How to choose a 3D printer?
1. To choose a 3D printer that is right for you, first of all you need to decide what you will print. From this will depend on which model of 3D printer is best for you for these purposes.
2. If you already know what you are going to print, you need to determine which plastic is best suited for printing the models you need.
The situation is more complicated with those who do not know what exactly will be printed or with those who want to experiment with different materials and models. But more about that below.
3. At the moment, all plastics can be divided into 2 groups. These are ABS plastics, which include, besides ABS, Nylon, PC, HIPS, PC-ABS and others. And PLA plastics, to which, besides PLA itself, include PVA, PET, PETG, Wood, Flex, TPE, TPU and others. The plastic that you plan to print can be decisive for choosing a printer, since These two groups of plastics have different properties and, above all, different printing nuances.
Also, when choosing plastic for your tasks, you need to pay attention to the post-processing of models, different materials have different properties not only during printing, but also the form of finished products, for example, ABS plastic is easy to grind or gloss in an acetone bath, and PLA is good suitable for priming and subsequent painting.
An ABS product after an acetone bath.
If you want to print with different types of materials, then you need a universal 3D printer that can cope with any task. Such models also exist, for example Raise3D N1 Dual or FlashForge Creator Pro. The printer comes with a fully enclosed camera, which is very important for printing with ABS plastic, but with a few easy movements, you can transform it into a fully open state, perfect for PLA plastic.
• Printing a special plastic is doubly an experiment. For most 3D printers, manufacturers do not provide information about the possibility of printing by one or another type of experimental plastic. Pay attention to the melting point of the plastic you are going to print. It is also important to understand the speed at which it is necessary to print, taking into account the flow index of this type of plastic.
4. It is worth paying attention to such parameters as the size of the working chamber and the minimum layer thickness.
Printing a large model in parts. Gluing and post-processing.
Printing a large product entirely.
To obtain the best quality models, you must use the smallest layer thickness, but the printing speed on the smallest layer of 50 or 20 microns can be very low and even a small model can be printed up to 10 hours, and the quality of the model will not drastically differ from the model printed by a layer of 100 microns.
5. An important component in modern 3D printers is the presence of a second extruder. This allows printing in two colors, or you can use a second extruder to print support for soluble materials.
Two-color printing.
Printing with soluble support.
Having a second extruder can help with printing some models, but it is important to understand that printing with two extruders is a more complicated process and you may encounter a lot of difficulties in the process. When choosing a printer, try to focus on the tasks that are right for you. If the experiments are your path - without thinking, choose a printer model with two extruders. This provides many additional features for creating complex models.
For many buyers, price is the most important factor when choosing a 3D printer model. Our company offers a wide range of 3D printer models in the price range from 23,990 rubles. up to 670,000 rubles. That allows you to choose a model that will be available even with a small budget. Even the most inexpensive 3D printer in capable hands can turn into a great tool, and the most sophisticated will become a useless piece of metal in unskilled hands.
We wish you to make the right choice and become part of the amazing Color World 3D printing.
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- It is important to understand that a desktop 3D printer is not a machine for the production of bulk batches of products, it is a tool for creating models, prototypes, design or printing small batches of small parts. A 3D printer cannot completely replace a thermoplastic automat, casting in a silicone or CNC milling machine, but it can become an indispensable tool for creating in a short time a qualitative prototype or a demonstration model. 3D printer is a great hobby that can even bring you income.
2. If you already know what you are going to print, you need to determine which plastic is best suited for printing the models you need.
The situation is more complicated with those who do not know what exactly will be printed or with those who want to experiment with different materials and models. But more about that below.
- In most modern models of 3D printers, functions such as Wi-Fi, Ethernet, a touchscreen color display, a webcam for remote control of the printing process, partial or fully automatic calibration of the platform, and others are already available. These functions can be very useful, but it is important to understand that their presence or absence does not directly affect print quality. Quality primarily depends on the design of the printer as a whole and the extruder in particular, as well as on many other mechanical and electronic components.
3. At the moment, all plastics can be divided into 2 groups. These are ABS plastics, which include, besides ABS, Nylon, PC, HIPS, PC-ABS and others. And PLA plastics, to which, besides PLA itself, include PVA, PET, PETG, Wood, Flex, TPE, TPU and others. The plastic that you plan to print can be decisive for choosing a printer, since These two groups of plastics have different properties and, above all, different printing nuances.
- For printing with ABS plastic, a fully enclosed working chamber and a heated table are extremely important, as, for example, in the FlashForge Dreamer or UP BOX + 3D printer model . In these printers you have the opportunity not only to set the temperature of the pad, but also to maintain a high temperature in the entire working chamber, up to 90. In such conditions, the risk of model stratification in the printing process is reduced and the quality of the finished model will be higher.
- For printing with PLA plastics, the presence of a heated pad is optional. But at the same time good airflow during printing is very important. Printing PLA plastics in many cases is much easier for a beginner. An example of such printers can serve - MakerBot Replicator + or budget Chinese models Wanhao Duplicator i3 .
- An important feature of a 3D printer is the presence or absence of a heated table. Almost all manufacturers of 3D printers claim that their products print with all kinds of materials, but in practice this is not at all the case. If the printer does not have a heated table, then printing any ABS plastics on it will be very difficult or almost impossible. Especially if you need to print large models.
Also, when choosing plastic for your tasks, you need to pay attention to the post-processing of models, different materials have different properties not only during printing, but also the form of finished products, for example, ABS plastic is easy to grind or gloss in an acetone bath, and PLA is good suitable for priming and subsequent painting.
An ABS product after an acetone bath.
If you want to print with different types of materials, then you need a universal 3D printer that can cope with any task. Such models also exist, for example Raise3D N1 Dual or FlashForge Creator Pro. The printer comes with a fully enclosed camera, which is very important for printing with ABS plastic, but with a few easy movements, you can transform it into a fully open state, perfect for PLA plastic.
• Printing a special plastic is doubly an experiment. For most 3D printers, manufacturers do not provide information about the possibility of printing by one or another type of experimental plastic. Pay attention to the melting point of the plastic you are going to print. It is also important to understand the speed at which it is necessary to print, taking into account the flow index of this type of plastic.
4. It is worth paying attention to such parameters as the size of the working chamber and the minimum layer thickness.
- The larger the size of the working chamber, the higher the price, so you should decide whether you need a large camera or a medium or small camera for your needs. You should also understand that printing large models will take a very long time, in some cases up to two days. It may be better to print the model in parts and glue it from medium-sized printed parts.
Printing a large model in parts. Gluing and post-processing.
Printing a large product entirely.
To obtain the best quality models, you must use the smallest layer thickness, but the printing speed on the smallest layer of 50 or 20 microns can be very low and even a small model can be printed up to 10 hours, and the quality of the model will not drastically differ from the model printed by a layer of 100 microns.
5. An important component in modern 3D printers is the presence of a second extruder. This allows printing in two colors, or you can use a second extruder to print support for soluble materials.
Two-color printing.
Printing with soluble support.
Having a second extruder can help with printing some models, but it is important to understand that printing with two extruders is a more complicated process and you may encounter a lot of difficulties in the process. When choosing a printer, try to focus on the tasks that are right for you. If the experiments are your path - without thinking, choose a printer model with two extruders. This provides many additional features for creating complex models.
- A 3D printer is still a largely experimental product; it’s not for nothing that the world leader in the production of 3D printers is MakerBot has named its printer Experimental 3D Printer. In many cases, the result that you can get on the printer that you get will depend on you, namely, whether you can learn how to properly use the tool that will be in your hands.
For many buyers, price is the most important factor when choosing a 3D printer model. Our company offers a wide range of 3D printer models in the price range from 23,990 rubles. up to 670,000 rubles. That allows you to choose a model that will be available even with a small budget. Even the most inexpensive 3D printer in capable hands can turn into a great tool, and the most sophisticated will become a useless piece of metal in unskilled hands.
We wish you to make the right choice and become part of the amazing Color World 3D printing.
By tradition, a minute of advertising. Buying equipment in our company, you get 10 advantages:
Ability to use the program Trade In.
Warranty - 12 months.
Instruction in Russian.
Technical support during the entire lifetime.
You buy a 3D printer from an official distributor in Russia.
Free shipping.
Free training in our office.
The ability to buy a printer on credit through banks TKS, OTP, Renaissance.
10% discount on plastic forever.
The opportunity to get acquainted with the printer in our demo room.
Subscribe to our groups on Facebook , VK and YouTube to keep up with the latest events.