on Playsmart, Polaroid has given you three variants, you can either use:
- A USB card.
- An SD card.
- A mobile application.
The printer is compatible with PLA, PETG, and P-wood filaments. The machine weighs only 5 kgs and is one of the most transportable 3D printers that you will ever come across.
For cooling 3D printer filament, the printer manufacturer has placed a 360 degree Fan Duct that offers instant cooling.
To print a part or functional prototype, Playsmart offers one-click instant printing from the models that are already stored in its memory.
Playsmart’s heated print bed is made from Aluminum-magnesium alloy. A quick release and quick replace 0.4 mm nozzle lets you instantly change it without wasting much time.
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Price
Polaroid Playsmart is available at a very affordable price of $599. You can buy it from craft retailer Joann.
First Impression
Credit: crave-play.comThere is something inherently attractive about the Playsmart. It makes you fall in love with the minimalistic design by Polaroid.
If cure robots in the future will have a face, it has to be like Polaroid Playsmart.
The printer is cubical in shape but its edges are not sharp, we are guessing that’s because the printer manufacturer knows it’s going to be preferred primarily by home users. So, a little bit of safety precaution.
Though there is a built-in camera inside the printer, you can monitor the complete 3D printing process by your eyes from its front because it’s kept transparent. You notice the touch screen interface on the right side of the printer’s body in the middle.
The inverted semi-circle present over the head of the printer is for attaching the filament spool holder with an inner mechanism of its print chamber.
Setup
The printer is shipped to you completely in an assembled position. It’s a plug-and-play type FFF 3D printer. All you have got to do is unwrap it, turn on the printer, load the 3D sliced file via one of the modes of connection mentioned above, load the filament spool on the spool holder and that’s it start 3D printing.
You will complete the entire setup procedure within minutes. Also getting familiar with the 3D printer is a lot easy because you find a manual and there is a touch screen interface. Both of which are meant to ease your process, so make complete use of them before starting with your first print.
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Print Type/Cost
FFF 3D printing technology is simple. You need to load the filament spool with which you plan to 3D print a part or functional prototype. As soon as you click on print, the temperature of the filament spool will start to rise inside the extruder until it reaches the material’s glass transition.
After which, the liquid material will allow flowing through the nozzle over the print bed. As the geometry of the object is already fed to the printer, the layer would be paid accordingly. And the same process would be repeated till the complete part would be 3D printed.
Normally cost of 3D printing a part depends on various factors such as the geometry of the part, the amount of infill in it, the part quality desired, the print speed, etc. But, it is observed that building an object with FFF 3D printers is less costly than it is with others.
Print Quality
Credit: menkind.co.ukPolaroid Playsmart not only creates prints faster but also more impressively. The objects 3D printed have a clean and smooth detailing.
Trustworthy websites report the test print quality after 3D printing: a) scan of Rodlin’s Thinker, b) geometric sculpture, and c) a set of gears.
The first one turns out to have excellent detailing, smooth and organic look. The printer produces curves and can be compared with high-end FDM or SLA 3D printers.
The second test print showcases the ability of Playsmart to produce clean and sharp edges. You get to see the geometry of well-defined points.
Finally for the third test prints as well the printer manages to crack it off quite well. Though the structure is intricate and with lots of curves and edges, the hand-cranked planetary gears are easy to print with the machine.
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Software
Credit: polaroid3d.comThe printer is compatible with Polaroid SmartPrep software that runs smoothly on Windows as well as Mac operating systems.
Customer Support
Polaroid offers excellent technical support with all its products. For Playsmart, the printer manufacturer has a user guide that’s available online, you can download the software as well.
There are tutorial videos available on almost every function of the printer. There are also obvious FAQs that are answered by Polaroid. Apart from this, you can always contact Polaroid via email as well as phone.
Parameters Influencing Buying Decision
Basic buying pointers about the printer are mentioned below in brief.
3D Printer Cost: Considering the print quality and speed that Playsmart offers, it’s available at a pretty affordable price.
3D Printer Quality: Being an FFF 3D printer, the printer offers extremely good quality prints.
3D Print Speed: Extraordinary.
3D Printer Capability: You can print with three different 3D printer filaments, monitor the 3D printing and spool holder as well.
3D Printer User Expectations: Almost all the expectations of beginners in the field are fulfilled by this amazingly performing minimalist 3D printer.
The Verdict
Available at a price of $599, Playsmart is capable of producing high-quality 3D prints rapidly. It also supports various filaments and has a built camera. Overall the printer is a perfect machine for learners, hobbyists, and academicians in the field of 3D printing.
Polaroid Offers PlaySmart FDM Desktop 3D Printers
News
This is Obsidian, this is Yan, this is Duplicator! No, it's a Polaroid. A well-known manufacturer of photographic equipment, and more recently also equipment for 3D printing, announced at CES-2019 a compact desktop FDM 3D printer Polaroid PlaySmart.
“Since we launched the Polaroid ModelSmart 250S 3D printer and Polaroid Play branded 3D pens at CES 2016, we've had great feedback from users in the UK and Europe interested in affordable 3D printing hardware. We are now proud to offer our first small format desktop 3D printer for the European market, bringing the possibilities of 3D printing to an even wider audience. The Polaroid PlaySmart 3D Printer is an easy-to-use, affordable entry-level solution for homes, schools and businesses,” said April Lunde, CEO of Polaroid.
But the new 3D printer has little to do with Polaroid itself. The trained eye of 3Dtoday participants can easily guess the shape of the Chinese 3D printer Wanhao Duplicator 10 in the new proposal. So it is, although it is not yet known who exactly acts as an OEM. In general, the history of this long-suffering device, which turned from Kodama Obsidian to Furling Tech YAN, then to Duplicator 10, and now also to Polaroid PlaySmart, is entertaining and instructive.
Once again, we will not retell, just leave a link to the material with a detailed debriefing.
Well, we can only be happy for Furling Tech, which managed to win back on licenses after crowdfunding failures. There is only one small "but": Kodama Obsidian was originally offered on Kickstarter for $99, but it's worth clarifying that this offer was only for early customers and applied to printers in the basic configuration. Polaroid, on the other hand, offers a completely “fancy” option, but already for 450 euros.
Includes 5" touch screen, 200 megapixel remote camera, 0.4mm quick-change nozzle, 360° airflow on models, heated A/M platform, spool stand with built-in scale (to know how much material remains on reel), the ability to transfer data both via USB and via SD-cards, and wirelessly (Wi-Fi), a mobile application, 2 GB of internal memory, as well as a motion tracking system based on Smart Eye technology. The latter allegedly will allow you to identify failures and marriage, comparing the results with digital models.
The size of the construction area is 120x120x120 mm with a layer thickness of 50 to 300 microns.
Polaroid PlaySmart 3D printers are scheduled to go on sale in March this year. Additional information is available on the official website at this link.
Do you have interesting news? Share your developments with us, and we will tell the whole world about them! We are waiting for your ideas at [email protected].
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Polaroid ModelSmart 250S Review | Reliable Reviews
What is the Polaroid ModelSmart 250S?
The ModelSmart 250S is Polaroid's first step into the world of 3D printing. This is a large-sized FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) consumer printer that is designed to be hassle-free and convenient for the home with reliable, quiet operation.
It also has a few neat tricks up its sleeve. A built-in webcam lets you stream current builds to your phone via the app, and chip-enabled smart drums mean you'll always know exactly how many filaments are left to print.
With so many 3D printers causing innumerable frustrations over the years, could this be the one that finally ticks all the boxes?
Related: 3D Printing - Complete Guide
Polaroid ModelSmart 250S - Design and Features
ModelSmart 250S is massive and extra heavy.
This is the largest and heaviest consumer 3D printer I've ever had to lift, grunt and sweat on my desk. There won't be anything hiding, but at least it looks pretty chic.
Gone are the days when 3D printers looked like home. Models like the Formlabs Form 2 and CEL Robox are smart pieces of kit that you're proud to have on your desk, and this Polaroid follows suit.
Style is typically Polaroid, with the company's signature rainbow stripe wrapped in a dark gray metal case. The large front door is framed in blue plastic and has a pair of windows through which you can watch your figure take shape.
On the right side of the top panel is a small color touch screen surrounded by a lot of that blue plastic, while the only other control, an on/off switch, is on the back right, above the socket. There is also a USB port and an SD card slot on the back panel.
The floss holder is on the left side and has an electrical contact to connect with Polaroid's patented smart spools.
These coils are available in 750g PLA (polylactic acid) or 750g wood, although I had a chance to test the former.
The purpose of smart spools is twofold: to allow the printer to adjust to the correct media and to keep track of exactly how much thread is left on the spool.
Open that big door and inside the 250S you'll see basically what you'd expect from an FDM printer - the print head going left and right on two rails that are guided back and forth by toothed belts. The glass print bed is unheated and removable, and provides a decent build size of 250 x 150 x 150mm.
More unusual is the webcam hidden on the inside of the door, in the partition between the two windows. It has multiple status lights, but only one control, a recessed button to connect to your Wi-Fi network.
Polaroid ModelSmart 250S - Setup
I try not to talk about the packaging of the product, but since several 3D printers have been damaged in the past, it was nice to see how well this Polaroid was packaged.
It's definitely a job for two to move and unload it, although I defiantly laughed at the warnings on the box, tensed my muscles and did it all alone. I wouldn't recommend this.
The setting is relatively simple. You first need to find a Phillips screwdriver to attach the ribbon cartridge holder to the left side with four Phillips screws and then slide the glass print bed in - it locks firmly in place thanks to a pair of magnets on the front corners.
Loading the filament is fairly easy, though not as easy as on the CEL Robox. You press the spool onto the holder, then run the filament through the length of tubing and poke a hole in the left side of the printer until it reaches the nozzle. Select "Change Filament" on the printer's touch screen, and then manually push the filament slightly until some of the filament is squeezed out of the print nozzle.
It's time to glue the Z-Axis sheet to the print bed. These are double-sided sticky sheets that Polaroid supplies to ensure that the print adheres to the unheated layer.
There is a bag included with the printer, but after that they cost £19.99 for a pack of 15.
Luckily I was able to get multiple uses of each Z-Axis sheet, either by being very careful to bounce off the print without damaging the sheet , or by printing each thing on that part of the sheet, on which it was not printed before.
Because the glass bed is removable, you can always try the old-fashioned (by 3D printing standards) methods of covering the bed with cheap glue or blue masking tape instead.
Unfortunately, cutting costs with filament is not easy. Polaroid has priced their cartridges at £49.99 for 750g of PLA filament and £59.99 for 750g of wood. This is outrageous by any standard. Sure, these are smart cartridges, but if that's the price you have to pay to know exactly how many filaments you have left, then it's not worth it in my opinion.
To put this in context, CEL's proprietary PLA filament is £27 for 700 grams, while Makerbot is around £24 for 1kg.
Look on eBay and you'll find vintage 1kg drums for less than £10.
However, Polaroid justifies the price of filament beyond the chip built into the case. The filament appears to have been specially developed for Polaroid printers, using high quality virgin material to ensure smooth running, with a filament diameter tolerance of just 0.01mm throughout its length.
Since the printer can continue to print even if it knows the cartridge is empty - it has manual controls - nothing will stop you from feeding it PLA from a third party reel while the official cartridge is installed. However, you will void your warranty if anything goes wrong while using Polaroid filament.
The last step before starting to build the software is setting up the internal webcam. To do this, you need to download the Doby app for Android or iOS, register with Doby, and then connect your Polaroid camera to your network by entering the device ID and pressing the Wi-Fi button.
PolaroidPrep software is available for download for Windows and Mac from the Polaroid website.
After that, you are ready to prepare the print.
If you have had experience with 3D printers in the past, you might think I missed the scene. No, you don't need to align the print tray or set the nozzle height - the ModelSmart 250S self-calibrates. And it's so flawless. Thank God
Polaroid ModelSmart 250S - Performance
PolaroidPrep's interface was clean and simple, which is fine with me. There is a normal 3D space that you add your models to, and you can rotate it any way you like by clicking and dragging it, or zoom in and out by scrolling the mouse wheel or trackpad with up and down scrolling.
However, I was a little uncomfortable getting the orientation I wanted, so it was hard to check if the object was flat on the bed, if it needed a support structure, or even sometimes what shape it was.
Unfortunately, I found that the Mac version would not load STL files that were saved in ASCII format, so I had to re-save them as binary STL files in the free Cura program before I could add them to PolaroidPrep.
However, Polaroid tells me that this is not the case in the Windows version and that there should be an update for the Mac software in October 2016 that will fix this.
I also had a problem with scaling - it seemed that I could only scale models in 100% increments. In the end it turned out that I could be a little more precise by selecting the appropriate box and using the mouse wheel or scrolling with the trackpad to zoom in 10% increments (one decimal place). It wasn't exactly intuitive. Again, the Windows version of PolaroidPrep is ahead in this regard, with scaling settings available to two decimal places. None of the versions seem to tell you the exact dimensions of your object, but that won't help if you want to make sure something is life size or to the exact scale.
Some of the more detailed settings are hidden until you click Print and then choose Advanced Settings. By default it has a resolution of 200 µm and a speed of 50 mm/s, but there is an available range of 50-350 µm at 20-100 mm/s.
You can also change the infill density, shell thickness, and settings related to supports, as well as whether you need a raft.
I found the default settings for the supports a little high and difficult to remove, so I definitely recommend tweaking them.
Printing can be done directly from PolaroidPrep if the printer is connected via USB. Alternatively, you can download the prepared EBP files to the included SD card and insert it around the back. It's a shame the SD slot hasn't been made more accessible, as the 250S's size and weight means getting to the rear can be tricky.
Printing from an SD card is otherwise quite easy thanks to the user-friendly menu system on the printer itself. The touchscreen could be a little more responsive, but I'm used to it. The only disappointment is that while PolaroidPrep reports exactly how many hours and minutes the print will take, the touchscreen only shows progress as a percentage, which feels like a missed opportunity.
Once the ModelSmart 250S did its short auto-calibration routine and started building something, I was amazed at how quiet it was.
At a distance of 1 m, it barely exceeded 30 dB. This is a 3D printer I could live with.
The print quality is also very impressive. Even at the default 200 micron setting, details come out as crisp as I've seen on an FDM printer, with minor imperfections that can be easily worked with a craft knife. It can't quite match the good resolution and near absence of stripe layers you get on an SLA printer like the Formlabs Form 2, but this model is also about twice as expensive, dirtier to use, and even more expensive. expendable materials. The ModelSmart 250S also prints much better on large surfaces.
Most importantly, I didn't have a single failed printout with the ModelSmart 250S—except until my own stupidity realized that a particular model required a support structure. Even a couple of years ago, the amount of time and threads I spent on failed prints was heartbreaking, so it's reassuring to see this Polaroid is so reliable, even with complex shapes.
Much of this reliability is no doubt due to the accuracy of the automatic calibration and the fact that the Z-axis sticky sheets provide a solid base for the first layer on the unheated printed layer.
Still some work to do, but this model shows what a reliable modern 3D printer can do
Flat or lightly corrugated surfaces are printed without splitting and with very thin stripe even at standard 200 micron resolution
streaming printing over Wi-Fi to my phone from the built-in webcam was also very convenient. At times, when large prints crossed over while eating, I could take a quick look at the progress and make sure everything was in order. However, the resolution is not enough to detect minor print errors and the video appears on the side of the app. But it's still a nice feature.
Should I buy the Polaroid ModelSmart 250S?
The ModelSmart 250S is tearing me apart. It's a nice quiet FDM 3D printer with a decent sized platform, and this built-in webcam is surprisingly useful in a home environment. The groundwork is laid for this to be a great 3D printing option (if you have the space for it). But there are some serious drawbacks that are hard to recommend.
