I am looking to purchase a 3D printer as a hobbyist, not for any commercial use. I have limited options with local 3D printers but that’s good as they’re mostly cheaper low end printers so I can look at them thoroughly.
When I’m comparing the different 3D printers I’m mainly looking at the following: Cost, nozzle diameter, layer height, volume, and viable filaments.
My question is, is there anything else I’m missing? Are there important things I should be considering or avoiding?
Different printers have different resolutions but for my purposes it looks like they’re all highly accurate and way past what I need. Not worried about speed either. They all mention bed and nozzle temperatures but I assume they are all within the necessary range for the filaments they allow right? So does it matter?
Also, any advice for maintenance? How to make it last as long as possible any mistakes I should be wary of. Thanks.
I have an AnkerMake M5 and after having to fight with a Monoprice Select for years, the M5 is a revelation. It’s not cheap but it goes on sale pretty regularly, and it’s been stunningly reliable and consistent. I used to have to babysit the first few minutes of every print on the Monoprice but now I just fire off a print and come back later. It has automatic bed leveling, magnetic PEI bed plates, great repairability, and a decent app.
The “AI camera” aspect is so far a dud with too many false positives, but being able to stream the camera from the app and view a Timelapse to see how a print failed are nice features for a printer of this price.