Spis treści:
Everything clearly points to the growing interest in 3D printing in the world. Start-ups are increasingly appearing on the market, trying to propose and implement new solutions. Other brands, in turn, have already worked their way to the top. One example is Prusa, which we used ourselves to print helmets for hospitals – the brand name is immediately associated with 3D printers. We can also tell you that in our blog ranking, entries about 3D printing are clearly the most popular.
What guided us
Our editors, after carefully examining the market offerings and the assortment of leading companies, decided to include six indisputably great devices in this article. The selection criteria varied – we looked at:
- popularity and the hype that has built up around a particular model,
- the price/quality ratio and the possibilities it offers,
- available modifications,
- communities that has formed around a given model (the so-called community),
- transparency of its producers.
The printers selected for you differ in many ways, which is why the ranking is more a collection of gold medal winners – it’s hard to compare Elvis Presley with Mick Jagger, isn’t it? See below the most interesting models in 2020.
Creality Ender-3 / Ender-3 Pro
Creality Ender -3 and the Ender-3 Pro version are the queens of affordable 3D printers. The Ender’s unwavering popularity around the world, great capabilities, innovative design, a wide range of modifications, and a helpful community of fans of the model are the strengths that have propelled the Ender-3 and its brother Ender-3 Pro to the top of the list. The manufacturer – Creality – is known for creating groups and fan pages on social networks, which are not only an area for posting promotional news, but also a field for discussions and broadcasting live footage.
Creality CR-10 Max
The next device on the list is the Creality CR -10 Max. What can we say about it? The printer is very quick to assemble and to heat up the work table. The design is based on the plan of a triangle, which provides stability and practically reduces vibration of the Z-axis to a minimum. Nozzles with diameters of 0.4 and 0.8 mm enable the realization of various printing requirements. It offers also smooth, synchronous printing and shares the same advantages as in the case of Ender. Ergonomic design, clear touch screen interface in HD quality and much more – all this makes the CR -10 Max a solid option also for professional medical, architectural and decorative models.
Prusa i3 MK3S
Czech engineering was already known for innovative thinking in the 1940s. From the land of Škoda comes to us the Prusa i3 MK3S printer. It is a giant of 3D printing – we also use it in our projects. It has been equipped with an improved extruder and an IR filament sensor. A magnetic work table with sheets made of spring steel is an interesting addition as well. Prusa printers have received great reviews and awards all over the world, for example in ALL3DP, Make and Digital Fabrication Guide magazines. And Prusa is awake – you can expect tweaks and upgrades from time to time.
Creality CP-01
Take a look at the new Creality CP-01 – the article is starting to sound like a paean to this company, but there are clear reasons for that. CP-01 is a “3 in 1 option” – it includes a laser module, a CNC cutting module and of course a 3D printer itself. To summarise: we have a printer, cutter and laser at our disposal. CP-01 is reasonably priced compared to models with similar multi-functionality. The laser engraver can work on wood, plastic or leather and is compatible with various heads. Precise and smooth CNC cutting will help process wood, circuit boards, paper and plastic. A great choice for home, office and workshop.
Snapmaker v1
The Snapmaker v1 with the included Snapmakerjs software is a dream option for 3D model creation and, like its predecessor in the line, for laser engraving and CNC sculpting projects. The printer has a strong fan community – suffice it to say that when the first generation Snapmaker debuted on Kickstarter in March 2017, it raised its budget in just 5 minutes (sic!), and the latest edition in spring 2019 reached over $2 million. Since people tend to protect and stick to their investments, you can be sure that you will never be left alone with Snapmaker. Advantages: cheap, easy to assemble, with metal frame, engraver + cutter.
We have written more extensively (but still positively) about the Snapmaker here.
Want more?
So, how do you like them? Remember that we offer a whole plethora of printers, and the above ranking is just our opinion. Filaments, accessories, scanners, heads and even printing pens are just some of the fascinating legacies of Gutenberg’s invention that you can find in the Botland offer. When it comes to printers, you can choose from models from Anet, Creality, Dobot, Flashforge, Goofoo, Prusa, Snapmaker, Velleman, Yidimu, Zortrax, Urbicum and ATMAT. As the 3D printing market is bombing along, you can certainly expect our offer to grow.
