(Last Updated On: February 25, 2019)
Not many years ago, 3D printers were colossal, luxurious machines delimited to factories and rich establishments. They were nearly unknown beyond the minor circles of experts who constructed and used them. But thanks mostly to your RepRap open-source 3D printing crusade, these remarkable one of the best personal desktop 3D printer devices became feasible and inexpensive products to use by creators, engineers, enthusiast’s institutes, and customers.
If you’re searching for one, it is critical to recognize how 3D printers alter from the other print so you’re able to pick the best model. They come in a number of styles, and could be optimized for an audience or form of printing.
Today we are going to look at best personal 3D printers which are budget friendly, work’s efficiently and fulfill everything you are looking for in a 3D printer without breaking your bank!
Best Personal Desktop 3D Printers Reviewed (Comparison)
| 3D Printer Name | Technology | Filaments | Build Volume (Inches) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiertime UP Mini 2 | Plug & Play | PLA & ABS | 4.7 x 4.7 x 4.7 | Check Price |
| CEL RoboxDual | Plug & Play | PLA & ABS | 8.3 x 5.9 x 3.9 | Check Price |
| Robo R2 | Plug & Play | PLA, ABS & HIPS | 8 x 8 x 10 | Check Price |
| CraftBot PLUS (Editor’s Choice) | Plug & Play | PLA & ABS | 9.8 x 7.8 x 7.8 | Check Price |
Tiertime UP Mini 2 – Budget Friendly 3D Printer for Consumers
The UP mini 2 is an inexpensive 3D printer that’s harmless, simple to use, and makes eminence prints.
Design & FeaturesFilamentConnectivity
The UP mini 2 3D printer is often a compact desktop device that sits from the fused filament fabrication category. It pushes molten thermoplastic filament via a heated nozzle, and builds a good object by depositing one thin layer of plastic following your other.
The design is often a Cartesian frame, with black powder-coated metal in the plastic enclosure, with 3D printed components and linear rails. The tool head moves for the Y axis and the print bed moves about the Z and X axis.
For paper head, this is often a direct drive design. The filament extrusion and hot end is handled inside a single unit, and the filament is fed into your back by way of a standalone filament caddy. The UP mini 2 3D printer is really a single extrusion machine, meaning it could print with only 1 spool of filament at any given time.
The UP mini 2 3D printer incorporates a touchscreen user interface about the front, which you could access almost all of the top features of the device. These include configuration settings, initialization, calibration, and (naturally) printing.
Intriguingly, as the marketing material says otherwise, we wouldn’t classify the UP mini 2 3D printer to be efficient at standalone operation.
There’s no SD card slot, firstly, so direct uploading of STL files isn’t feasible. Instead, you’re inspired to connect the device on your WIFI network, or directly tether it on your PC via USB. From there, the printer is managed using Tier time’s dedicated UP Studio software.
The dedicated filament caddy just isn’t as innovative a function because the HEPA filter, but it’s certainly worth calling focus to.
Usually when FDM printing, the filament spool is installed on a possessor above or behind the appliance. It’s highly unlikely you will readily entire spool of filament in a printing job. The standard weight of your spool is 500g, but sometimes also increases to 1kg. With daily use, just one spool will last for weeks or months.
A problem arises when filament is come across outside air for too long periods. It will naturally spoil by absorbing moisture and as a result this will likely influence on the product quality and consistency within your final prints. That’s why a spool is commonly bought from airtight bags with little packets of silica gel.
The caddy that provides the UP mini 2 3D printer is often a welcome solution for keeping your filament fresher for extended. It’s entirely enclosed, with some Bowden tube feeding the filament into your back of the appliance. It’s simple but effective, along with the caddy even features a little toolbox drawer inside base. We like!
Unfortunately, reels bigger than 500g will not fit into this attachment. But for a lot of people, it must be greater than acceptable.
The first thing you must have to do is create a merchant account and register the printer. Then when it’s “banded” in your PC, you are able to commence loading up models and printing. One immediate frustration is, like a catchall software suite to regulate every one of Tiertime’s desktop machines, the UP Studio has features that won’t sign up for the UP mini 2 3D printer. Activating Auto-Calibration on the print bed, one example is (a different process from Auto-Leveling).
Looking past this, however, it’s relatively painless to upload a model, tweak the required settings, then slice and upload it via USB. It’s significantly less rich or as intuitive as, say, Cura software, but you may click around for stuff like scaling and without going too much wrong.
The default settings will usually, would like you to print using a raft and supports. Since we’re using ABS filament because of this review, and having a perforated print bed, those are really the ideal settings to cooperate with. But you do have the option to interchange them off if you would like to live dangerously.
There’s additionally a mystery feature in in charge of converting a photographic image for an STL apply for printing. It’s not much use for any typical family photo, but can be quite a fun novelty for topographical maps.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Easy to Use | Wi-Fi Connectivity is Poor |
| Plug & Play | No SD Card Slot |
| Budget Friendly | Limited Build Volume |
| Touch Screen Settings | |
| Low Noise |
Conclusion
The UP mini 2 3D printer most likely have their justifiable share of quirks, but we’d have a substantial recommendation. Why? Because it incorporates a unique group of advantages that stand past some other printer as of this price.
First, the HEPA filter is a crucial part from the design, and it’s superb. Nasty toxic fumes and particles are dramatically reduced, so much that it’s comfortable to make use of this printer in your desk.
In addition, towards the filter, the UP mini 2 3D printer goes somehow to redeeming ABS like a material for daily use. After working with the situation of odors, the enclosed build chamber and perforated print bed provides you with consistent and reliable results when printing.
Thirdly, the separate filament caddy is a nice addition. Without being exposed towards the air, your valuable filament is preserved and protected from impulsively cossetting. This is also an aspect for steady results.
CEL RoboxDual – Best Double Extrusion 3D Printer
CEL RoboxDual, Desktop 3D printer that’s reasonably priced, easy to use and operative at high superiority designs.
Design & FeaturesFilamentConnectivity
Before we start let’s go on a quick walkthrough with the features and design. It’s obviously in the dual extrusion type — whether it’s two colors or two materials are you going to — which two extruders act independently therefore the temperatures could be adjusted when necessary.
Print platforms will almost always be an excellent starting point for along with the CEL RoboxDual is 210 x 150 x 100mm. This is insignificant, but also for the bulk of prints in the home, that is in excess of adequate. That print platform size means that this printer itself features a relatively small footprint of just 370 x 340 x 240 mm.
Filament wise it requires 1.75mm and its fully works with any standard PLA and ABS, with a huge set of specialist materials. The hot-ends can reach a hellish 280ºC, each extruder works on the sole needle regulator to adjust the filament flow for better precision
The filament comes on Smart Reels that incorporate the many filament data, cost, length, etc. Manufacturers supporting Smart Reel technology are ColorFabb and Playmakers. The connection with such brands is quickly reassuring, showing some high-end interest because of this machine.
Filament from any manufacturer may be fed into RoboxDual, either straight from the cause reel or wound onto a Smart Reel having a custom profile written towards the EEPROM memory about the reel. This gets about the initial worry that you’ll be locked too high in price filaments and then for any limitations of range.
Linking wise, there’s precisely the power and USB cable. There’s fashionable covered slot to get a MicroSD card for the back, but that is useful for internal flash storage and diagnostic use, so needs to be left well alone. This flash storage can be used to hold the model file once downloaded in the Automaker software.
The CEL RoboxDual connects in your computer through USB. At first, this may cause you think that that it’s a tethered system, but not even close to it. The wired connection means that you can fully interface together with the machine, and others intelligent Smart Reels employ a ton to state along using the printer itself. Once you’ve connected and sent the model to print, the USB can be disconnected leaving the printer to start it.
This means of working has quickly caught on, and even though RoboxDual would be the first printer we come across which utilizes this workflow, the Ultimaker 3 works on the much the same system. But of course, the Ultimaker 3 contains the WIFI connectivity likewise.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent Print Quality | No Display on Printer |
| Easy to Setup | Comparatively Noisy |
| Simple Print Removal Option | |
| Best and Fast Dual Extrusion | |
| It has Integrated Upgrades |
Conclusion
The machine’s size, price and quality get this a perfect choice for smaller spaces, as well as the innovative modular design implies that the printer has a lot of scope for future upgrades.
In use everything around the printer is geared towards simplicity with auto-loading filament, auto-leveling bed, and straightforward to utilize Automaker software. The Smart Reels help you to check on from the filament use and value together with print progress.
Quality-wise, single extrusion prints are competitive with you may get from the fused filament fabrication (FFF) printer, and ABS print quality is practically the same as that on the Ultimaker 3. Dual extrusion prints are equally impressive, mixing materials and colors well.
If you are seeking for a valuable desktop 3D printer for personal, workplace or tutorial room, then Roboxdual is your best choice.
Robo R2 – Intermediate Consumer Choice
The Robo R2 is often a 3D printer that could print at a selection of plastic filament types and several connection methods, including Robo’s mobile printing app. In testing, it had additional its portion of setup and working matters; it printed steadily when they were resolved, though its print class was somewhat jagged.
Design & FeaturesFilamentConnectivity
Robo includes using the R2 to put the printer up. After unboxing the machine and taking off the packing material from across the print bed and extruder, you remove tape, zip ties, and clips that stabilize the extruder assembly along with components during shipping. Then you plug the ability cord—which incorporates a power adapter—into the printer along with an electrical outlet. A couple of minutes as soon as you turn the electricity on, the touch screen—which initially displays a Robo logo—will show a menu with three main tabs: Files, Printer, and Utility.
From the Files tab, you may select files to print, from memory or coming from a USB thumb drive—a USB port is only to left from the display. From Printer, it is possible to control the temperature with the extruder as well as the print bed, plus the extruder’s position in three dimensions. The Utilities tab enables you to launch wizards to do various setup and maintenance functions, including filament loading and Z-axis calibration, which might be important measures in the setup process.
One pleasant feature on the R2 is that it does not consume patented filament units and it is suitable for other 1.75mm filament along with the normal acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polylactic acid (PLA). Robo 3D sells 1.1-pound reels of PLA filament for $20 per spool, with specialty filaments (wood, carbon fiber, metallic gold) for $35-$40, and a pair of.2-pound reels of PLA and ABS for $35, with numerous selling for way less than. Wood PLA is imbued with sawdust, and Carbon Fiber PLA contains fifteen percent graphite.
The connectivity is easy on Robo R2 the software is not hard to utilize, and enables you to resize, move, and save objects, load multiple objects for printing, and change paper resolution along with settings. It has profiles for many filament types. You can send files for the printer over the Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection, or load them onto a USB thumb drive for direct printing.
Robo now offers the free Robo 3D iOS app, which allows you to select 3D files stored on Dropbox or Google Drive coming from a mobile device, send those to the R2 (or any other Robo or OctoPrint-enabled 3D printer) for slicing and printing, monitor the progress of prints on multiple printers (including out of your R2’s onboard camera), and change or purchase filament.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| PLA and ABS Filament Supported | Touchpad Not Very Good |
| Mobile App | Print Quality not Consistent |
Conclusion
The Robo R2 3D printer can print that has a range of filament types with several connection methods, but setup is much more problematic than we’ve arrive at expect.
CraftBot PLUS – Editor’s Choice
Even though Craftunique is among the latest 3D printer creators to enter the marketplace, its first CraftBot PLUS machine established enthusiastic appraisals out in the gate.
Design & FeaturesFilamentConnectivity
The CraftBot Plus is 16.1 x 14.1 x 14.9 in. and weighs just 30 lbs., meaning it is not just lightweight but won’t devour a great deal of desktop space. It has a print region of 10 x 8 x 8 in., a big build volume in relationship to its small desktop size. It can be used with any Windows, OS X or Linux-based system.
The printer will come in six colors t uses the favorite PLA and ABS thermoplastics in addition to high impact polystyrene (HIPS) filament; it can use any standard 1.75mm diameter filament from any manufacturer. Craft Unique sells its filaments in a very several colors.
You can use any PLA, ABS or HIPS filament with this 3D printer. You can get reel of 2.2 lbs. filament for $20 only. The best part is that, you do not have to use some specific brand of spool. You can use manufacturer you like. Indeed, in terms of filament this 3D printer is extremely user-friendly.
When it comes to beginner-level to intermediate 3D printers, simple will be the thing you are looking for. Anything too difficult to decipher could eventually keep users from discovering the entire potential on the machine. I found the Craft bot’s touchscreen menu’s usability and functionality perfect.
With the LCD menu, you’ll be able to perform critical functions. You can load and unload filament, and manually raise or lower printed bed, level it and pre-heat it. You can also turn lights and cooling fans on / off. And it is possible to make use of the menu to pick objects to print from an inserted USB thumb drive.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Quiet Printer | Printing Bed Issues |
| High Quality Prints | |
| Variety of Filaments |
Conclusion
This 3D printer was well considered. Little things indicated that many thought went into this machine, for instance placing the USB cable connector port quietly rather than the rear so there’s less distance for your cable traveling from a computer plus the printer.
This printer originates from top shelf of editor’s choice due to the reasonable price, speed and accuracy. Though, its disadvantage for example substances coming off in the heated print bed hurdles this 3D printer from finding the maximum numbers.
Personal 3D Printer Buyer’s Guide
Not sure the best way to pick which 3D printer meets your requirements? Here are a few areas to consider when searching for a printer.
Printer Type
There are two main varieties of 3D printers: FFM (fused filament manufacturing) and SLA (stereo lithography). FFM printers work by melting a plastic filament within a moving printhead to build the model. SLA printers utilize an ultraviolet (UV) laser to solidify a resin, focusing the laser to build the solid model. FFM printers are usually cheaper, simpler and much easier to utilize, although SLA models such as the Syringing Nobel 1.0 (around $1,000) are decreasing the price difference.
Build Volume
All printers have limits about the size with the 3D print they are able to produce. That limit is determined because of the size in the print bed and the way for the printer can move the printhead. This is usually measured in cubic inches, and you also need to look closely at each from the individual dimensions, which determine the utmost size 3D print it can cause. So, one example is, when a printer such as the LulzBot Mini includes a print number of 223 cubic inches (6.2 x 6 x 6 inches), it might print objects which might be nearly just below 6 inches high, wide and deep.
Print Speed and Quality
3D printing is often a slow business, possibly at present, there is no method to get surrounding this. You should expect a 3- to 4-inch model to typically take between 6 and 12 hours to print, depending within the print quality you end up picking. That’s because in the way 3D printing works: The print is constructed in layers. The thicker these layers are, the quicker printed is produced even so the lower printed quality is, because layers be visible. So, there is really a trade-off between print speed and print quality.
The best printers will help you decide which way you need to choose this, producing prints quickly if not more slowly but at better quality. The best printers present you with a wide selection of quality settings, from fast (but cheap) to slow (but excellent).