Best 3D printer for ~$2500?

[TurtleCreations]

I would recommend the Zortrax M200. Look at the stats in 3D Hubs and see the great number of reviews that has been posted. This is an no non sense machine that performs right out of the box. Perfect for prototypes. The filaments are not that expensive for the quality you get and makes up for the failed prints you would spend your cheap filament on with other printers.

[Cloud3D]

Just what I was about to post, its hard to say what is the best, the “best” for what?

Do you have any existing experience with 3D printing?

Are you mechanically minded or do you need something plug and play?

[SeeTheSea]

“My main goal is prototyping so print quality is most important to me”. I couldn’t find better prototyping solution than Zortrax M200 + Z-ULTRAT so I bought M200 a month ago. I don’t care if it uses proprietary material as long as it produces no-problem high-quality prints using really sturdy material.

[DreamEDGE]

Hello & Good Day,

Dear wm1059,

If you are looking at high quality print. I can support and provide the services to you.

I have high end machine such as Fortus 900mc & Object Connex 260.

Look forward to hear from you soon.

Thank You & Best Regards,

Mohd Shukri Muhammad

[Artiz]

So you don’t care that you can’t print a whole host of new and experimental filaments which include Bronze, Copper, Wood, Carbon Fiber, Moldlay (for lost wax molds)… the list is endless and growing daily. Prototyping is about experimentation not restriction…

[Fuad]

Hi,

the question is what you are prototyping it for.

Are you creating very small (take something like formlabs) objects or larger ones (prefer a FDM printer)?

If you print large objects, the question is how large, because then it affects plate size of the printer.

Also, do you want to sprint specific materials (e.g. more flexible plastic) or just general purpose plastic?

One recommendation I can give you is to pay attention to have a dual extruder with additional support material.

Otherwise you might end up with an high quality print itself, but support material hanging around.

With this in mind the range of printers you will find for around 2500 will be limited enough for you to decide

Hope this helps and enjoy!

[layerone]

Atom 2.0

Of course, I am biased, but you won’t find any other printer with a sturdier frame or better accuracy. At Maker Faire Bay Area people were in disbelief at the quality. My favorite quote from the fair was, “Is this really FDM?!” referring to a sample print at 50µ. It’s the only premium delta machine on the market, and deltas are proven to be both accurate and sturdy by their nature. It has a bunch of innovative features to make printing and servicing easier than usual too.

On top of all that, you’ll be able to order the accessory heated bed module from the web shop at the end of the month, and a dual extruder system will be ready at the end of the next. We are also shipping early to beta testers like yourself (professional prototyping, commercial, and research applications, etc.) if you are interested.

Good luck with your search!

[nikolaus]

I bought a Raise N2 plus double printhead and this was my worst investment ever, odes only print PLA with fair(not good) results the rest of the materials or don’t stick together(PVA with most of the other materials, Polysupport with most of the other materials and huge problems with build plate surface, even Buldtak does not do the job with those materials) Abs only from Formfura and there only the clear scent is working) the rest of the materials give horrible surfaces some surfaces look as if you had printed a cat with a 1 million volt electroschocker up its a… others look like hairballs and deformed and very nasty protruding surfaces etc. A horrible and unreliable printer. I will go in my next printer as well for a Ultimaker 2 extended. I have a zortrax 200 but the material choice is too limited, and the new one which is only printing proprietary material i don’t go for because this terrible experience i have made with Stratasys Dimension elite where you pay for a new printhead which from the parts would be 120 US$ worth they ask 5000 US $ for. So now way if the printer can not be equipped with other printheads or when you can only use proprietary material. Don’t ever go for that, it will be a very expensive experience which your clients are mort willing to pay for.

[erumaithi]

Ultimaker 2+ Extended is the Best. Open Source, easy to use and an amazing quality.

[Artiz]

Now that’s what I call a ‘sexy’ printer… when will it be available in the UK?

[layerone]

shipping to the UK is no problem!

[Artiz]

For $127.00 unfortunately it is

[layerone]

true, shipping is expensive… If you know anyone in the UK interested in reselling send them our way!

[TypeR]

Hi, I have not experience with the Zortrax printer nor with the Ultimaker, although I have seen many prints made with them.

But personally, I would suggest to consider the Mankati Fullscale XT-Plus.

My main issue with the Zortrax would be the reliance on factory filament. In my opinion, the quality of prints is very reliant on the quality of the filament used. In that, of course, the Zortrax has an advantage since the company has specifically chosen its material to match its own printer.
The downside of course is a higher price of filament and limited range of materials.

For me, I have just bought my second Mankati Fullscale XT-Plus printer since I needed to extend my production capability.

My first Mankati printer has logged 4100+ hours of printing in just 15 months (average of 9 hours per day, 7 days a week).

Of course, with such a heavy workload , I have had some issues with the printer, but with a printer doing that much work that can only be expected. Especially if you consider the fact that I have printed a wide range of materials, from PLA, ABS, PETG, NGEN, XT, HT, Apollo-X, Nylon, Woodfill, FlexPLA/Flexifill, Glowfill etc.

For the record, I ordered my second Mankati on Monday directly in China and it arrived on Friday. Contact and support has been excellent throughout the year…

[RockstarAlchem]

I love my Lulzbot TAZ6, so much I have two. It’s a workhorse for prototyping and production.

[designsoul]

Hi,

There are great printers available at that price.

Consider the very popular Ultimaker 2 with dual extrusion and hotbed at around $2k.

For visually better models but less options in terms of materials as well as higher material costs, choose for an SLA printer.

The Titan 1 comes at $2,899.

There are also nice entry-level printers at very low prices, such as the Wanhao i3 at $350 or the Olo SLA printer at $99 - http://www.olo3d.net

[joshuah_torres]

There are 2 printers I really like that I can also help you with.

Creatorbot 12x12x18"

Zortrax M200

www.exoticdesigns3d.com

josh@exoticdesigns3d.com

Feel free to ask me any questions.

Also another popular machine is a Ultimaker.

[Harper_Abbot]

I have experience with Taz 5 and Ultimaker 2, both are excellent machines with large user bases built on open platforms. I’d recommend either.

[3DPrintedArt]

Lulzbot Taz 6. I have ano earlier model but it has very good print quality and a huge build volume.

[bhudson]

One more to consider is the CEL Robox. The build volume is on the small side - 210 mm X by 150 mm Y by 100 mm Z, but the ease of use, both in software and in hardware, makes up for it. I have been using three of them in my Hub and consistently get 5 star reviews for quality. I have run over 30 pounds of materials of various types through the printers with little maintenance and very few print failures. Most print failures I have are a result of the model not being suited for the material the client chooses. This size also lets me print 90% of what my customers are asking for and 95% of my own projects.

The early models had some issues, but recent updates have eliminated them and the printer seems to be a solid contender and probably one of the best on the market for its size and price point.