This month we decided to take our Print of The Month campaign to the next level. With the run up to Easter very much upon us, we were pouring over what to print. We’d looked through several interesting models but nothing different jumped out at us.
We got a bit distracted whilst on the topic, we ended up discussing how we used all of the printers in our showroom this time 4 years ago to start producing face shields and visors for key workers and medical staff at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic here in the UK.
At the time we’d been working with a few local schools, providing them with materials to print face shields and visors too. So, back to March 2024! We’d been mulling over several ideas for a few days and it clicked, well sort of. We thought why not work with a local school again.
After a few discussions, we decided to link up with Stephenson Studio School in Coalville, Leicestershire.
We found a few cool models on STLFlix and then we had an idea, a competition! An easter egg painting competition! So… we put our trusty machines to work. We had 2 Bambu Lab P1S, an X1 Carbon and a Creality CR-10 SE running non stop to print off the eggs. There were 36 in total printed at a layer height of 0.2mm, 4% Gyroid Infil and 2 walls.
It took 3 days to get all of the eggs rattled off, the original sizing was tiny so we scaled them up to be 145mm tall, more like life-sized easter eggs, even if the real things have shrunk over the years! After that, we needed more goodies for the competition, so we printed some customized medals, also from STLFlix. These were printed with the same settings, but we bumped up the infill to 40% to add some weight to them.
We used Creality 3D Hyper PLA White for the eggs, Copymaster 3D Golden Line PLA for the 1st Place Medal, Prima Value Silver PLA for the 2nd Place Medal and Copymaster 3D Cinnamon Bronze PLA Silk for the 3rd Place medal.
Unfortunately, the school is closing at the end of the summer term, so resources are limited and budgets are tight. We wanted to make this a special activity for the students, and the staff. So, we hooked them up with some paints, glue, glitter and brushes so they could decorate the eggs.
And, it wouldn’t be easter-y without some easter eggs right? So we got everyone, staff included an easter egg each, I mean, it would’ve been rude not to!
I think we can safely say, everyone enjoyed the activity and there were some great looking eggs!
This was quite a special edition of Print of The Month, it was nice to work with a local school on an activity like this. I think it is something that we will do more of in the future, not just for Print of The Month. What made it even more special was the fact that we had managed to use 3D Printing to produce resources and materials for use in an educational setting.
With the current era of 3D Printers being faster, more reliable and putting out super clean prints, it's not hard to see why more and more schools, colleges and universities are looking to 3D Printing and additive manufacturing to aid teaching and learning.
It's crazy to think how much has changed for the better in the last few years, all whilst still being at super competitive price points. The amount you get for your money now is simply mind blowing.
I went to go see the new Bob Marley film last week, (great film by the way) and I was inspired to make a bit of printed art.
It was very easy to make. I simply found this image of a lion on google and separated out the background from the line work in some editing software, then imported them into 3D builder and re-assembled it in 3D. I then imported it into Bambu studio to draw in all the colours and hit print.
The whole print only took about 4 hours, 16 colour changes and only used about 150g of filament to produce this really nice effect. Now we just need to find a good bit of wall to attach it too. I think we will have to take it to some trade shows to show it off as well!
I used the Bambu labs P1S to print this with the AMS, as it's simply the most easy way to do any prints that have multiple colours.
The settings I used for this were pretty basic. Just a 0.2mm layer height with 15% infill as it does not need to be that strong and it's only about 4mm thick.
I used a bit of a mix of filaments for this one, I've been asked quite a few times whether you can mix filament brands in multi material prints and the answer is yes. The yellow and black are Copymaster PLA, the green is Bambu Labs own brand filament and the Red is the Prima select.
As long as each of the filaments have a similar printing temperature you can get very good results without any trouble. We think this one looks fantastic. What do you think?
If you get inspired to make something similar, we would love it if you could send us some pictures.
You can see all the details for everything used to make this via the links below.
Bambu Labs P1S and AMS Combo
Copymaster PLA - Bahama Yellow
Copymaster PLA - Deep Black
PrimaSelect PLA - Red
Bambu Labs PLA basic - Green
]]>With the very first Sanjay Mortimer RepRap Festival just around the corner it seems fitting that our print of the month is this excellent tri-colour SMRRF logo from printables.
For this Tri-colour print, we decided to do it the old fashioned way, with a manual pause and filament change at layer height. Our printer of choice for this item was the Creality CR-10 SE
We feel that events like this are designed with collaboration in mind, working together to push the industry forward as a whole. And as such for this model we used filaments from 3 different manufacturers. Titans of the filament industry, Polymaker, and their polyterra PLA Black formed the foundation for this print. For the city skyline in the model, we chose a material with a bit of shine, the Stunning Copymaster Aurora Gold Glitter PLA. For the night sky above the city, we decided to use the Creality Hyper PLA in Grey.
We decided to make this particular print into a fridge magnet with a little bit of upcycling from a spare print bed; it now lives proudly on the office fridge.
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Seeing as most schools are now back in full swing, we thought it would be nice to showcase a print that would be useful to take with you.
This is a pencil case in the style of a pencil designed by francfalco on thingiverse, which we printed on the new Bambu Labs X1 Carbon using the AMS multi material system. You can download the pencil case for free via the link below.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1880138
You don’t need to use a multi material system to print this though, it comes in multiple parts so you could print each part separately and glue them together if your printer can only use a single color. We partly assembled this and printed the rubber and the silver casing separately. The rubber was printed in PLA and the silver casing was printed in ABS to give the locking part a bit more strength where it was needed.
We used a layer height of 0.16mm for all these parts with 15% infill and 2 layer walls. We used a combination of Polymaker’s PolyLite PLA Orange, Copymaster 3D PLA Ivory Beige and Creality’s CR-PLA Black in one single print for the main part of the pencil and the pencil tip. The Rubber and rubber casing were printed separately using Copymaster Magenta PLA and Copymaster ABS Silver Star.
All in all, we were very happy with how this print came out and it will likely get used around our office for storing stray tools! It will be perfect for keeping the place tidy.
You can see the links to everything we used to make this via the links below.
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(Note, the prices in this guide are from the time of writing and could potentially change in the future)
The first thing you will need to decide when looking into what machine will best suit your needs is much the same as before. What sort of material and build volume you need and what sort of things are you mostly looking to print?
If you want to print small, high detail parts for miniatures models or jewellery, you would probably be best to get a resin printer.
If you want to produce larger parts, functional parts or prototypes using plastic, you would normally be best to go for an FDM machine.
For FDM machines, there have been quite a few interesting changes. A number of features such as auto levelling are now pretty standard across most machines. Also, many new FDM machines are starting to be released with better firmware which includes input shaping, allowing machines to run at much higher speeds than they have previously been capable of without any loss in quality. The average speed of an FDM machine a few years ago would have been about 60mm/s. But now, many machines on the market are boasting speeds or around 300 - 600mm/s making a lot of older, similar machines no longer worth considering.
In terms of Resin machines, functionally, not a lot has changed. But many machines on the market now are capable of much faster printing speeds and a higher resolution.
When looking at FDM machines at the moment, the best things to keep in mind are, what size build volume will you need? It's best to think of the largest object you are likely to print and work out whether or not it would be best to split it into multiple parts, or whether or not you would like to print it in one piece. There are pros and cons to each method and this will depend mostly on what you are printing. These days, the next thing that is worth looking at is what features you would like. Things like having an enclosure can have a big impact on whether or not you can print higher temperature materials, so, as a rule, if you are looking at using any materials that need printing temperatures above 240c it's best to have an enclosure to help keep the print warm while it is printing. Other features like direct drive can also affect the amount of materials you can use, as direct drive machines are much better at printing flexible materials. Past that, a lot of features like print failure detection, low filament detect and a camera for print monitoring, are nice to have and will increase the price of the machine, but won't have an effect on print quality.
So with this in mind, let's take a look at some of our top picks for 2023.
The first printer that I would recommend looking at to anyone interested in getting a new printer in 2023, whether or not you are a new user or an experienced one, is the Bambu Labs X1 Carbon, P1P or P1S.
As someone who has been working with 3D printers ever since they have been affordable for the desktop, It takes a lot for a new machine to impress me. But the Bambu labs X1 Carbon is genuinely the best machine I have personally ever used. When we got our display model for our X1 Carbon in house, it quickly became the most popular machine in our workshop amongst the Technology Outlet staff, and it does not look like there are any printers on the horizon that are likely to take its crown anytime soon.
All 3 of the Bambu labs printers currently have a respectable build volume of 256x256x256mm and are capable of speeds up to 500mm/s.
The X1 Carbon also has advanced features, such as, wifi, a camera for print monitoring, AI inspected first layer, Spaghetti detection, auto bed leveling and auto calibration as standard, making it one of the most user friendly machines on the market by far. It is also fully enclosed, so printing with high temperature materials up to a nozzle temperature of 300c should not be a problem. On top of that, the Bambu Labs Automated Material System (AMS) is one of the best multi material systems on the market. It's by far the most reliable and user friendly system that allows you to print any more than 2 materials in a single print. A single AMS unit can hold 4 spools of filament, but if you want more, you can link them and have up to 16 materials loaded into one machine at the same time.
At the time of writing, the X1 Carbon costs £1550 with the AMS, or £1250 on its own, which is a bit pricey compared to other machines in this ballpark, but we believe it is worth every penny.
If you would like a Bambu, but are a bit put off by the price of the X1 Carbon, the P1P or the P1S is still a great machine, with most of the features of the X1 Carbon. The only downsides to the P1P are the fact that it does not come with an enclosure, so printing high temperature materials can be difficult and it does not have a touch screen or print failure detection. If you want the enclosure, but not the screen, the P1S is the one for you.
You can get a P1P for a much more budget friendly £549, and the P1S for £639.
You can also buy the P1S with the AMS bundle for £869 and the AMS separately for £339.
It's worth noting though, that although the P1S does come with the enclosure the bed maximum bed temperature is 100c, not the full 120c of the X1 carbon, So if you want to print higher temperature materials, the X1 Carbon is still the better option.
You can see all of the options for the Bambu Labs machines via the link below.
https://technologyoutlet.co.uk/collections/bambu-lab-3d-printer
The Creality K1 and K1 Max are effectively Crealitys response to the Bambu Labs machines.
Creality have a long history of taking some of the more advanced and newer technology on the market and making it affordable, and the K1 and K1 Max are no different in this regard. The K1 and the K1 Max are very nice machines, and in my opinion are some of the best machines Creality have ever made.
The K1 has a smaller build volume than the Bambu labs machines, with a build volume of 220x220x250mm but is a bit cheaper than the P1P at £509. And the K1 Max is a bit bigger than the Bambu with a build volume of 300x300x300mm for just £859.
The K1 Max has a lot of similar features to the Bambu labs X1 Carbon with Wifi, Auto leveling and Z offset calibration, a camera for print monitoring and AI print failure detection, But does not come with a multi material option. So if you want something a bit bigger than the Bambu and only want to print with one material at once, the K1 Max is a very attractive option. The K1 and K1 Max are both also fully enclosed, with a maximum nozzle temperature of 300c and a maximum build plate temperature of 100c, they should handle high temperature materials very well. Both the K1 and K1 Max have a maximum printing speed of 600mm/s, which is a bit faster than Bambu claim, but in reality, it is only likely to achieve at these speeds under very specific circumstances and the end result in print times will be pretty similar.
The smaller version of the K1 however, does not come with a camera or the LiDAR Ai detection, but you can buy these separately and fit them yourself. So if you want to spend the extra bit of money and get the camera and print failure detection or have the enclosure on a smaller machine, the K1 can be a very good choice. You can find the K1 and the K1 Max on the website via the links below.
K1
K1 Max
It almost wouldn't be a first time buyer's guide if we didn't mention Crealitys Ender range, and with each new generation of printers, there is another new Ender 3.
The Ender 3 v3 SE is the latest release by Creality in this range, and is still one of the best printers for new users, anyone on a budget or looking to buy a machine for someone as a gift. The Ender 3 v3 SE follows the same logic as most other previous printers in the Ender range, with a build volume of 220x220x250mm and an incredibly low price of £189, which is even cheaper than the very popular Ender 3 S1 range with seemingly no downsides.
It has much faster print speeds than its older versions, with speeds up to 250mm/s, and it has linear rails on the Y axis, which is a fantastic upgrade especially at these speeds and for a printer at this price point. It also has all the other features from previous models such as a direct drive extruder, auto leveling and even has auto Z offset calibration.
So if you are looking for a cheap, small printer to get started with and try it out, there is no better choice than the Ender 3 v3 SE.
The Ankermake M5 is the other new kid on the block. After a very successful kickstarter campaign this is Ankers first attempt at making a 3D printer and it's a very impressive machine. Targeted at offering a more up market option to the Ender 3 sized, smaller, bed slinger style printers, it does this very well. It definitely has a more premium feel to it and is more user friendly and in our experience more reliable than the Ender 3. It has a build volume a bit bigger than the Ender 3 at 235x235x250mm which is nice if you need a bit of extra room. It also has auto levelling, Wifi, direct drive a camera for print monitoring and time lapses and AI print failure detection. It can print comfortably at speeds of 250mm/s, but can achieve higher speeds up to 500mm/s that are not always advisable on this style of bed slinger machine, but it can go faster if you want to push it to its limit and get some prints done quicker. The Ankermake has also become one of the more popular machines in the workshop, and gets a lot of use for small quick parts amongst our staff. When you want to just start a print and get it finished quickly with minimal effort, it really does shine.
The sticking point for the Ankermake really is the price, as a more premium machine, you do pay more, and at £749 it is quite expensive. It seems a lot to pay on top of the Ender 3 v3 SE. What you get for your extra money is 15mm extra build volume, AI print failure detection, high speeds when needed and a camera for print monitoring. But being this expensive puts it well within the range of the Bambu Labs P1S. So in summary, the Ankermake M5 is an excellent machine and it is the most affordable machine available at the moment that comes with all these new features as standard. So unless you need an enclosure for printing higher temperature materials, the M5 is an excellent choice for anyone who wants a premium machine of this type.
You can find the M5 on the website via the link below.
https://technologyoutlet.co.uk/collections/ankermake-3d-printers
Let's talk about delta printers (because deltas are cool). The FLSun v400 is a fantastic machine. It has a healthy circular build volume of 300mm diameter on the bed and 410mm tall. Which is a bit bigger than a lot of machines in this bracket but it is worth keeping in mind that you do lose the corners, so even though you have a bigger build volume, it can be a challenge to fit some square parts onto the bed if you are stretching it to its limit. It can achieve speeds of up to 400mm/s and has klipper firmware, so it does have input shaping. Whenever I have used it I have always been impressed with the results and it's always performed very well and has been quite user friendly, but it does require more manual setup and calibration than other machines that have these features. It can achieve speeds up to 400mm/s and does this comfortably. The v400 has a direct drive hotend, a maximum nozzle temperature of 300c and a bed temperature of 110c, which is respectable but it does not come with an enclosure. Because it is a delta though, it will not move outside of its frame, so adding an enclosure would be as simple as sticking some plastic to the sides if you wanted to add one for higher temperature materials. The v400 was one of my favourite machines for quite a while, and at £779.83 it can be quite a nice machine for someone looking for something a little bit different. You can find more information via the link below.
These days with resin machines, the main deciding factors are the screen resolution and the build volume. There are a number of resin machines on the market that boast faster movement speeds and faster print times. Personally, I would not say that this should be a deciding factor when picking the resin printer that is right for you. This is because these advertised movement speeds are only achievable under very specific conditions with certain types of resin. Changing the resin or not having the settings dialled in perfectly when printing at these high left speeds can increase the failure rate of prints dramatically, so these advertised speeds are not often practical depending on what resin you are using and what kinds of objects you are printing.
Also, it's worth noting that with resin machines, it is often beneficial to have a machine with a build volume larger than you need. This is because resin machines cure an entire layer at once, so as long as you can fit them all on the bed at once, you can print one object in the same amount of time it would take you to print 100 of the same object or multiple objects of the same height. So, in my opinion, if you want to print lots of objects in bulk, picking a slightly larger machine can be more time and cost effective than buying one machine that has faster movement speeds. Larger resin machines can be a bit more challenging to use for beginners though, so if you are new to resin 3D Printing, we usually recommend you start with a small to medium sized machine initially.
So, what do we recommend?
If you want a nice cheap starter machine to get you going and try out resin printers, the Photon Mono 2 is an excellent choice. It does not come with anything special, but it has a 6.6-inch monochrome LCD screen with a resolution of 4096x2560. It also has a build volume of 165 x 143 x 189 mm. But at only £179, you get a very good machine with a strong pedigree for your money.
If you want a similar sized printer to the Mono 2, but want to spend a bit more money on something that is a bit better quality and will last longer, the Photon D2 DLP can be a good alternative. The benefit to having a DLP style resin printer is mainly that on an LCD style printer like the Mono 2, the screens do wear out over time and the more you use it, they will eventually need to be replaced. But with a DLP machine, there is no LCD screen and the light is projected directly into the vat. This means that no matter how long you use it, there is no screen degradation and the printer has a much longer lifespan. The Photon 2 DLP has a smaller build volume than the Mono 2 at 130.56 x 73.44 x 165mm, but this is still a nice improvement over that previous version, the photon ultra. Other than the build volume, the only downside is that the D2 DLP does cost quite a bit more than the Mono 2, and at £714.90, you can almost get 4 Mono 2s for the same price. So the question really is whether you think never having to replace a screen is worth that much.
If you would like something a bit bigger than the previous 2 machines, the Photon Mono X2 is a very good choice. It has a 9.1 inch 4k screen with a build volume of 200 x 196 x 122mm, for a price of £349 which is a very good price for the size.
As these resin machines get larger though, the pixel density dictates the quality more than the resolution does. A large 4k screen has a lower pixel density than a small 4k screen. So for a machine this size, it's probably worth spending a bit extra money and going for the 6Ks version.
The Photon Mono X 6Ks is pretty much the same machine as the X2, but it has a 6k screen rather than a 4k screen, making the print quality and resolution much better. The build volume is still the same at 200 x 196 x 122mm, but you will pay a bit more for the higher resolution at £389.90. Personally, for the sake of the extra £40, If it was me, I would just go for the 6k version.
Photon Mono X2
Photon Mono X 6Ks
Creality have not historically had the best reputation for resin machines, but since the release of the Halot range, their offerings for resin printers have continually improved. The latest offering from Creality is the Halot Mage and Halot Mage Pro. These are very nice machines of a similar size to the Anycubic Mono X2. One nice feature of the mage, is that they have a flip back lid that stays attached to the machine, which means that you don't have to remove the lid from the printer to remove prints or fill it up, which is very handy and makes it much more easy if you need to open the lid one handed if you only have one hand free. They also both have an in-built air filter. Both the Mage and the Mage pro have a build volume of 228 x 128 x 230mm, So the build volume is a similar size, a bit bigger on the X and Z axis but a bit smaller in the Y axis. The Mages both have a 10.3’ 8K LCD screen, so they have a slightly higher resolution than even the Mono X 6ks. The price for the Mage starts at £279, so if you don't have any brand loyalty to Anycubic, going for the standard Mage over the 6ks seems like an easy choice. The Mage Pro is more expensive though at £579, and what you get for the extra money is the faster print speeds, a smart resin pump, a better lighting system that allows for faster cure times and the ability to print via local network via ethernet, the app or over wifi. These are all nice features and depending on your needs can be worth the extra money, so it's really up to you whether or not you think you will need them or want them.
Halot Mage
Halot Mage Pro
When looking for a wash and cure machine to go with your 3D printer, the most important thing really is just to get one the size that you need.
If you only have a small resin machine like the Photon Mono 2, a small wash and cure machine is all you need, and for this something like the Anycubic Wash & Cure 2.0 for £99.24 is perfect.
https://technologyoutlet.co.uk/collections/anycubic-3d-printers/products/anycubic-wash-cure-2-0
If you have one of the bigger machines, Anycubic also have a Wash & Cure Plus which is much the same but bigger for £177.
https://technologyoutlet.co.uk/collections/anycubic-3d-printers/products/anycubic-wash-cure-plus
Creality's offering for a wash and cure machine only comes in a single size. The UW-02 Wash and Cure Machine is about the same size as Anycubics Wash & Cure Plus for £199.
Hopefully this guide has been useful and has given you all of the up to date information that you need to make your first 3D printer purchase. But if you need any further help with making a decision or need any more information before placing an order, please get in touch and one of our team will be more than happy to help.
By James Bell
]]>If you’ve just got your first printer and are having some teething issues, try these first.
Are you having another issue or has the above troubleshooting not solved your issue? Then you would be best to contact support.
If you get this far and you still need to contact support, please include your order number, email address, phone number, full delivery address, a description of your issue, your machines make and model, and any pictures or videos that may help us identify the problem. Videos can be sent as a link on we-transfer, you can see how to do this in this guide. Please send this to support@technologyoutlet.co.uk. Try to avoid simply replying to your order confirmation email, as this will go to our sales email and a technician won’t see this until sales get the chance to forward it on to support.
Very few issues can be resolved over the phone as we will often need to provide you with instructions and documents and for you to send in pictures or videos so we can see how the machine is responding. So, for technical support, emails are a much more effective way of communicating with us and getting your problem solved as quickly and effectively as possible.
Keep in mind that our email system works by feeding us the oldest emails first and we work our way upwards, unfortunately this means that sending a second email will put you back up to the top. So, to be seen as quickly as possible, please include as much essential information in your email as possible and avoid sending multiple emails if possible. Spamming emails will not get your issue looked at quicker, it will only slow down the process and put your email back at the back of the queue, please be patient with us. We will do our best to resolve your issue as quickly as possible.
We understand that these problems can be frustrating and you would like your issues resolved as quickly as possible. We always try our best to ensure we get back to you within 24 hours.
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ARE you an active or retired member of our Police, Armed Forces, Fire and Ambulance Services, our British NHS? If that’s the case, then we want to let you know that us here at Technology Outlet appreciate your hard work. That’s why you’re eligible for 5% off storewide by signing up for our Blue Light Card Holder Discount. There’s a few steps you’ll need to go through in order to gain access to the discount, so please have a read below.
You’ll need to sign up for a Technology Outlet account, you’ll need to tell us which email you’re using for your account, so that we can add it to the authorized user list.
*Discount does not stack with other active codes.
]]>Slicers, what they are and what they do!
One of the things we are asked about most is software. There are a lot of options out there, and most of them depend on what you need to do with it and your application.
There are 2 main types of software that you will need for 3Dprinting, slicing software and CAD design software.
In this guide, we will look into what slicers are, what they are used for, and give you a few recommendations on what we think is best depending on your machine.
Slicers are the software that you will need to prepare the files that you want to print for printing. It basically breaks the file down into something your printer can understand and allows you to control how you would like it to be printed by changing things like wall thickness, infill percentage, the materials you would like to use and any specific settings that the printer needs to successfully print the object.
CAD software is used for creating the file you would like to print in a digital format that you can then take into a slicer to print. But we will cover CAD software in a separate guide.
Below we will break down the different types of slicer software into two sections (FDM and Resin printers), so you can easily find the software that is right for you.
Slicer software for FDM printers
There are quite a few different slicers for FDM printers. Most manufacturers have their own slicer software, and what’s best to use normally depends on what printer you have. But we have listed the most common ones with a bit of information on each below.
Cura
Ultimaker Cura is by far the most popular slicer for most FDM printers on the market today. Its free to download and use and it supports and has default profiles for most machines that are available today. Even if Cura does not have a profile set up for your machine, its normally quite easy to set a profile up as a custom FDM machine, or adapt a profile from a similar machine to get it to work with the more obscure printers.
We tend to recommend Cura as a good starting point for anyone looking to get into 3D printing. Even if you don’t have a printer yet, its well worth downloading Cura and giving it a try to get a better idea of if the printer you want is big enough for the parts you want to print and get a better feel for how it all works. We tend to recommend Cura for printers like Creality FDM machines, Artillery and Anet printers to name a few.
You can download Cura for free from the ultimaker website from the link below.
https://ultimaker.com/software/ultimaker-cura
Simplify3D
Simplify3D is a fantastic bit of slicing software that has in the past been favoured by people who do a lot of printing or people who want a more professional slicing software. Its not a free slicer, you can get it through the link below on our website for £148.99.
https://technologyoutlet.co.uk/products/simplify3d-software?_pos=1&_sid=8c2533ed7&_ss=r
Simplyfy3D supports most machines, and does tend to give you more control over the slicer settings on face value. A lot of the settings on simplify can be found on other slicers such as Cura, but you normally have to dig quite deep through the advanced settings to find exactly what you are looking for in other slicers if you are doing something more complicated. We use simplify in house as our preferred slicer for most of the printers we sell. One strong point of simplify3d is the support material. If you have parts that need a lot of supports. It makes supports very easy to generate and edit and the results are very good. You can get custom supports on slicers like Cura as well, but you will need to download a separate plugin for this and it still does not give you quite as much control as simplify3D custom supports.
But weather you think paying for simplify is worth it or not ultimately depends on how much you think you will use it or need it. For most hobbyists and people who only want to print simple parts or a small number of test prints every so often, Cura is fine, and you most likely wont ever get the benefit of having something like simplify3D. Simplify3D really comes into its own when you are running multiple printers of different types or have very specific or complicated requirements that can be difficult in other slicers.
One other thing to note about Simplify3D, is that it has not actually been updated in quite a while. The current version 4.1, came out in 2018. It has had minor bug fixes and updates since then, but the current most up to date version is 4.1.2. Apparently there is a version 5 on the way, which will be a paid upgrade to all people who own the current version, but we haven’t heard anything about this for quite some time. Because of this, its difficult to say weather or not simplify is worth investing in, but I think personally I would hold off and see what happens with version 5 before spending any money.
Flashprint
Flahsprint is the own brand slicer for flashforge machines, If you are looking at a flashforge printer, Flashprint is probably what you will be using. Its simple and effective and does what you need it to do very well. It is not quite as widely configurable as slicers like Cura and Simplify but it does have an advanced settings tab where you get a bit more control over your prints if you need it. Its good for what it is, and if you have a flashforge printer it comes with the machine. I would not really recommend bothering with it for any other brand of printer, but you can download it for free on the flashforge website via the link below if you want to give it a try.
https://www.flashforge.com/download-center?category=15
Ideamaker
Like Flashprint, Ideamaker is the own brand slicer for Raise3D. It does have quite a few nice features like custom supports, cutting and separating STL files in the slicer and variable settings for different parts of the print. Again you don’t quite get as much choice as slicers like Cura and Simplify, but it has everything you should need and more. It also seems to be a bit more professionally focused. Normally I would not really recommend Ideamaker for anything other than Raise machines, but it can be used for other machines as an alternative slicer if you want use it. If you want to give it a go its free to download from the link below.
https://www.raise3d.com/ideamaker/
Slicer software for resin printers
Resin printers need a different type of slicer to FDM printers, and although the principle is similar in that it breaks the part down into layers that the printer needs to create the object. The method and the process for preparing the object is quite different.
Chitubox
Chitubox is by far the most commonly used slicer for resin printers. It supports most machines and is great for hollowing out parts and playing with slicer settings. The only thing that really lets Chitubox down is that the supports are not the best in the world, and it has a bad habit of putting supports through the part, or having them so close to the object that they fuse with the part and are very difficult to remove and clean up. For this reason, I normally generate the supports in a separate bit of software then import the pre-supported file into chitubox to hollow it if you need to and slice it for printing. You can see a more detailed guide on how to do this on the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4KRazqrMjE&t=207s&ab_channel=3DPrintedTabletop
You can download Chitubox for free from the link below.
https://www.chitubox.com/en/download/chitubox-free
PrusaSlicer
As mentioned in the video from the Chitubox section above, PrusiaSlicer is a great easy way of generating custom supports for resin prints. Its not perfect, but it is much better and much more easy to get good results with than the supports in Chitubox. PrusiaSlicer can also be used for FDM printers, but personally I have only every used it for the good resin supports and then export the files to slice in other software. You can download PrusiaSlicer for free from the link below.
https://www.prusa3d.com/prusaslicer/
Lychee
Lychee is a newer to us than the other resin slicers mentioned in this list and we don’t have quite as much hands on experience with it, but it does seem to be the best option for resin slicers at the moment. It has by far the most options for slicing and preparing your print, and the supports are very good. So its nice to not have to jump between multiple bits of software to add supports. It has a very wide range of printers supported by it as well, so the chances of you getting a printer that it can’t work with are low. So far it looks like Lychee could offer the best of both worlds when it comes to resin slicers, but as always, there is a catch. Lychiee is a free slicer for the base version, and you can set it up and use it fine for free. But, a lot of the best features are locked behind a paid subscription so you might need to spend a bit of money to get the most out of it. You can download Lychee from the link below.
https://mango3d.io/downloads/
HALOT BOX
Halot Box is the Creality own brand slicer for there new range of Resin printers. This is a new addition for creality, as there previous printers have used Chitubox, with one other exception. Halot box does the job, works fine, and there is nothing wrong with it. But like Chitubox it is not the best in the world for generating supports. So if you want to use it, it might be worth generating the supports in another slicer and importing them into Halot box pre-supported for best results if you have something very complicated or that needs a lot of support material. You can download Halot Box from the link below.
https://www.creality.com/download
Photon Workshop
Photon Worskshop, like Halot Box, is the own brand slicer from Anycubic for there resin printers. We have historically not recommended it for most of the Resin printers in Anycubics range, as they are normally quite well supported by better 3rd party slicers like Lychee and Chitubox. There are some machines in the range however, like the Photon Zero, that only work with Photon Workshop. Like the other own brand slicers, it works fine and there is no problem with it, but if you need it, it might be a good idea to pre-support your files in another slicer if you need complex supports.
(Note, the prices in this guide are from the time of writing and could potentially change in the future)
The first thing you will need to do is decide what sort of material and build volume you need, as well as the sort of things you would like to print.
If you want to print small, high detail parts for miniatures models or jewellery, you would probably be best to go with a resin printer.
If you want to produce larger parts, functional parts or prototypes, you would normally be best to go for an FDM machine.
FDM Printers
If an FDM machine is best suited for the kind of prints you would like to be doing, there are a lot of options available that I will separate by brand below. Most of what you pay for in terms of FDM printers goes into the size of the build volume and what extra features you want such as auto levelling, low filament detect and dual extrusion among others.
Creality
One machine that is always at the top of our recommendation list is the Ender 3v2.
https://technologyoutlet.co.uk/collections/creality3d/products/creality3d-ender-3-v2-3d-printer
This is an ideal machine for someone just starting out. It is well supported and has a large community of users. It is relatively inexpensive at £198.95, and it has quite a large build volume for the size of machine (220x220x250mm build volume). It also has a 32 bit motherboard with silent stepper drivers as standard which makes it much more quiet than the older versions of the Ender 3. The Ender 3v2 does not come with auto levelling as standard, but it can be upgraded to have a BLTouch auto levelling sensor pretty easily if that is something you are interested in. On a machine this size, you don’t really need auto levelling, but it can make the machine a lot more convenient and user friendly. The Ender 3 is capable of printing PLA and PET-G out of the box, and it does come with a small test spool of PLA. The test spool it comes with won’t last you very long though and is only good enough for a few small test prints to help get you set up, so its normally best to buy a 1kg spool with it as that way you know you are going to get the colour you need and it will last you much longer.
The other popular choice of machine this size in the Creality range is the Ender 5 Pro.
https://technologyoutlet.co.uk/collections/creality3d/products/creality-ender-5-pro-printer
The Ender 5 has a similar size build volume to the Ender 3, but it is a bit taller at 300mm on the Z axis. Personally though, I don’t recommend the Ender 5. The logic behind this kind of machine is that if you have the bed move on the Z axis rather than the Y axis like on the Ender 3, the print does not move as much while it is printing and this can give you better print quality, but because the Z axis is only supported on one side on the Ender 5, it does mean that it is less stable and as the Z axis drops or if the print gets too heavy it can cause the plate to judder and this can have a more detrimental effect on print quality than if the bed was on the Y axis like on the Ender 3. For this reason, I tend to recommend the Ender 3 over the Ender 5 because the bed is more stable on the Ender 3 and the Ender 3 is the cheaper option.
If you want a machine where the bed moves on the Z axis like the Ender 5, I tend to recommend the Sermoon D1 as an alternative.
https://technologyoutlet.co.uk/collections/creality3d/products/creality3d-sermoon-d1-3d-printer
This is because the bed is supported on both sides and is much more stable. It also has a bigger build volume than the Ender 3 and 5, it is a bit of a funny size build volume at 280x260x310mm. It also has low filament detect and direct drive. The direct drive makes it much better for printing flexible materials if that is something you are interested in. It also comes with acrylic panels around it and looks very nice. But the acrylic does not make a full enclosure and it does not come with a lid, so it does not make it any better at printing higher temperature materials. It is also a bit more expensive than the other machines at £465.
If you don’t mind going for something a bit more expensive, but you want a machine that is a bit faster from the Creality range, it might be worth having a look at the Ender 7.
The Ender 7 has a bit bigger build volume than the machines mentioned previously, with a build volume of 250x250x300mm at a price of £595.96. It also has low filament detect and silent stepper drivers. The thing that really sets the Ender 7 apart from the others is that it has linear rails and a core XY system. This allows it to print much faster than other machines of this type and still maintain a higher level of directional accuracy. Most FDM printers can print best at around 60mm/s, but the Ender 7 by comparison can achieve speeds of up to 250mm/s. Going all the way up to 250mm/s might not be practical depending on your settings and what material you are using, but even if you are not using the absolute maximum speeds all the time, it will still be a noticeably faster machine than something like an Ender 3.
Having said this, if you want to print lots of parts quickly, in my experience you are normally better off going for multiple smaller printers than one very fast one. For example, you could get 3 Ender 3v2s for the price of the Ender 7. Which would produce prints much more quickly than one fast machine, and you also get the benefit of not just relying on one printer, so if one printer develops a fault or gets a blocked nozzle, you still have another 2 machines to carry on printing with.
If you want something a bit bigger than the printers listed above, you might be better off going for something like the Ender 3 Max.
https://technologyoutlet.co.uk/collections/creality3d/products/creality3d-ender-3-max-3
The Ender 3 Max is by far the most cost effective of the larger FDM machines at £228. It has a build volume of 300x300x340mm. It does also have silent stepper drivers and low filament detect. It does not come with auto levelling, but you can add it as an optional upgrade if you would like auto levelling.
Artillery
If you don’t want to go for a Creality machine, there are some alternatives from other brands such as the Artillery Genius or Hornet.
Artillery Genius
https://technologyoutlet.co.uk/collections/3d-printers/products/artillery-genius-3d-printer
Artillery Hornet
Both the Genius and the Hornet have the same size build volume as the Ender 3 (220x220x250mm), and both also have silent stepper drivers.
The Hornet is the cheaper of the 2 machines at £184.96. It is a very nice machine as a budget alternative, it looks very nice is a very neat, good quality machine. The only downside is that the PTFE tube that feeds the filament to the hotend is integrated into the cables. This means, if you were to get a blockage in the tube you would have to also replace the cable with it, which will make it more expensive to replace if you need too.
The Genius is a more expensive machine at £279.95, but it does come with a few extra features such as dual Z axis, low filament detect and direct drive. Dual Z axis is not something that is really necessary for a machine this size, but it is nice to have, and the direct drive makes it much better for printing flexible materials if that is something you are interested in.
If the Genius and the Hornet are not quite big enough for your needs, you could also have a look at the Artillery Sidewinder.
https://technologyoutlet.co.uk/collections/3d-printers/products/artillery-sidewinder-x1-3d-printer
The Sidewinder is basically the same machine as the Genius but with a bigger build volume of 300x300x400mm for £374.94.
One thing worth noting about the Artillery machines, is that they don’t come with a removable bed. This is not ideal, as the printing surface will wear out over time, and you don’t want to have to replace the whole bed and all the cables every time you just want to swap out your printing surface. For this reason, I normally recommend buying a removable magnetic bed with it when you buy an Artillery machine. The ones I tend to recommend are the Prima Magnetic Flexplates that you can find on the link below. These are great because they are removable, they are easy to get prints off as they bend, you don’t need any adhesive like glue or spray to help the parts stick and they tend to last much longer than the textured surfaces that a lot of machines come with.
Flashforge
The only other machine that would be worth mentioning for a good starter machine would be the Flashforge Creator Pro v2
The Creator Pro v2 is a very nice machine from Flashforge that does not have quite as big of a build volume as the machines mentioned previously at 200x148x150mm. But it is the only machine at this price range with an independent dual extruder (IDEX). IDEX machines will allow you to do things like duplicate parts (print 2 parts at the same time) which will allow you to print parts much more quickly with one machine if you need a lot of them, as long as the parts are small enough to fit 2 of them on the bed. It also gives you the ability to do multi material or multi coloured prints or you could use a water-soluble support material if you have any parts that you have which need supports in difficult to reach places. All in all, I would also say the Creator Pro v2 is a fantastic machine if you don’t mind the smaller build volume, and it is by far the cheapest and most user friendly IDEX printer I have ever used. You can get the Creator Pro v2 for £579.
Resin Printers
If a resin printer is more like the sort of thing you need, there is not quite as much choice as the range of FDM printers on the market. But there are still a few important factors that are worth being aware of when looking to buy your first printer, such as the build volume you will need and the type of screen that you would be best to go for.
These days, I would recommend going for a mono screen printer. Mono screens are better than the older style screen as they are more powerful and cure the resin faster, reducing your cure times and making the print complete much faster. Mono screens also tend to last longer and be more reliable than the older style of screen.
Anycubic
By far the most popular resin 3D printer on the market at the moment is the Anycubic Photon Mono.
The Photon Mono is the latest version in the photon range and as the name suggests, comes with a mono screen. They have a build volume of 130x78x165mm at a price of £259.96 and tend to be quite reliable machines.
We don’t tend to recommend going for a big resin printer as your first printer, as larger build volumes can sometimes need a bit more knowledge and experience with resin printing to get the most out of. But if you did need a bigger build volume there is also the Photon Mono X.
The Mono X is mostly the same as the smaller Mono, but it has a 4k screen with a volume of 192x120x245mm at a price of £599.
Creality
Creality also have a good selection of resin printers to chose from. The latest in Crealitys range is the Halot-One.
https://technologyoutlet.co.uk/collections/creality3d/products/creality-halot-one-cl-60
The Halot-One also has a mono screen and has a build volume of 127x80x160mm. It costs £209, which is cheaper than the Anycubic and it also come with a few extra features such as an inbuilt carbon filter and Wi-Fi.
Again, if you would like a bigger build volume the Halot-Sky is the larger version of the Halot-One and is much the same with a build volume of 192x120x200mm at a price of £614.95.
Wash and Cure
The only other things that would be worth getting when you buy your first resin printer, aside from some resin (Most resin printers don’t come with any resin included) would be a wash and cure machine.
You don’t need a wash and cure machine to get started, but it can be a nice addition.
You can get the Anycubic wash and cure machine for £148.99.
https://technologyoutlet.co.uk/collections/3d-printers/products/anycubic-wash-cure-machine
Creality also do there own wash and cure machine £129.95.
https://technologyoutlet.co.uk/collections/creality3d/products/creality3d-uw-01-resin-printer
If you are using water washable resin, you might not need the wash function.
If this is the case, Creality also do a standalone curing station for £45.95.
https://technologyoutlet.co.uk/collections/creality3d/products/creality-sl1-curing-machine
]]>In 2014, the founders of 3D Prima decided that there was room in the market for affordable but good 3D printers. Prices had fallen to a level that was suddenly accessible to both small companies and private individuals. After extensive market research, the company 3D Prima.com was formed.
2018, 3D Prima expanded again and have now opened an office in Germany where they also offer support and sales directly to their German customers. 3D Prima currently has 17 employees and cooperates with many of the largest manufacturers in the market. They offer many different products and have about 80 different models of printers shipped from their own warehouse in Malmö.
We’re very excited to join with them and offering a new range of Filaments, Nozzles and PEI.
2019 has been a great year for the 3D printing industry, especially for beginners and enthusiasts looking to grab a bargain. It has never been cheaper to get into 3D printing. There is now so much more choice, especially with brands such as Flashforge, Creality3D, Copymaster3D constantly providing more compelling options.
If you're looking to enter the world of 3D printing for the first time or you're just not looking to spend a fortune then we're here to help. In no particular order, here are some of the best budget 3D printers you can buy for under £400:
*Prices are correct at the time of writing the article
The first printer we have featured on our list is the Creality3D Ender-3. This machine is one of our best selling printers, and it’s no surprise. The Ender-3 offers a very generous print size (220 x 220 x 250mm) and superb print quality, all for under £200. It is an incredibly good value for money and is suited to both passionate 3D Printers and newbies starting fresh.
This is our top recommendation for the Best Budget 3D Printer on the market, especially with all the features it brings and the low price point it retails at.
If you like the look of the Ender-3 but want a bit more power, the Ender-3 Pro is your best bet. This is the upgraded version of the Ender-3, giving you more features such as a magnetic print bed and an improved extruder and Y-axis, giving you a more consistent print quality.
The most common feedback we receive from this machine is how easy it is to set up and go, you can easily set this up and get it running within 30 minutes!
Since we first stocked this machine in August 2018, it has never been too far behind the Ender-3 in popularity. The Copymaster3d 300 features an incredibly large print size (300 x 300 x 400mm) and has a host of features that you would come to expect on printers over £500. The best of these features include; Run-out detection for filament, Dual Z-axis threaded guide rods and a magnetic, removable print bed.
Looking for a bigger printing size? There are a few variants of the Copymaster3D, giving you up to a 500 x 500 x 500mm print size!
The Flashforge Adventurer 3 is one of the newest budget machines to come from Flashforge since 2018, but it is also one of the best they have made. The Adventurer 3 is great value for money, for under £300, you’re getting an attractive, compact desktop 3D printer with Auto-levelling and high-quality prints.
One of everyone's favourite features about this machine is the built-in camera, allowing you to check the print progress in real-time. No more waiting around needed!
The Creality3D LD-001 is a light-curing 3D printer, that is known for being one of the best budget light-curing 3D Printers on the market right now. It features an innovative feeding process that minimises the waste of money on re-fuelling and wastage. It is also up to 5 times faster at slicing when compared to other printers.
If you're looking for a budget 3D Printer, perfect for creating jewellery, architecture and game models, this is the one for you.
The JGAurora A3S is a looker, it features a slick, futuristic design with a durable, full-metal frame. The intuitive 3.2-inch full-colour touchscreen makes the A3S user-friendly and easy to use and comes as standard. The A3S also features a generous build volume of 205mm x 205mm x 205mm, Semi-Automatic Levelling Control and power failure detection.
A very high-end printer at an affordable price.
The CR-10S is probably the most well-known budget 3D printer on this list, after all, it is one of the most popular 3D Printers on the market. The CR-10S has an amazing print size, ranging from 300 x 400 x 400mm to 500 x 500 x 500mm. Partner this up with its wide filament compatibility and great print quality, this printer can be the powerhouse that you're looking for.
All this for under £350...
See it here starting from £324.96
The Flashforge Inventor 2 is the natural successor to the fan-favourite Flashforge Finder. The Inventor 2 is a very high-quality, easy to use 3D Printer, featuring a whole host of features to make 3D Printing, as easy as possible. Thanks to its enclosed chamber design, it is very quiet but also very safe while printing, making it great for learning the younger ones!
The updated Flashprint software is also brilliant and easy to use.
The last printer on this list has to be the Anycubic Photon. The Anycubic Photon DLP is a 3D printer equipped with an easy to use 2.8-inch colour touch screen and has an amazing print quality. The in-built slicer is extraordinary when compared with its rivals, getting slicing jobs done within minutes. It also offers stable offline printing and a high-resolution 47µm.
Get £20 off the Photon with Code: PHOTON20 here
_
The demand for budget 3D printers is growing all the time as the technology becomes more mainstream. And with so many options available to budget buyers for home and classroom use, there has never been a better time to invest in a 3D printer.
At Technology Outlet, we are proud of our wide range of affordable 3D printers from some of the biggest brands. No matter what your budget is we will have a printer to suit you.
If you're looking to spend a bit more than £400, then be sure to check out our list of the best mid-range 3D printers. If you want to save even more money, why not check out our Refurbished 3D Printers range?
This review roundup aims to consolidate the thoughts and feelings from all of the reviews for the CR-10S Pro so you can make an informed decision on whether to buy one or not. Despite being one of the most notable 3D printer releases of the last year, there aren’t that many reviews for it, which is quite surprising. So this review roundup should be extra helpful.
Before we dive in, let’s first take a look at the features and specs of the printer, which All3DP has concisely listed out. Check out the rest of their specifications article. They do not yet have a review article of the printer itself.
Technology |
FDM |
Year |
2018 |
Assembly |
Semi-assembled |
Mechanical arrangement |
Cartesian-XZ-head |
Manufacturer |
Creality3D |
Filament diameter |
1.75mm |
3rd party filaments |
Yes |
Compatible materials |
PLA, ABS, TPU, composite filaments |
Accuracy |
+/-100 Microns |
Layer height |
100-400 Microns |
Feeder system |
Bowden |
Extruder type |
Single |
Nozzle size |
0.4mm |
Max. extruder temperature |
260°C |
Max. heated bed temperature |
110°C |
Max. print speed |
180mm/s |
Closed print chamber |
No |
Bed leveling |
Automatic |
Print bed |
Heated |
Display |
LCD touchscreen |
Connectivity |
SD card, USB |
Built-in camera |
No |
“You need around ten minutes to assemble this printer and it's super easy, great for beginners. It comes with a lot of improvements over the CR-10S starting first with a new frame design, which looks very nice, simple and clean. All components and electronics are now hidden inside of the metal frame and there is no need for a control box anymore.
I have nothing bad to say about the CR-10S Pro. In fact, I think that this is the best 3D printer that Creality has ever made. I like the new design, features and performance of this machine. The Pro is definitely a big step up over the CR-10S from last year and I believe that this printer will be the next great success in the 3D printing community.”
“In summary, it's a difficult decision. The print quality is fantastic so with that in mind can you forgive the other shortcomings of this printer. We know this is probably going to be popular on the reputation of the original CR-10S alone and that means a lot of community support and already we're seeing a lot of mods coming out to solve some of these problems.
The question is then are you willing to spend this much money on a printer that still needs a fair bit of tinkering and that's something that each individual has to decide for themselves. I have mixed feelings on this printer it's got amazing print quality and so much potential but those few niggling problems probably should have been caught by Creality in the early design stages.”
Teaching Tech released a later video describing the fixes to his problems with the printer
“My CR-10S Pro has had some problems, but I've found fixes that have made my machine user-friendly and reliable. It is now one of my best machines. Not everyone will have these issues, but hopefully, this can be helpful for those who do. Now that these issues are out of the way, this really is an outstanding printer.”
“If you want a basic printer and don't have much money, but have lots of time to assemble and learn how to use it, I still recommend the Ender-3.
If you want a larger printer - again with a learning curve, I recommend the CR-10S.
But if you want a better out-of-the-box printing experience, which is more reliable, easier to use and less fiddly, the CR-10S Pro is absolutely your best bet. It definitely has the best quality prints and the least numbers of things to go wrong. It's the right printer if you're willing to pay a bit more for print quality and reliability.”
“I'm really impressed with how solid this thing is. It printed really really nice. But getting to this point, well now that was a headache.
This is a fantastic PLA printing machine. They should have put an E3DV6 hotend on it though. There are PTFE tubes still going down to the nozzle that limit your temperature range. An E3DV6 with a heat break would have been much better.
And now at six hundred dollars, you're in competition with printers like the Prusa MK2S. This has an actual E3DV6 and a direct drive so it'll print flexible filament and it's got an auto level that calibrates itself, no screwing around. It just does it. It’s definitely a smaller printer than the CR-10S Pro, but it's very reliable and prints beautifully. So this is what you're competing with now once you're in this price range.
The advantage of the Creality machines was that they were sub $400 like the CR-10S, CR-10 Mini and the Ender 3. And they're fantastic printers for that price. But once you start getting up into the six to seven hundred dollar range, you better have some really good parts because the competition gets a lot tougher.
For the extra two hundred bucks, you're definitely getting a lot more machine than the CR-10S. Is it worth the extra 200 bucks? Well, that's really your call.”
CHEP goes on to gives a thorough explanation in the video above:
“So what are the major differences between the CR-10S and a CR-10S Pro? Well, first of all, it's $200 more. But what do you get for that $200? Quite a bit.
You get better electronics built into the base. You get auto level on the hot end. You get Capricorn tubing for higher temperatures. You've got dual threaded rods driven by Trinamic drivers. You've got dual gears on the extruder with fewer gaps so you should be able to print flexible filaments and you do have the filament run-out sensor, just like the CR-10S, although it's much beefier and built into the bracket on the side.
So let's look a little closer at the electronics. You've got more memory on the motherboard and you've also got Trinamic drivers, which makes driving the stepper motors much quieter and smoother. You've also got a touchscreen control versus a graphics control with a control knob and it works really well. You've got a Mean Well power supply - 24 volts just like the Ender 3 so it heats up the bed and hotend a lot quicker. In addition to that, you've got easier wiring. There's one ribbon cable that comes up to the side and connects up by the extruder assembly. And just below the filament sensor is a circuit board where it breaks all the wires out already connected. So one connection of that ribbon cable and you're just about done.
It's basically four screws to mount the gantry, two connectors for the stepper motors and then this ribbon cable and you're ready to go. The bed assembly is a lot different compared to the CR-10S. It's got dual aluminium extrusion that is spread out and eight wheels to guide it so it's much more stable. And it's got an aluminium frame and an aluminium plate clipped on top of it with Buildtak, not glass. The CR-10S has a glass bed and this has aluminium. And then it's got insulation underneath so it keeps the heat in and heats up quicker.”
The general consensus among reviewers in the industry is that the CR-10S Pro is a fantastic printer. We think that the print quality sets it apart as one of the best FDM printers on the market right now, but it does require quite a bit of testing and trial and error to get to that point.
If you are willing to do that, then we can thoroughly recommend the CR-10S Pro. You can buy one from Technology Outlet with free UK next day delivery.
]]>That’s why we have made this list of the best premium 3D printers available to buy at Technology Outlet. We have used and tested all of the 3D printers that appear on this list. We use some of them very frequently and all would make an excellent choice.
The Raise 3D Pro 2 is the best consumer-grade 3D printer on the market. If you want the very best and money is no issue for you then look no further. The Pro 2 series brings top-end professional 3D printing to a price point that is under £5,500. This is quite remarkable, especially when you consider that the price of something similar a few years ago would be touching six figures.
The Raise 3D Pro 2 Plus comes with a very generous 305 x 305 x 605mm build volume, giving you a lot of room for bigger prints. Other important features to note are excellent build quality, 0.01 layer resolution, HEPA filter, professional grade heat management and great built-in software.
The Flashforge Hunter DLP is a Digital Light Processing 3D Printer. It uses liquid 3D resin to print models in ultra-high quality and features a long-lasting proprietary DLP projector. This allows it to use uniform UV exposure. The Hunter also features automatic calibration, high-quality software, wide resin compatibility and a generously sized touchscreen. This printer is built to last long-term thanks to its aluminium resin vat. The Hunter is one of the best resin 3D printers on the market.
The BCN3D Sigma R17 is widely known for its supreme quality prints. It is a dual-extrusion machine that uses its IDEX (Independent Dual Extruder) system to stop stringing or having unwanted filament dripping on your model. When one of the extruders is not doing anything it will be stationed to the side with a wastebasket and wiper present. This is great if you’re going to do a lot of dual-extrusion printing. It also features FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication) compatibility and a reasonable build volume of 210 × 297 × 210mm
The Formbot T-Rex 2 & 2+ is a large format 3D Printer with Independent Dual Extruder technology (IDEX), automatic bed levelling and dual-zone bed heating. It prints in amazing quality and includes great features that set it apart in this competitive space. The B2 model comes with a dual-zone heated bed and a high-temperature extruder, while the B4 model comes with a laser engraver added as standard. The Formbot T Rex’s also come with a large printing volume, starting from 400 x 400 x 500mm. Other important features include quick assembly, extruder wiping system and a high-temperature extruder.
The Flashforge Guider IIS is an enhanced version of the popular Flashforge Guider II. This model includes a camera for watching prints, a new backboard fan and air filter to stop any excess fumes. This high-end printer is great for someone with less experience but wants to print high-quality items. It features an easy to use touchscreen interface, great software, print memory, high filament compatibility and awesome quality prints. It’s a really great top-end printer at a lower price point.
The Up Box 3D printer is perfect for both professional and educational users alike. It boasts high-quality printing with fully automatic platform calibration and a decent 255 x 205 x 205mm build size, which is impressive considering its enclosed design. It also features great technology that automatically creates support fixtures for complex prints. The software is also feature-rich, but simple enough for newbies to get the hang of it. The Up Box is great value for money and is suitable for education and professional use. Its advanced software will definitely carry you forward.
The demand for premium 3D printers is growing fast. 3D printing is becoming mainstream and with so many options available to buyers for business, home and classroom use, there has never been a better time to invest in a premium 3D printer.
At Technology Outlet, we are proud of our wide range of high-end premium 3D printers from some of the biggest brands in the industry. No matter what your budget is we will have a printer to suit you.
If you're looking to spend less than £400, then be sure to check out our list of the best budget 3D printers.]]>Not all problems are hard to fix, as you will see in the solutions. Most problems just need the know-how and the experience to fix it quick. That’s why you should never be put off by potential issues. If all else fails, you can reach out to forums such as 3D Printboard for some helpful and friendly advice or look at our 3D printing support page for useful links.
For now, take a look at some of the most common 3D printing problems that we come across and the solutions to them.
The base of the printing model will start to lift/bend upwards until it is no longer level with the printing platform. This could also lead to horizontal cracks in the upper parts of the print. This mainly happens because ABS and PLA filament starts to contract very slightly when it cools down, warping happens if the plastic is cooled too quickly.
1 - The first solution to try is to use a heated print platform and setting the temperature just below the plastics melting point. If you get the temperature spot on, the first layer will stay flat on the printing platform. The printing platform temperature can be set by the slicer software, you should find the recommended temperature for your filament printed on the side of the packaging or on the spool.
2 - The second solution would be to apply glue, this will help keep the base layer stuck to the printing platform and stop it from rising. Applying a small amount of glue evenly on the print bed will increase adhesion and stop it lifting from the edges.
3 - The last solution would be to re-level the printing platform. Incorrect print platform calibration is often one of the main causes of warping. Re-run through the calibration process and check that the bed is fully level and the nozzle height is correct.
Getting cracks in your prints is a common issue. Cracks can often appear on the sides of your prints, especially on taller models. This is definitely one of the most frustrating problems in 3D printing, this is because it tends to mainly effect larger prints and usually whilst you’re not there. In the higher layers, the material cools faster, this is due to the heat from the heated print bed not being able to reach that high. Adhesion will definitely be lower in the upper layers.
1 - Adjust the extruder temperature. Start by increasing the extruder temperature slightly. We recommend increasing it by around 10ºC and use trial and error. On the side of your filament box you’ll see the working hot end temperatures, try to keep the temperature adjustment within these guidelines.
2 - Check and adjust the fan directions and speeds. Make sure that you double check the fans on your printer to ensure that they’re fully working and aimed directly at the model. If they are facing the model and are fully working, try reducing their speed.
Image used is from Flux Forums
Stringing is when 3D prints sometimes have unsightly strings of plastic between parts of the model and where the printer shouldn’t be printing. Stringing happens because the print head moves over an open area and sometimes, filament leaks and drips out of the nozzle leaving a ‘string’ of plastic.
1 - Enabling retraction is key as this helps with the quality of finish and can be enabled through slicing software. The retraction works by retracting the filament back into the nozzle before the head moves. This should avoid molten filament from leaking or dripping as the head moves. On a side note, turning on and using retraction should also increase your print speeds.
2 - If standard retraction isn’t doing the trick, try reducing the minimum travel. This is usually the quickest solution to fix stringing issues. Drop the value by 0.5mm until the stringing has stopped completely.
Image used is from Reddit
A common issue in 3D printing is over-extrusion. This means that the printer uses more filament than needed. This results in excess filament on the outside of the printed model but also a lot of wasted filament. The most common cause of this issue is that the extrusion multiplier or flow setting in the slicing software is set too high.
1 - The most common fix is to edit the extrusion multiplier. You can do this by opening your slicer software and checking that the correct extrusion multiplier is selected. This should get rid of the over extrusion issue.
2 - If the extrusion multiplier seems fine and the settings are correct, check the flow setting too. You can try decreasing the flow setting in your printer’s software settings to reduce the risk of over extrusion.
If you’re trying to start a printing job but nothing is coming out the nozzle, you most likely have a blocked nozzle, especially if you have tried extracting the filament and reinserting it back in doesn’t work.
The most likely cause of a blocked nozzle is due to molten plastic hardening on the end from previous print jobs. It can also be caused by a small amount of filament being left behind after you have changed the spools. This can happen fairly often as the filament could have snapped at the end. When you do load a new filament spool into your printer, that old piece of filament has jammed the nozzle up, not allowing the new filament to travel through.
1 - The most common way to fix this is with a needle. You will need to toggle your printer to heat up the nozzle to the desired temperature (normally 200 degrees for PLA) and use the needle/pin to clear the blockage.
2 - Technology Outlet stocks a special type of cleaning filament that can help unblock blocked nozzles. It comes in a 100g spool so it is good for several uses and it can reduce the risk of blocked nozzles occurring again.
That concludes our list of the most common 3D printing issues and the solutions to them. Leave a comment and let us know if there are any we have missed and we may do a part 2 to this article.
]]>If you’re using a 3D printer to create custom designs, having great 3D modelling software definitely makes the job easier and helps you in aspects you’re not great at. We have compiled a list of the best 3D modelling software for 3D printing.
]]>You can always go onto various different sites such as Thingiverse and download files that are ready to print, but this isn’t as rewarding as creating it yourself. If you’re using a 3D printer to create custom designs, having great 3D modelling software definitely makes the job easier and helps you in aspects you’re not great at.
We have compiled a list of the best 3D modelling software for 3D printing. We’ve segmented the easiest to use and our favourite software packages.
At Technology Outlet, we currently only sell Simplify 3D as we believe this is the best 3D modelling software for both beginners and advanced users. It is very quick and easy to set up while boasting very high-performance when it comes to slicing and modelling. It has a range of features that not all software has, including customizable support structures, an animated preview mode, a fully optimised dual-extrusion mode and even advanced multi-part printing.
The price is great value for money, considering all of the advanced features and performance it guarantees. You only have to pay a one-off amount of £148.99. Compared to other software, this can seem quite expensive, but this is a one-off payment. Other software requires monthly subscriptions.
Vectary is a 3D modelling software that offers a free to use plan and is accessed in your website browser. It is very easy to use, it has a lot of features that will help you create 3D models without breaking a sweat. You can even collaborate with people on projects, allowing you to work with friends or fellow designers. The free plan doesn’t come with all the bells and whistles, however, that would be reserved for their £40+ per month plan.
Vectary is definitely a great software to use, thanks to it’s very easy to use interface and simple techniques, it makes that once daunting task, a lot more enjoyable and manageable.
SelfCAD is fairly easy to manage and is a great application for 3D modelling and for 3D print. The SelfCAD features are high-end, coupled with its ease of use, this is perfect for more advanced people in the 3D Printing industry. However, a beginner could get the hang of it after a spell using it but it features lean more towards the advanced side. It is very good at transforming 2D pictures or low-res 3D renders into a high-end 3D model. It is also great for 3D drawing.
The main advantage of the program is that it works in the browser and is fast and lightweight so it doesn’t impact performance. It is also actively updated to fix bugs and more features are added on a regular basis. The pricing plans are either $14.99 a month or $139.99 a year. This can be seen as expensive if you’re planning for the long-term.
That concludes our list of the best 3d modelling software for 3D printing. In a saturated market of software, we would definitely recommend Simplify3D. It’s great for both beginners and advanced users. It’s certainly our favourite software to use and we hope it will become yours too.
What is your favourite 3d modelling software? Let us know in the comments.
]]>Would you love the chance to get your hands on a variety of free filament this February? We’ve got a selection of 1.75mm filament spools to give away to some lucky shoppers for them to test out on their latest 3D creations.
How do you get involved? We’re on the hunt for prolific printers - either people who regularly buy from us here at Technology Outlet, or else anyone who has a large social media presence testing and designing with 3D printers. Whether you’re a YouTube vlogger, a 3D design blogger, or just have a huge passion for printing, we want to hear from you! Once we’ve selected our winners, we’ll send you free filament and let you get to work. Each person that we pick will receive four free kilogram spools of 1.75mm PLA - two black and two white, allowing you plenty of filament to put your printer and imagination to the test.
All that we ask in return is that you get creative and see what you can design. Let your imagination run wild, try out our filament colours and either send us a picture or video of your 3D prints or tag us on social media. We’d also ideally like you to review the different filaments and let us know if you think the eco range or premium work better for your designs.
To submit your application for free filament, please email us at sales@technologyoutlet.co.uk before the end of the month and explain why you’d love to receive some this February. If you have any social media links we should check out, then add them into your email. Don’t forget to tell anyone who might be interested and see if they can get involved too. Our favourite February creations will be featured across the Technology Outlet social media and written up in a blog in March.
Good luck, and happy printing!
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If the space between the bed and nozzle is too small, you will find that you will get filament building up around the surface of the nozzle. This can end up causing the entire print to come off the bed later on in the printing process, it could completely misalign the print. One of the main causes of this issue is having an unlevel bed, bed levelling should fix this issue.
One of the most important factors of having a really good print is having a great first layer. To get this desired first layer, you will definitely need good bed adhesion. One of the main factors of not getting a good bed adhesion is having too big of a gap between the nozzle and the bed. It causes the first layer to not stick properly to the bed and start to peel off. If the bed is not level but it does stick, you will definitely run into issues later in the printing process.
Problems with your first layer, including uneven extrusion, can be caused by a variety of different faults, one being an uneven bed. The 3D printer filament is extruded at an even rate due to the pressure pushing it forward. If the gap between the bed and the nozzle vary in different places, the filament pressure has to change to fill that extra bit of space/keep it level with the rest. The changing of the pressure can result in many issues including extruder jams, gaps in your layers and inconsistency.
If this is the first time that you are conducting bed levelling, the main purpose of this is to make the nozzle an equal distance from the bed at all points. Doing this will make sure that the print comes out evenly without any inconsistencies. Please note that different printers will be built a little different from others, the technique is the same but some instructions may vary.
Now that you know how to conduct bed levelling and how to spot the symptoms of an uneven bed, you should be able to start printing with confidence on your optimised 3D printer. If you have a metal bed on your printer, make sure to heat it up a little bit, this is due to the metal expanding a little when it gets warm, which may occur when printing.
You can also buy these accessories to help you with bed levelling for Creality3D printers:
The Creality3D - Upgraded big hand twist levelling nut is a great accessory for Creality3D printers. They help with adjustments and keeping the bed steady.
The Creality3D Auto Bed Leveling Kit is another great accessory for Creality3D printers. it’s a great auto bed levelling kit that is easy to set up and use.
]]>Joining the 3D printing hobby group is very exciting, getting your hands on your very own 3D printer is awesome. Just think of the possibilities of things that you could create and maybe even make money off. There are some things to consider though.
3D printing as a hobby is great fun but it is also very very time consuming, you have to be willing to invest those days into learning, testing and printing. There are a lot of pros for 3D printing as a hobby but there also some points you will need to consider.
I will list out the pros and cons of 3D printing as a hobby to help you reach a verdict on whether it is definitely something you can/want to do.
There is definitely potential to make some money off of 3D printing, for example, you can create personalised keyrings and sell them. Getting good with printing will allow you to create bigger and better things which could be worth some value to people.
One of the best things about 3D printing is that it’s very fun to do, being able to re-create that lost TV remote cover is amazing. Learning more and more skills within the printing allows you to create things you never thought you could, it feels great creating your very own dragon pencil holder.
Learning a new skill or hobby can sometimes depend on getting help/advice from others, the 3D printing community are really good when it comes to tips and troubleshooting. If you do pick up a problem, you could go into a forum and get your question answered rather quickly.
There are also a lot of user-made templates and blueprints that are shared around, allowing you to create cool items that you maybe didn’t know how to make.
Learning a new skill or hobby can sometimes depend on getting help/advice from others, the 3D printing community are really good when it comes to tips and troubleshooting. If you do pick up a problem, you could go into a forum and get your question answered rather quickly.
There are also a lot of user-made templates and blueprints that are shared around, allowing you to create cool items that you maybe didn’t know how to make.
If you’re buying a 3D printer to design big objects and parts, you need to consider what will be big enough for the highest price you can afford. Not all 3D printers will be able to design the same objects as others, for example, a smaller printer won’t be able to make a car door.
You need to consider, with your budget, what size printer you will need and what type of objects you will be creating.
If you purchase a cheaper 3D printer and start to get really into/good at printing, you will want more power and more functions added on to your printer. However, these upgrades add up long-term, leaving you spending more money without you even realising it. Upgrading certain aspects will be more expensive than others, so consider what printer you buy for future use, going future-proof isn’t a bad shout.
Overall, it is definitely worth getting into it, especially if it’s something you’ve always wanted to try. It does take a chunk of your time at first and can be a long process but learning how to do it properly and creating amazing objects is something you can’t do otherwise.
Depending on why you’re getting into it, there’s potential to make money through your talent of creating bespoke items. There’s also a great and lively community always there to help you with your issues and to speak about projects with.
It’s definitely a great way to start the new year. New year, new you…
Check out our massive collection of 3D Printers here - 3D Printers
We also have Great deals on 3D Printer Filament and Occipital Hand-held 3D scanners.
]]>There are thousands of designs/models you can pick up online and entry-level printers are getting lower in prices. Getting a 3D printer for home use can feel pretty daunting, it all seems so complicated to use and set up, especially for a beginner. Continue reading for our list of the best 3D printers for beginners.
The best 3D printer for beginners - Flashforge Adventurer 3
The Flashforge Adventurer 3 is a light and handy 3D printer that makes 3D printing easy and affordable. The printer features a 2.8-inch touchscreen which is really easy to use and features cloud printing with flashCloud thanks to the built-in Wi-Fi. The Flashforge Adventurer 3 also has a large printing bed, allowing you to print in a volume of 150x150x150mm, despite its small size.
It features a special nozzle system, allowing it to be changed easily by the press of clips. There is also a heated building surface, it makes the heat bed removable and flexible, allowing you to remove printed objects with ease. The heat bed also reaches 100 Degrees Celsius, allowing you to print in a range of materials such as ABS and ASA filament.
Other notable features include; Automatic filament loading, adjustable parameters, awesome software, built-in camera, auto levelling, free SD card.
Beginners on a budget - Creality3D Ender 3 *currently sold out (link is the Ender 3 Pro)
The Creality3D Ender 3 comes semi-assembled in the box, the printer is very easy to set up and is done in only 12 steps. It is very well known for being one of (if not) the best value for money printers on the market. The Ender 3 is currently only £165 on our website, for that price it’s a steal.
The Ender 3 hotbed can reach 100 Degrees Celsius in five minutes, giving you access to fast heating and printing, it also has a large print volume 220 x 220 x 250mm without having a large build. The Creality3D Ender 3 has been specially developed for printing with PLA filament, however, the heat bed makes it possible to experiment with different materials. The print bed can easily be adjusted with the aid of the set screws. It also features big hand twist nuts, making bed levelling a piece of cake compared to other 3D printers.
The Ender 3 also features a resume feature that allows the printer to continue printing from its last step if the voltage is lost or there is a power outage. The printer also features an LCD screen that makes adjustments easy to do.
Honourable mention - JGAurora A3S
The JGAurora A3S is a modern looking 3D printer that is assembled with four screws and ready to print. This printer does have some high-end features at a low-end price point, it features a filament run-out sensor, it pauses the printer and allows you to insert more filament without wrecking the whole print.
One of our favourite features of the JGAurora A3S is the touchscreen display, it is one of the best-implemented screens at this price point, it uses a 4x2 ratio block. It also has the power failure feature, if you lose power to the printer it will allow you to continue printing the next time you get power back. Furthermore, it comes with a ‘black diamond’ bed, it’s a glass bed with a special textured coating, allowing you to remove prints easier.
The quality of the print is also great, giving you prints without major banding issues and has a decent profile. It is also very versatile when it comes to filament types, due to its heat settings, it is not restricted to just standard PLA. It also doesn’t use the SD card standard, it uses USB, USB is quicker when writing GCode.
That’s our list of three 3D printers for beginners, we have a wide range of 3D printers on our website, we recommend that you look at our whole range of 3D printers and pick the right one for you.
]]>We will give you base pricing to go off of, so you can compare the costs to see if it’s affordable for you.
Depending on how much you are going to be printing and what you’re going to be printing, filament prices are definitely important when you’re considering the long term costs of 3D printing. The filament costs will all depend on what type of filament you will be using and how big the objects you will be making are.
I will use our Premium PLA Filament as an example, the product comes with 1KG’s worth of filament. If you’re creating objects with 100 grams worth of filament, you will be spending approximately £1.94 per print. However, if you’re creating objects that are 500 grams worth of filament, it will cost you approximately £9.97 per print.
The cost of filament ultimately depends on what size objects you will be printing and how much filament is being wasted (due to errors or infill levels). The average printer will get through one roll of filament per month.
The first ever payment when you’re looking into 3D printing is for the 3D Printer itself, depending on your skill level, you will need to pick the right 3D Printer for you and the best one for your budget. Luckily, we created a post recently giving you the best budget 3D printers so you can save a lot of time and money when you’re purchasing a 3D printer.
The costs will start to add up if you’re looking to add upgrades to your printer or if you run into problems, for example, nozzle jams. We have a wide range of upgrades and spare parts available, it’s best to look for any potential future upgrades before you purchase the 3d printer. For example, getting a new Creality3D Brass Nozzle costs £12.95, depending on the usage, getting new nozzles every other month will add up to around £77.70.
This will give you a rough estimate of how much you will be spending on upgrades in the future and how much certain aspects will cost to be replaced.
Depending on if you’re using your 3D printer in business or just at home, the time spent on using the 3D printer will cost money. I will focus more on the electricity costs as this is more of a common cost/worry for potential 3D printers.
The average 3D printer will use the same amount of electricity as a fridge, this should be taken into consideration when you’re going to be using it a lot or will be using it for massive projects. If you are away when a printer completes a project, some printers do often stay in an idle mode, not turning off and using electricity. Bare this in mind if you’re leaving a 3D printer for the day.
The average cost of running a fridge (with a freezer) in the UK is £62 per year. While this is not 100% accurate and a 3D printer is not on 24/7, running a 3D printer would be in the £25-£62 per year bracket (depending on usage).
While this figure is not entirely accurate, due to the usage amount and what type of projects you will be using it for, the total price is as follows:
The total price for the first year of running a 3D Printer (following the prices above) will be around £567.78.
The average golf membership in the UK is around £700 - £1,200 per year.
Source - https://golfsupport.com/
The average person in the UK spends £1000+ on new clothes per year (depending on income)
The average adult spends over £1000+ per year on takeaways
3D printing is a relatively inexpensive and accessible hobby to get into, with 3D printer prices always dropping and the community getting bigger, it's definitely turning into a fun hobby that is easy to learn.
Kick start your progress and browse our full range of 3D Printers and 3D Printing Filaments.
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In our opinion, we believe that the Occipital Structure Sensor 3D scanner and the Occipital Bridge Headset are the best mobile pieces of 3D scanning technology on the market right now. They offer immense 3D scanning and modelling but all through scanners that are placed on an iPad or on its own VR headset.
]]>As with any skill, there are techniques and approaches that are seen as standard. Sometimes, these techniques are discovered, but if you’re lucky, you’ll be introduced to them by somebody with a little more experience in the craft.
To help you on your journey to expertise, we’ve compiled our list of top tips to help.
]]>3D printing is cool. We mean seriously, truly, cool. No other technology has affected so many industries with quite the same fervour and potential. To date, 3D printing has aided major breakthroughs in the medical, manufacturing and motoring industries, not to mention revolutionising the arts and crafts arena.
With this in mind, more people than ever are embarking on their first 3D printing venture. As with any skill, there are techniques and approaches that are seen as standard. Sometimes, these techniques are discovered, but if you’re lucky, you’ll be introduced to them by somebody with a little more experience in the craft.
To help you on your journey to expertise, we’ve compiled our list of top tips to help.
There is a huge range of 3D printers out there and some will have capabilities that others don’t. Then there’s the printing material to think about. Do you know what filament is compatible with your machine and whether it will have the desired finish once it's done? Trust us, think about what you want and then do some research. Then you're much less likely to run into any frustrating issues.
When you first get your 3D printer, it might be tempting to ignore the instructions in your excitement as you try to set it up as quickly as possible. We urge you to maintain your excitement but also to read the instructions. Setting up a 3D printer incorrectly and then wrongly blaming the apparatus is a common issue we experience.
Whilst some 3D printers arrive with no assembly necessary, others can require self-assembly. On a similar note, it is highly advised to make sure you calibrate your printer correctly if you rush over this part you can end up with poor results. In short, do read everything that comes with your printer and if you are still unsure, read some more online. There’s a great community of people out there ready to help.
Calibration is crucial if you want your prints to be precise and an accurate representation of your design.
It’s basically ‘tuning’ your printer. This includes ensuring the extruder is accurate (both physically and in relation to your software), ensuring the bed is level and that the general functions of your printer are stable and precise. Without correctly calibrating your printer, you risk warping, sticking on the print bed and general blob-like prints.
Calibration can be a simple fine-tuning exercise, or it can be a little more comprehensive. As it varies slightly for each printer (and software you use), we recommend finding a guide online that you can refer back to each time you need to tune up your printer.
One of our favourite guides is this one from Reprap.
Digital callipers go hand-in-hand with calibration of your 3D printer. They’ll allow you to check the precision of your prints, as well as the set-up of your printer. Invest in a pair, you’ll need them sooner or later.
It can be easy to get carried away when you get your 3D printer – you’ll have seen some of the incredible 3D prints already out there and be eager to create something equally as ambitious.
Whilst we can appreciate that you want your first creation to be glorious, we do advise to start small and simple. Yes, small and simple wins the race. If you begin with very basic shapes like a cube and simply get to know how your machine works and how various materials behave, you can then confidently embark on the more complex projects you have in mind.
Because there are a limitless amount of things you can create with 3D printers, it’s not uncommon to feel a little paralysed by the choice. For the times where you just can’t decide what to start printing, an online community is invaluable to your inspiration.
If you’re stuck with a technical issue or your creative streak is hitting a wall, a forum is one of the best places to seek help. Here are our favourites:
While your 3D printing machine is the heart of the activity, its operation feeds off software on your computer. CAD (computer-aided design) software varies, so it’s best to do some research as to which will be best for you and your equipment.
Remember that .stl and .obj are the primary file extension, beyond that, it’s down to preference. Check out software like Simplify 3D, Cura, SketchUp and FreeCAD and go from there.
3D printing technology is constantly being improved upon and many high-quality printers are now safe to use in a classroom setting. That said, we highly recommend you are aware of the potential hazards a 3D printer has if you aren’t aware of them.
Most printers will have several moving parts that get very hot so handling must be done with care. Heated filament can emit toxic fumes that aren’t healthy for you to breathe in, so remember to always print in a well-ventilated area, rather than an enclosed room.
As with most things, 3D printers are only as dangerous as the people using them so always make sure you are fully aware of how to safely operate one.
There are numerous filaments to print with, from plastic-like to wood-like, all with unique characteristics. However, some are easier to print with than others - varying melting temperatures and different needs (like whether bed needs to be heated) can be a little overwhelming, to begin with.
We recommend beginning with PLA, arguably the easiest to use filament and gradually progress to something like ABS, which is slightly more challenging.
Learning how to print with filaments one-by-one will be much more manageable than jumping right into the advanced ones straight away.
And that concludes our list of 3D printing tips for beginners. 3D printing is an awesome hobby so be wise and mindful to make the most of it. Read a lot, ask a lot and then practice! With so many models, materials and potential, it’s fairly inevitable that you’ll have a few failures along the way to printing success. Take note, move on and be inspired. And make sure to stock up on our exclusive, premium range of 3D printer filament.
]]>Copymaster3D is a new brand of 3D printer that launched at the end of August 2018. Designed in the UK, it has an extensive list of features that make this a very good option to consider, despite it not yet being a very well known brand.
The Copymaster 3D is available in 3 models:
Copymaster 3D 300 - £499
Copymaster 3D 400 - £599
Copymaster 3D 500 - £699
The model numbers refer to the printer's biggest selling point - the build size with the 500 having an enormous 500 x 500 x 500mm area. You can't underestimate how much of a difference this makes to what projects you can print. It's often difficult to go back to a smaller printer when you use one as big as this.
The Copymaster 3D can also print with flexible filament as standard without having to upgrade or modify the extruder head. The aluminium frame increases stability and precision during the printing process. The no filament sensor is a really useful feature. The printer automatically pauses when it detects that the filament has run out, which can save a lot of print jobs. It also comes with a flexible, magnetic and removable heated print bed as standard with a diamond black glass print surface upgrade available for more consistent results.
£499
The JGAurora A3 featured in our best budget 3D printers list so it comes as no surprise that the JGAurora A5 features on the best mid-range 3D printers list as well.
It's hard to argue that the JGAurora A5 is one of the best looking 3D printers out right now. The frame and the full-colour touchscreen give it a very elegant and modern design and the all-metal construction makes the A5 a very premium feeling product. It is very quick and easy to set up and the overall build and print quality is fantastic for the price. It also comes with a heated print bed.
£598.80
The Flashforge Inventor II is a smart, safe, reliable and portable desktop 3D printer and the enclosed cube design make this one of the best 3D printers to use in schools and classrooms. The enclosed design makes it relatively quiet compared to other printers and it makes it difficult for anyone to get too close to the hot moving parts when the printer is in use. The air filter that comes included also gets rid of potentially harmful fumes.
The touchscreen is very straightforward and intuitive to use making it perfect for beginners. It even has an onboard camera so you can check up on your print remotely. Like the previous printers, the Inventor II has a filament detection feature and will alert you when the filament has run out.
The print size is quite small at just 140 x150 x 140mm, which is significantly less than the other printers on this list. An advantage of this though is that it makes the Inventor II is more portable.
£795
The Flashforge Creator Pro 2017 has a solid metal frame that wraps all around the enclosed chamber. The dual extruder set up allows you to use two filaments at once so prints can be finished faster and you can do multicolour print jobs. Print quality is very good and consistent, but it does require very precise bed levelling. Once you get the settings right, it is a great printer.
It has a relatively small build size at 230 x 150 x 155mm, which is still slightly bigger than the Inventor II. It can also be quite noisy when in use, despite the enclosed design. Many are also critical of the Flashprint software that comes with the printer and resort to using 3rd party solutions like Simplify3D.
Overall though, the Creator Pro is a fantastic printer, especially for the more experienced user.
£499.98
The Panospace One did not pick up much traction when it launched last year, which is surprising since it is a nice, compact 3D printer. It has a very attractive and unique design. The printer arrives fully assembled so you can get started pretty much straight away. The colour touchscreen is a nice feature to have as you navigate around Panospace's proprietary software, Panobuilder, which is generally easy to use. The overall print speed and quality is decent for the price, but others on the list are much better in that department.
It has a small build size of 150 x 150 x 150mm and prints with just PLA filament, which may put some people off, but this is ideal for beginners. If you're looking for your first 3D printer, then the quick set up and ease of use makes the Panospace One a very capable option.
£795
The Flashforge Dreamer has been around for a few years now, but it still holds up to the newer competition. The dual extruder printer prints quickly and is highly precise and produces excellent quality prints. It can also print with a wide range of filaments including PLA, ABS, PVA, HIPS and more. The 3.5-inch touchscreen is also nice to use.
A common trend about the 3D printers with enclosed designs is the smaller build size. The Flashforge Dreamer is no exception and has a build volume of just 230 x 150 x 150mm. Many have also joked that the Dreamer looks a bit like a microwave. It also uses the Flashforge's Flashprint software, which not many people are keen on as mentioned before.
Overall though, the Flashforge Dreamer is a great all-round 3D printer for beginners and intermediate users alike.
£949
Like the Panospace, the Honsmaker Bessen Plus is a solid 3D printer that many in the industry are not aware of. It is a taller version of the regular Honsmaker Bessen model and boasts a bigger build size of 190 x 170 x 450mm.
It has an attractive metal frame and an enclosed design with sizeable windows so you can keep an eye on your prints as they go along. It can print with PLA, ABS, HIPS and other types of filament and the print quality itself is of good standard and detail. The Bessen Plus also has a patented nozzle design that ensures precise and smooth extrusion and reduces the risk of the nozzle getting jammed.
There is no shortage of good mid-range 3D printers in the £400-£1000 price range. There are so many brands that are offering high performance at affordable prices, which is a great thing for consumers because not only is there a lot of choice, but the competition keeps prices down.
All of the 3D printers featured on this list are available to buy right now. Want to see more? Discover the rest of our great range of 3D printers. And if you need some filament for your new 3D printer, then be sure to check out our selection of premium 3D filament.
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So you’re thinking about buying a 3D printer or maybe you’ve already bought one. You’re suddenly introduced to a world where anything is possible and your imagination is running wild with an abundance of amazing things that you could print. But before you can make your dreams a reality, you need to decide what filament to buy.
There are so many different varieties of 3D filament, which makes it difficult to decide which one to go for, especially if you are new to 3D printing. At Technology Outlet, we stock multiple types of premium filaments available in 1.75mm and 3mm sizes. But which one should you buy? Let's help you make that decision.
They may look similar, but each filament type has subtle differences. They can have different strengths, densities, print temperatures and so on. If you’re on a desktop, have a look at our filament properties comparison table for a comprehensive feature comparison.
PLA (Polylactic Acid)
This is generally the 3D filament of choice for most printers. PLA is a natural, environmentally friendly and biodegradable filament made from renewable resources such as cornstarch, potato starch and sugar cane.
There’s a huge range of PLA filaments, each with slightly different strengths and printing temperatures. It is easy to print with as you don't have to tinker around with the print settings and the print quality is solid. This makes it a great filament for beginners.
Compared to a lot of other filaments, PLA is quite brittle. If you need a more durable option, PLA Plus and Carbon Fibre PLA are great alternatives.
ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)
ABS is probably the second most popular filament. It is stronger and more durable than PLA, but it has a much higher printing temperature so you will most likely need a printer with a heated print bed. It is non-toxic and keeps its colour well.
HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene)
HIPS is similar to ABS, but it uses something called Limonene as a solvent. It is also a little bit stronger and less likely to warp. It is biodegradable and safe to use, but like ABS, it requires high temperatures for printing. HIPS is a great 3D support material for lightweight prints.
PVA (Polyvinyl Alcohol)
PVA is a stiff, non-toxic and biodegradable filament. It is water soluble, which means it dissolves in water so it must be kept dry before you use it. It is reasonably easy to print with and makes a good support material, particularly with PLA filament. It’s often used with dual extruder 3D printers to provide support for overhanging features.
ASA (Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate)
Similar to ABS, but the main difference is that ASA is UV light resistant. This means that the print will not be damaged by the sun over time making it the perfect choice for your outdoor prints such as pots and planters. It’s important to note that ASA needs to cool very slowly to reduce the risk of cracking.
Nylon (Polyamide)
Nylon is arguably the most versatile filament. It is very strong and can be flexible or rigid depending on how thick the print is. It also needs to be kept dry as it can be affected by moisture.
Combination of very fine wood particles, PLA and a polymer that binds them together. The final print looks like wood, but the filament can be quite problematic to work with and may require sanding to get the finish you want. It is also easier to break than other filaments.
Not all 3D designs need to be strong and rigid. Flexible filament opens up opportunities to make rubber-like prints such as watch straps as well as other accessories like phone covers. May require modification of the printer or extruder.
Another category of PLA, which is combined with metallic powder. You can make prints that look like steel, bronze, brass and copper once polished. It’s extremely strong and durable and can be used for applications such as jewellery making. You will need to experiment with it to find the best print settings, but when you get it right, you'll be amazed with the results.
PET-G (Polyethylene Terephthalate)
PET-G is an incredibly strong filament. There is very little chance of warping and virtually no fumes when printing. It combines the ease of use of PLA filament with the strength and durability of ABS filament. It is also very good at bridging.
This modified PLA is slightly flexible and is conductive to low voltage circuitry so it can be used for simple electronics like LEDs and sensors. It can be paired with standard PLA filament on a dual extruder printer to create a basic circuit board. It is important to note that it is not particularly durable.
Also, don’t forget to take care of your 3D printer with cleaning filament. If you print regularly then over time, carbon and other residues can build up in the nozzle, which can then start to affect the quality of your prints. The cleaning filament flushes out residue and keeps your nozzle blockage-free. This is very beneficial when you change between different types of filament.
To determine what filament you need, it’s important to consider what type of objects you will be printing. But before you buy, you must check that your printer is compatible with the filament. Whichever filament type you decide is best for you, Technology Outlet has got you covered. Check out our Mystery Colour Box of PLA filament for a huge discount.]]>
What is it?
3D printing is pretty much what it sounds like - the printing of a 3D model. But this form of manufacturing isn’t like your standard factory production because the final object actually originates from a digital design on a computer. 3D printers have transformed the creative process, allowing everything from shoes to houses and even dead people to be printed using a variety of different materials!
Where did it come from?
3D printing evolved from its older cousin - 2D printing. If you run your finger over printed words on a piece of paper, you won’t be able to feel anything. But 2D printing isn’t entirely two-dimensional. If you were to observe the print under a microscope, you’d actually see that the letters sit slightly on top of the surface of the paper, rather than staining it. If you then printed the same page thousands of times over the top of one another, the ink would start to layer up and eventually you would have a solid 3D model of your text. This layering idea is what triggered the initial concept of 3D printing.
How does it work?
But how do all of these weird and wonderful creations come together? 3D printers work by placing thousands of tiny layers on top of one another from the bottom up. Gradually these layers stick together and form a solid object in a process called additive manufacturing. Because each layer is as simple or complex as you’ve programmed it to be, 3D printers can create any kind of shape or model over a period of hours.
Whilst there are different kinds of 3D printers which each work differently, the majority of 3D machines act almost like a large hot glue gun, using solid materials and melting them down to deposit them out in a different shape. It takes a 3D CAD model (Computer-Aided Draughting Software) from a computer and converts the coordinates so that it can print many two-dimensional, cross-sectional layers - flat prints that sit on top of one another. Rather than using ink, the printer deposits filaments like molten plastic or powder to fuse them together with adhesive or even UV light. 3D printers can ‘print’ in over a hundred materials from metal to nylon and even human cells! Thermoplastics are often used as the material melts when heated but solidifies when cooled down. One of these plastics - ABS - is used to make LEGO bricks, car interiors and even the insides of refrigerators, so it should come as no surprise that it’s a popular material in the 3D printing world.
The benefits of 3D printing are huge. Not only is the manufacturing process up to 10 times faster than other methods and 5 times cheaper, prototypes no longer take days to create, but hours. Although high-end printers are still expensive, there are cheaper machines on the market which are becoming more sophisticated by the day. As previously covered in our article "The Future of 3D Printing", this type of manufacturing is all set to revolutionise industries such as medicine, education and even food. The technology is expanding day by day, and now is a great time to see what you can do with it.
Are you interested in trying this new printing process? Check out our range of 3D printers and see how you could start creating right from your own home!
]]>Improvements and cost cuts are set to bring 3D printing into the mass market and even your home in the very near future.
And when this happens? The possibilities are endless. 3D printing has the potential to transform your home, your car, and even your food. Which raises a very exciting question... What does the future of 3D printing look like?
]]>There is no shortage of amazing things that can be printed, as we discovered in our previous article. And whilst there are some financial and practical limitations to 3D printing’s widespread adoption, the rapid advancement of 3D printing technology in such a short space of time suggests that these limitations could be overcome sooner rather than later. Improvements and cost cuts are set to bring 3D printing into the mass market and even your home in the very near future.
And when this happens? The possibilities are endless. 3D printing has the potential to transform your home, your car, and even your food. Which raises a very exciting question... What does the future of 3D printing look like?
Compared to conventional mass production methods, many experts believe that 3D printing will actually overtake power large-scale factory production in the future. Given that additive manufacturing (the process of 3D printing) has the potential to produce higher-quality parts more quickly and cost-effectively than current factory production, the manufacturing industry as a whole is set to be revolutionised. Factories will also have the ability to produce larger and more complex items from premium materials such as aluminium, titanium and other metals.
But which industries would benefit most from this? The automotive sector is one of the first. Car parts are expensive and time-consuming to produce, but by harnessing 3D printing this process could become cheaper and quicker for both manufacturers and consumers alike.
Another important yet surprising potential of 3D printing is its impact on health and medicine. There are so many complex medical applications that could be simplified with the help of 3D printing that many believe it will usher in a new era in medicine.
Customised medicines: Multiple pills could be combined into one, eliminating the need for the patient to take lots of pills throughout the course of the day. This singular pill would contain all of the drugs the patient needs and each one would be designed to release into the bloodstream at different times.
Bioprinting: Human tissue structures could be printed. Replacement body parts like ears or small arteries and veins could get rid of the need for some organ transplants. There is also the potential to print entire organs in the future.
Tailored prosthetics: Custom prosthetics could be tailor-made to fit the body size and shape of each individual patient rather than a one size fits all approach.
Practicing surgery: Surgeons could practise operations on 3D printed models of organs. This would mean operations could be completed more quickly and more efficiently, minimising risk to the patient and cutting the cost of using the operating theatre.
Whilst many larger industries are set to benefit from 3D printing in the future, this technology could quickly become a fundamental part of every household too.
But why would you want a 3D printer for your home? Imagine you’ve bought a new appliance but you’ve broken part of it. Rather than send the product off for repair or wait for the manufacturer to deliver the spare part, you would be able to download the file for it and print it off at home. There would also be the potential for items that you buy to be personalised to your preference and then printed off.
Eventually, the possibilities for 3D printing at home could become almost limitless. Even food could be commonplace! Restaurants are already experimenting with using edible filaments and printing their food, which suggests that such technology could ultimately save homeowners lots of time and effort spent on cooking.
The falling prices of 3D printers have seen a rise in the number of them being used in schools. Interesting and practical uses of 3D printing in the classroom would play an important role in developing future talent in the STEM field, an area where there is currently a skills shortage. Being able to quickly and easily go from a concept to a physical prototype will improve students' skills in engineering and design.
Given its potential to span multiple industries, home, work, education and medicine, the future of 3D printing looks very exciting. We have looked at just a glimpse of what the future could look like and it's not an overstatement to say that it could transform the world we live in. It’s no surprise that huge brands like General Electric and Adidas have already invested hundreds of millions of pounds in the technology.
New applications will come about as the capability of printing increases and evolves over time. The process will become so sophisticated that the only limitation to what can be printed will be our imagination.
As with any new technology, there will always be some issues that will need to be addressed. Relying predominantly on CAD software and AI for printing will have cybersecurity implications. It’s also still a slow-moving and expensive industry. But with prices already dropping and technology constantly improving, you could argue that the future is already here.
Technology Outlet has a fantastic range of 3D printers from some of the biggest brands on the market. We have complete build & ready to print entry-level printers starting from £199.00.
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