3D Printers are revolutionary not just in the field of manufacturing but for printers in general. They literally give you the ability to create anything that your computer can design and mould. While you cannot literally create a real dragon with a 3D printer but a cool live-action dragon figurine is a close similar
Given the high pricing of 3D printers, most of us try to find the budget versions and end up buying cheap rip-offs. How do you prevent yourself from wasting a lot of money and yet buy a decent if not good quality printer?
Finding a great printer that fits right in your budget might not be a herculean task after all. All you need to do is answer 3 simple and most important questions before clicking on the buy button.
What is the type of printer I need?
If you are a beginner, you would be better off with a basic FDM printer. But if you are advanced, you do not need a suggestion to go with SLA or SLS printer
What materials should I use?
Assuming that you would be building models to stay for a long time, it is advised that you go with ABS thermoplastic resin materials for your printing and modelling.
Slicing Software:
This is the special software that runs your 3D printer. There is no single option but depending on how flexible you feel with various software such as Cura, 3DPrinterOS or OctoPrint 3D or other software. You can watch youtube walkthroughs to decide.
While these three are the most crucial factors, there are a lot of other factors that you need to consider. We will be discussing them in the Buying Guide section of the article. Make sure that you are giving that a read as well. We have also included some frequently asked questions to help you further.
Let us now jump into reviewing the best 3D printer kits to buy in 2020
List of the Best 3D printer kits 2020
| 3D Printer Kits | Resume Print | Filament run-out Alarm | Warranty | Check the price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comgrow Creality 3D Printer | Yes | Yes | N/A | Check the Price |
| LONGER LK4 3D Printer Kit | Yes | N/A | 1 year | Check the Price |
| JGMAKER Magic 3D Printer Kit | Yes | Yes | N/A | Check the Price |
| XVICO X3 Pro 3D Printers Kit | Yes | Yes | N/A | Check the Price |
| CCTREE Creality 3D Printer Kit | Yes | Yes | N/A | Check the Price |
| Anet A8 3D Printer Kit | N/A | N/A | 6 Months | Check the Price |
| Panowin F1 3D Printer Kit | N/A | N/A | N/A | Check the Price |
| JGAURORA 3D Printer Kit | Yes | Yes | 6 Months | Check the Price |
| Anet A6 3D Printer Kits | Yes | N/A | 6 Months | Check the Price |
| Creality CR-10S 3D Printer Kits | Yes | N/A | 6 Months | Check the Price |
Top 3D printer kits: Reviews
1. Comgrow Creality Ender 3 3D Printer
First on our list is a Creality Ender-3 3D printer from Comgrow. Creality’s Ender is an award winning printing technology and Comgrow’s printer customization comes with DIY resume print features.
Top Features:
- Aluminium Material for superior and stronger build quality
- Resume Print feature gives you the flexibility to be able to pause and resume at will
- Fast and Easy to assemble in under 2 hours. Most of the machine comes with some pre-assembly and needs only 20 nuts to assemble it
- Comes with advanced extruder technology with upgraded extruder. It helps in the reduction of plugging risk
- Noiseless and smooth movement with the durable V Shape POM wheels
- Rapid heating of the hot bed from regular to 110 degrees C in just under 5 minutes
Things we liked about this Printer
- Highly rated and reviewed product
- Perfect for beginners
- Great gift for kids too
- Upgraded technology
Things we didn’t like about it
- No warranty. Only lifetime technical support provided
2. LONGER LK4 3D Printer DIY Kit
Next on our list is an FDM from the house of Longer, a standalone Chinese 3D printer manufacturing company. This FDM printer comes with a user friendly touch screen that increases the usability of the machine
Top features:
- A 2.8 inch Full colour display touch screen with a user friendly UI. Makes model previews and offline printing processes much easier.
- Heating bed with a unique tempered glass plate for the resolution of warped bed issues.
- Comes with a sturdy Aluminium frame for longevity
- The printer is equipped with a uniquely developed, intelligent and user friendly operating system
- Resume and Recover printing functionalities included. In case of power outages or power loss, the printer remembers the printing presets and when the power comes back, it resumes back the printing.
- The power supply is hidden and placed below the flat bed to ensure proper safety for the users
- Also available in a LONGER LK4 Pro 3D Printer 4.3 inches touch screen model that also has an ultra quiet drive model for noiseless printing
- The printer comes with 12 months of warranty and also round the clock support
Things we liked about this printer:
- Highly reviewed and rated product
- Good UX and UI making it easy to use printer for beginners and intermediates alike
- The company provides 1 year Warranty and also trust with its 24 hour technical support
Things we didn’t like about it
- Nothing in particular to mention
3. JGMAKER Magic 3D Printer DIY Kit
The JGMAKER Magic is a 3D printer that comes with filament run out detection sensors making it a great pick.
Top Features:
- Filament run-out detection which warns the user when there is any problem with the filament or when the filament runs out.
- Resume print function that will remember the presets during power outages and resume the printing when power comes back
- Can print modules of the size 220x220x250mm or 8.6 inches x8.6 inches x9.8 inches.
- Has an industry grade high quality silicone wiring
- Power supply stoved away beneath the base for better safety and security
- Hot plugin feature for the SD Card makes it easy for you to remove the SD card even during the printing process. Simply re-insert the SD Card to resume printing.
- Has a Sturdy metal base and comes with a side filament holder that facilitates simpler filament change that does not disturb the printing process
- Easily Removable printing base for better flexibility
- Comes with a simple 8 assembly modules that makes the entire assembly process complete in just under 2 hours.
Things we liked about it:
- The filament detection makes the entire printing process much safer and easier
- Economic pricing
- SD Card halt is also a very handy feature
Things we didn’t like about it
- No warranty
4. XVICO X3 Pro 3D Printers DIY Kit Aluminum Printing Machine
The XVICO X3 Pro is a DIY 3D printer kit that comes with a filament run out detection sensor, resume print base all at an affordable price tag.
Top features:
- Has a High quality extruder with a sturdy aluminium frame build. Durable and risk free from any plugging and bad extrusion
- Removable glass plate makes it highly easier for handling the print models post cool down.
- Filament run out detection notifies you and thus reminds you to change the filament with a new one whenever it needs it.
- The kit comes in a semi assembled state and it probably takes half an hour tops to assemble the entire parts making it easy to construct DIY printer.
- Resume print functionality remembers the pre set instructions in case of a power outage and resumes the printing of the model when the power comes back.
- Comes with a sample 2GB SD card with sample 3D models for kickstarting your hobby 3D printing.
Things we liked about it
- Easy to install and use making it a great gift for children
- Has the convenient resume print
- Comparatively Affordable pricing
- Good 24*7 customer support
Things we didn’t like about it
- No warranty
- Has heavy performance issues making it not so great for finer detailed prints
5. CCTREE Creality CR-10S DIY Desktop 3D Printer Kit
From the official house of Creality, one of the world’s top 3D printer manufacturing companies, the CR-10S is a DIY 3D printer that is loaded with features and is ready to print in 10 minutes flat.
Top Features:
- Has a patented technology for the precision roller and XYZ aluminium bearings. The precision roller comes with a very accurate high positioning that runs smooth and gives you a better quality output.
- Easy to assemble and build in under 10 minutes and also solves the problem of high freight.
- Can print large print sizes of up to the dimensions 11.8 inches x11.8 inches x 15.8 inches (or 300mm *300mm *400mm )
- Has a resume print function that remembers the preset functions in case of power outages and resumes the printing of the output as soon as power or the input filament is reintroduced.
- Uses industrial grade PCB that can print continuously at a stretch for 200 hours (conditions apply).
- Stable in performance and smooth output prints.
- Conveniently positioned hot bed
Things we liked about the printer
- Comes from the official Creality House where each product is tested before shipping
- Great reviews and ratings
- Very beginner friendly
- Easy to assemble and use
Things we didn’t like about it
- No warranty
6. Anet A8 High Precision Desktop 3D Printer Kit
Next on our list is the Anet A8, a high precision 3D printer that comes with an 8GB SD card pre-programmed with some basic models.
Top Features:
- Built with piano black and laser cut acrylic frame but it needs better strength.
- Can print outputs of the dimensions 220 mm x 220 mm x 240 mm.
- Multiple 3D printing filaments are supported such as ABS, Wood, PLA, Nylon PVA and PP print inputs.
- DIY kit which takes about a couple of hours to assemble
- Comes with 180 days (6 months) of warranty from the date of purchase.
Things we liked about the printer:
- Affordable pricing
- 6 months warranty period
Things we didn’t like about the product:
- Though the acrylic frame gives a good build, it lacks strength
- The extruder should have been upgraded one
- Lacks proper UX
- Needs to work heavily on improving its overall performance.
- No resume print feature
7. Panowin F1 3Axis SelfAssembled 3D Printer Kit
Panowin F1 3Axis is a self assembly 3D printer that has all of its parts assembled into a single structure. It also comes with a roll of filament for free too.
Top Features:
- Made by highly experienced structural engineers
- DIY assembly in 10 simple steps. Also comes with a manual and a tool kit to aid in assembly
- 0 to 200 centigrade heating efficiency in just 2 minutes for heating the nozzle.
- Comes with Pang Software that gives you a simple user interface
- Comes with a free filament roll of 300 grams to kick start simple projects.
Things we liked about the printer:
- Simply and easy to assemble
- Also has a version of it with an attached LCD display for a few dollars more
- Comes with a free simple UI modelling software
Things we didn’t like about it
- No warranty
- Could improve on its performance
- Filament jamming issues
- No resume print function
8. JGAURORA 3D Printer Kit
Next on our list is a very stylish and neat looking 3D printer, the JGAURORA. JGAURORA can all be assembled in a half hour.
Top Features:
- Simply DIY 10 minute set up and running.
- Can print outputs of the size 205 mm x 205 mm x 205 mm
- Comes with a 2.8 inches HD colored touch screen for interface toggling
- Filament run out detection notifies you on the screen when the printing runs out of filament and the resume print function remembers the pre set program so that it resumes the printing when the filament is re-introduced.
- The resume print function also gives you a power failure safety protection feature in cases of power outages
- Included Leveling program with a simple adjustment knob will let you level the bed for better accuracy and precision
- Comes with a free 250 grams filament
- Can print with Wood, SLA and also ABS
Things we liked about this printer:
- Great design
- Comes with 6 months of warranty
- Easy to set up and use
- Has convenient features such as the resume print function, power failure and filament end detections
Things we didn’t like about the printer
- Product has heavy reliability issues
- Print quality is not so adequate thus making it a good choice for beginners but not for hobbyists or pros
- The frame quality is not so good and is loose
- The electrical safety is not so good and there have been reports of small static shocks to the users
9. Anet A6 High Precision Big Size Desktop 3D Printer Kits
The ANET A6 is a high precision large 3D printer that has one of the largest printer communities in the 3D printing world. Given the complexity and handling required for this printer, it is not so much recommended for beginners.
Top Features:
- Takes about 2 to 3 hours to assemble and take it for a spin.
- The printer comes with a strong acrylic frame
- Precision V-Slot cooperates with POM wheels that are built for accurate positioning. But the axis rods of this printer are not up to the mark making this somewhat wiggly.
- Silent in its printing and prints at a speed of 100mm/s
- The hotbed heats up fast and reaches 110 degrees centigrade in under 5 minutes
- Power failure protection in case of power outages
- Has a Resume print function
- Comes with 180 days (6 months) of manufacturer’s warranty
Things we liked about this printer:
- Comes with a warranty
- Highly active and engaged online community for support
Thing we didn’t like about the printer:
- Needs heavy work on improving its overall performance
- The parts are wobbly and not so tough
10. Creality CR-10S 3D Printer Kits
Straight from the house of Creality, the CR-10S is an FDM 3D printer that is made for absolute beginners and can be used to print basic to moderate level models.
Top Features:
- Can print outputs of the size 11.8 inches x 11.8 inches x 15.8 inches(300 mm x 300 mm x 400 mm)
- Comes with dual Z axis lead screw rods
- Has a normal printing speed of 60 mm/second and a maximum print speed of 100mm/ second
- Easy to use UI
- Has filament alarm which notifies you when the filament is run out
- Includes a resume print functionality
- Comes with 6 months of warranty
Things we liked about this printer
- A perfect and simple 3D printer for beginners
- Easy to use
- Easy to assemble
- Comes with a warranty
Things we didn’t like about it
- Not so ideal for building large volume prints ( thermal runaway is not enabled)
- The output is not so fine and has some granular consistency
- Needs more maintenance
Buying Guide: How to choose the right and perfect 3D printer kit?
3D Printers are an expensive affair and you need to be really sure of which product you would be buying. This buying guide comes with all the research material that you need to go through before making a buying choice.
Now before we jump right into listing out the factors that you need to consider, let us first understand the different types of 3D printers that are available to buy.
Types of available 3D printers:
In total, there are four types of 3D printers available and their difference is totally based on the technology they use for their modelling. Let us look at each different type of technology in detail now.
1. FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling) Printers
FDM is one of the most common types of technology available in 3D printing. Here, a heating filament is used along with long tubes for the printing mould to travel in. these tubes will perform extrusion of various shapes of the heated resins along with all the 3 directions. When the resin reaches the plate, the shape is moulded into the final output.
This will give you a fast and simple output and will also not cost you a lot as well. But given the high speed of printing and also the simplicity involved, they will probably give your end models horizontal layer lines. This will affect the smoothness of the models and thus may not give you a smooth print model.
The output models will be having delta style frames or cartesian frames. Simply put, cartesian printers have the printing beds that move in a horizontal Y-Axis whereas the individual motors move up or backwards in X and Z axis respectively. Delta Frames move the extruder (the molten hot print material) using all the 3 motors evenly in all directions.
Delta frames are not so common and for a beginner and a 3D printing hobby person, it is ideal that you pick a Cartesian FDM printer. This will give you better control than delta styled printers as you will be able to move individual motors and thus get better prints as well.
2. SLA (Stereolithography) Printers
SLA printers use a particular moulting and solidification process called Stereolithography. This consists of photo-solidification of layers which are formed by chemical reactions of light photons when they are focussed on specific spots of the print material. This focusing of light will cause the SLA resins to solidify and form the final output.
SLA gives you smooth outputs because light photos are highly precise on the resins. The output is not only smooth but are also highly detailed and are of high quality.
3. DLP (Digital Light Processing) Printers
Mostly similar to SLA printers, DLP uses light photons to target specific areas in order to get prints. The difference between DLP and SLA is that while SLA cools off the material after they reach the bed, DLP printers will cool down the material right after the light hits and melts them.
This process is called vat polymerization and here, you would be creating each individual layers for the final print. The output for such process is probably not that defined as that of an SLA printer but it has better smooth quality than FDM printers and also prints at a better speed (faster than FDM and SLA)
4. SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) Printers
Again, SLS printers too are more or less like the SLA printers. While SLA printers use liquified resin material, SLS uses powdered resin. New layers are created by focussing high powered lasers on specific points in the powder resin vat.
When the laser is moved from one point to another, the powder instantly solidifies and forms layers. Outputs in SLS come with great detailing. Thus this printing process is great for making complex designs and minuscule and highly detailed project prototypes etc, where details are of the essence.
Choosing the right material for printing
As much as choosing the right printer and process is, choosing the right print material is also important. While traditional printers have ink and paper (pretty much narrowing down our choices to easy), 3D printers are a different ball game. Here, your choice of ink is a little tricky and might get complicated if not understood properly.
You would be choosing the type of printing depending on what type of form of output you would be needing. Also, understand that not every form of printer uses the same type of print materials. While SLS and FDM printers use Resins, other printers may use other print materials such as ABS, plastic or filament etc,
Firstly, let us look at the different types of resins that are available
1.Standard Resin:
Available in Grey or white clear colours, these resins are mostly used in the making of tiny gadgets or other models. They are fragile and not so good for long-lasting prints
2. Tough Resin:
Tough resins can give stronger print outputs. They are usually used for creating tools which need to be strong and can be used for resistance and strength.
3. Medical grade resins:
Ever heard of 3D printed prosthetics or hearing aids or dental aids? Medical Grade resins can be used for printing medical-grade prosthetics and aids.
Resins are a form of plastics too. But apart from powdered resins, plastics are available in 2 different types;
- Thermoplastics
- Thermosets
Thermoplastics and Thermosets are different polymer powders used for 3D printing. These both are different from one another depending on how they react when they are subjected to heat.
Thermoset gets strengthens when heated whereas thermoplastic melts. Thermoplastics are first melted and then moulded into their proper shapes whereas thermosets are first arranged in the required output fashion and then heated to set. Thermosets cannot be moulded again or changed in their formation.
Thermosets have higher melting point and do not easily lose their structural integrity and are thus great for long-lasting prints. Thermoplastics have a relatively lower melting point and are thus great for simple and easy to built prints.
Given that you are here as a beginner, you are more inclined towards picking thermoplastics as your choice of print material. Here, again, Thermoplastics are available in 2 forms.
- PLA (Poly Lactic Acids)
- ABS plastic (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)
1. PLA (Poly Lactic Acids)
PLA is great for beginners and for people who need to make simple prints. Moreso ever, PLA is made from corn starch and is thus eco-friendly as well. It is biodegradable and can be cooled down very fast as well.
It is available in solid and translucent colours. One can make simple miniature figurines, small models and common keychains etc, using PLA.
2. ABS Plastic (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)
ABS is popular and very common in not just in printing but in making everyday objects. ABS is made out of petroleum and has superior strength and flexibility. This makes it a great material for making any and almost all types of prints.
It has a higher melting point which gives rise to building miniature if not large scale objects too with better longevity.
As PLA has longer cooling time, it may make your models wrap onto its layers causing structural damage. ABS does not possess any such problems as most of the ABS models cool down very fast.
Factors to consider while choosing and buying a 3D printer
Now that you are all caught up on all the different types of printers and print material, now let us jump right into listing out all the important factors you need to consider while choosing a 3D printer.
1. Identifying the type of printer for the purpose
The first and foremost thing that you need to do is to identify what kind of printer you are going to buy. As we have already mentioned before, this totally depends on what your use case is and more specifically, why would you be using this printer.
For beginners and hobbyists who wish to make some simple models as such, they would probably go with a simple FDM printer. But for people who wish to have greater detail, they will probably go for SLA or SLS printer. For people who want more speed in their prints, they will be opting for DLP printers.
But as mentioned, for a beginner, it is always suggested that you go ahead with a simple FDM printer, to begin with.
2. Choosing the right print material
As we have discussed earlier, there are different types and a lot of varieties of print material available. Your choice of print material depends on not just what you wish to build but also what kind of printer you are choosing as well.
For people who are building something temporary then maybe go with a simple standard resin. For people who are environmentally conscious, you can go with PLA print material. PLA material also does not tend to wrap around easily because it cools down quickly.
If you are building and modelling something permanent like a tool or a utility, your preferred choice should be ABS thermoplastic. Even beginners can make models using ABS plastic as it gives out a very strong and sturdy print. You can even make a bunch of household utilities using ABS plastic.
3. 3D printer Slicing Software
The third and most important aspect after you have picked the print material and the printing method is the slicing software. As we have mentioned at the beginning, a slicing software is the software you use to make the printer work.
Simply put, this software gives specific instructions to your printer on how to print the model and how much material it should use. These instructions include the number of layers needed, the end point, the starting point, the hollow parts to ignore and the solid parts to fill etc.,
Your choice of software depends on not just usability but also compatibility. While your first instinct and choice should be going with the recommended or the slicing software that comes with the printer, you can always be flexible.
There are a lot of freeware slicing software out in the market which have better usability and have greater flexibility as well. They can be downloadable or come in a disk. Softwares such as Cura, IdeaMaker, KISSlicer, Repetier-Host or the OctoPrint are some of the most popular softwares out there. Check if your printer is compatible and flexible with most of such software before making a purchase.
4. 3D Modelling Software
While the slicing software is all about the print, modelling software is all about creating the model that needs to be printed. Think of this as the photoshop or MS paint but for building stuff that you can print in real life.
Here, you can create digital files that, when the printer processes, gives you a 3D printed real item. Youmagine, Thingiverse are some of the most popular custom modelling softwares available. For beginners, you can start with simple 3D modelling software applications such as 123D Make, Cubify Sculpt, SketchUP Make, Wings 3D, ZBrush or Seamless 3D.
5. Community Of Users
Though 3D Printing is on an explosive path of growth, not a lot of people really know the nuts and bolts of every aspect to it. A lack of community makes it difficult if you buy a product and you are probably the only one who uses it.
For products as such, it is vital that it has a community around it. This will help you cut down (pun intended) your problems and work out solutions. These range from basic troubleshooting to any other issues that you might face with your printer that a typical customer support may not be able to help with.
Furthermore, communities of a product will help you expand your understanding of the product and also widen your knowledge base. You will have the opportunity to learn to do more with your printer than there is.
If the printer of your choice is already popular, chances are that it already has a vibrant community online. If not, search for the existence of such a community and if you find at least active communities for the product of your choice, you are good to go.
6. Customer Support and Warranty
Honestly, 3D printers are an expensive affair and proper warranty is needed to protect you from any probable manufacturing defects or damage. There are a great number of brands that provide a meagre warranty of just 3 or 4 months and a not so adequate support.
Steer clear of such brands as you can find out about their quality within their reviews. For the warranty, anything above 6 months or 1 year smells of good quality.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What are STL files in 3D printing and what is their use?
Ans: STL stands for stereolithography and is a file format that is standard to CAD software and 3D modelling. It is used in rapid prototyping and creation of solid 3D models that, when executed print the model
2. How long does it take to print a miniature in 3D printing?
Ans: A basic low quality setting and a low infill object can be printed in just about 10 minutes of time using a standard 3D printer. Larger and much more complex high quality and detailed oriented prints may take longer durations of time from hours to even Days. it all depends on the speed of your printer and also the kind of 3D printing software you are using to process these prints.
3. How much does it cost to print something in 3D?
Ans: The cost per print is entirely dependent on multiple factors such as the size of the print, the material used and also, the printer used. On an average, the cost of normal quality SLA resins lie between the area of $50 for a single litre. There are other quality of resins for other use cases which are available for prices that are below $50 as well.
4. What are the parts of a 3d printer?
Ans: A 3D printer consists of a controller board, filament, frame, motion motor components, a power supply unit (PSU) and a print bed.
5. Is 3D printing dangerous?
Ans: Prolonged exposure to some of the materials used in 3D printing can prove to be hazardous to one’s health. Also, 3D printers have a certain thermoplastic feedstock which emit harmful vapours and gases. Hence it is important that you keep your distance and take occasional breaks and also clean up after using a 3D printer for a long period of time. Take nasal precautions if you are working on complex projects for prolonged durations of time.
Wrapping it up:
Comgrow’s Creality Ender 3 3D Printer has an Aluminum Frame and a strong build quality. This DIY 3D printer is easy to assemble and has Resume Print functionality. The advanced extruder technology protects you from plugging risk and the printing is noiseless and smooth. A great kid for kids, this is a good printer to pick from.
While those were our picks, we are interested to learn about your choices, thoughts and opinions. If you feel like we have missed something or if you want us to add something, feel free to write to us in the comments section below. Our team of product experts will write back to you as soon as possible.
The post The 10 Best 3D Printer Kits Available To Buy Online in 2020 Reviews: Ultimate Guide appeared first on Electronics Hub.
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