There can be a seemingly overwhelming number of things to consider when purchasing your first 3D printer! I know! We had to sort through it all before we bought our first 3D printer! Unfortunately, the process of deciding on what features you need or might want in your first 3D printer and all the other factors you should consider before getting involved in this 3D printing hobby is still too confusing and involved for most “normal” people (i.e. non-nerds).
Here we tame that wild frontier of potential confusion surrounding this exciting new hobby by explaining & reviewing the most important FEATURES you should be looking for in your first 3D printer as well as some of the FACTORS you really need to consider before purchasing.
FEATURES to Look for in a First 3D Printer: Fully Enclosed Build Area, Air Filtration, Removable Build Plate, Automatic Resume, Heated Build Plate, Automatic Bed Leveling, Integrated Camera/WiFi Enabled, Touch Screen & Maximum Build Volume.
FACTORS to Consider: Safety, Price, Convenience/Ease of Use, Open Source vs Proprietary, Noise Level, Online Community, Online Reviews & the Size of the 3D Printer.
Important Factors to Consider Before Buying Your First 3D Printer
These are some of the major factors you should consider before buying you first 3D printer. There may be others – but hopefully this will cover the big ones and at least prompt you to think about your specific circumstances.
1) SAFETY:
- Potential Health Issues: I cover the health & safety issues related to 3D printing in another post which you can find here. Suffice to say, if you are purchasing your first 3D printer – you need to be aware of the health & safety issues that come with this hobby. Some simple steps – such as not locating the 3D printer in your living space can go a long ways in alleviating most of the health & safety concerns regarding 3D printing. Your specific concerns will have a significant impact on the type of printer you should purchase.
- Will Children Be Using the 3D Printer Unsupervised?: Not all parents will be as fascinated with 3D printing as we are. If you are considering a 3D printer for your children – but you are not very interested in 3D printing – that is definitely something that should factor into the equation regarding the TYPE of 3D printer you buy for your children. If there is going to be only minimal adult supervision we would recommend steering clear of SLA (resin) 3D printers and stick to FDM style printers that are FULLY ENCLOSED. See my post the Best 3D Printers for Children 8-12 Years Old for some suggestions – for any budget – of the best FULLY ENCLOSED FDM style 3D printers for children and families with small children.
- Some 3D printers have enclosures that can keep small hands away from hot & moving parts, and some of them even include air filtration systems with activated charcoal to mitigate risk associated with the fumes and dust that can be produced with the printing process. Of course those are going to be models on the higher end of the price scale – which is the next factor to consider!
2) PRICE:
- Kids often tend to be rough on things and break them! (at least if they are anything like my kids!) So if you expect that your children will be some of the primary users of the 3D printer – it is understandable that you might not want to spend a whole lot of money on your first printer.
- If this is a new hobby for you & your family, you might want to start off slow and not invest too much money at first. If you find that 3D printing is something you and your family really enjoy and are likely to stick with for some time, you can always upgrade to a more capable and expensive unit.
- Some of the lower-end 3D printers like the Creality Ender 3 Pro are amazingly capable machines that can be purchased for a surprising modest cost of just around $200 – $250 on Amazon. Prices are always changing – so you can click here to see the most current pricing.
3) CONVENIENCE & EASE OF USE:
- 3D printing is not yet at the Star Trek stage where you can just speak to the computer and request it build you that item with the replicator! We are also mindful that, to some extent, there is a trade-off between price and ease of use. This is very apparent – if you look at our analysis of the Creality Ender 3 Pro versus the Dremel DigiLab 3D45 (you can see that post here).
- The good news is that with growing interest in 3D printing and 3D printers continuing to evolve and improve – they are all getting easier to use! What were once expensive luxuries are becoming more commonplace – even on lower budget printers.
- There are some really good & capable 3D printers that are very inexpensive – but do not include some of the bells and whistles (conveniences) that you might want. You should consider just how much you are willing to pay for some of those amenities.
- The price differential (premium) for a fully assembled 3D printer is NOT what it use to be. Sure – you can still save some money by purchasing a printer that you have to assemble before using – but if you prefer not to do that – fully assembled 3D printers really don’t command the price premiums they once did. So if you are not particularly mechanically inclined – you can still get into 3D printing and it really won’t cost you anymore than it will for someone that has those mechanical skills and the inclination to assemble the 3D printer. 3D printing is becoming more main-stream and user friendly. It is no longer just the province of geeks & nerds!
4) OPEN SOURCE PRINTER Versus PROPRIETARY PRINTER:
- Open source means that the hardware and software information for the printer is freely available to the public under license. So others, and not just the manufacturer, can build upon and improve both the hardware and software of the machine.
- With an open source machine it will be easier, and presumably, less expensive to find add-on and modifications for your printer. That fact will probably also extend the life of the machine – because you can “upgrade” it to augment its feature set – as opposed to having to purchase a whole new unit to do so.
- Finally, for some of the printers that are NOT open source – you may be required to purchase proprietary materials and supplies if you want to avail yourself of all the features the printer has to offer and / or not void your warranty. That can mean expect there to be some additional cost in purchasing those proprietary supplies and materials.
5) Noise Levels:
- Some printers are loader than others. If you will not be able to locate the printer outside your primary living quarters, have children that will be using the printer, or just prefer the printer to be on the quieter side – that is something you are going to want to identify and factor into your purchasing decision. Some prints can take HOURS upon hours to complete – so you are going to want to make sure the the noise level is something you can live with!
6) STRONG ONLINE COMMUNITY:
- How active and involved of a online community is there for the printer you are considering? The online community can be an important source of tips, tricks and troubleshooting ideas. Getting a popular printer with an very active online community would be a definite advantage! Such an active community can & will most likely prove to be an invaluable resource!
7) ONLINE REVIEWS:
- What are people who have actually bought 3D printer models you are considering saying about those printers? Most people prefer to go into a purchase with our eyes open – knowing what actual users are saying about a product, as opposed to what the marketing materials promise. So spend some time looking at the reviews of the various 3D printers in which you are interested and read some reviews!
- Good places to scour reviews is Amazon. Many people take a significant amount of time and effort to compose comprehensive reviews of the printers they purchased – detailing both the good and the bad. We tend to only consider units that have a least a few hundred reviews.
8) Size of the 3D Printer
- 3D printers come in all different shapes and sizes. Make sure that you have the space you need to place & use the printer. There will also be various supplies and tools that you will need to have a place for as well (Think spools of filament, scrapers, scissors, glue sticks, etc).
- If you are looking for an idea of the dimensions of some 3D printers – please check out my post here – which has a table with the dimension of 5 fully enclosed printers we really like!
The Features Your First 3D Printer SHOULD Have!
Okay, so maybe you won’t actually really WANT or NEED all of these features I describe below – but you should at least be AWARE that they are out there. Reviewing this list should prompt you to consider what features you would really like your first 3D printer to have.
1) Fully Enclosed Build Area:
- 3D printing safety is a BIG factor with young kids. Enclosed box 3D printers will be more effective at keeping small hands away from moving and hot parts!
2) Air Filtration / Activated Charcoal Filter:
- Some enclosures are not designed to mitigate the fumes and dust associated with 3D printing, while others are specifically designed for that purpose. This can be an important factor – especially if you are interested in printing with a filament like ABS – since it produces foul smelling, and potentially hazardous fumes.
3) Removable Build Plate:
- With a removable build plate – the entire build plate and 3D printed model can be very easily removed from the printing area after the print is complete. No awkward maneuvering with your hands under a potentially hot print nozzle to free your creation!
- A flexible or magnetic bed is not only be easy to remove and replace – but also be bendable. The flexibility of the build plate allows you to simply twist the build plate to “pop” off the 3D printed model – as opposed to having to scrape it off with a spatula or razor. If you have young children that are interested in using the 3D printer or will just be in close proximity to the printer – having to store and potentially use a razor to remove the 3D model from the build plate would be an obvious safety concern!
4) Automatic Resume:
- 3D printing can take hours to print a single object. That can leave a lot of time for something to go wrong or for a power disruption to ruin the build. For somewhat impatient children – the time alone is probably going to be a factor – but if after waiting for a significant period of time and having a power disruption wreck the build – might just be too much! That is why we really wanted a printer that could resume a print after a power disruption. We wanted a printer that could pick right back up from the last layer and finish the print – saving time, money (filament) and frustration!
5) Heated Build Plate:
- To get a good result with your 3D printer it is absolutely essential to get good adhesion to the build plate. If the model does not adhere well to the build plate – you will get distortion and possibly a print fail. A heated build plate generally improves adhesion and requires fewer adjustments to get a quality build.
- Some types of filament may benefit more from a heated bed than others. Although PLA printing can be done without a heated build plate – a heated build plate should increase the likelihood of success for each build, even with PLA (and there by reduce frustrations) – so it may be a worthwhile investment for you.
- Although, like us, you may intend on using PLA for most / all of your builds – it is nice to have the option of trying other types of filament like TPU or ABS. In that event you may find you need a heated build plate work with those other filament types.
6) Automatic Bed Leveling/Assisted Bed Leveling:
- Leveling the print bed of a 3D printer can be a frustrating experience sometimes – especially for children that may lack the dexterity and patience to do so. Auto leveling will definitely make your printing experience less frustrating – but there is a cost associated with it.
- In an effort to increase a beginners overall enjoyment of 3D printing, and increase likelihood of successful model prints, it may make a lot of sense to purchase a 3D printer that does not require manual bed leveling!
- As 3D printing grows in popularity and 3D printers improve – this aspect of manually leveling the print bed / build plate will likely go the way of manual transmissions and rotary dial phones. We think, in time, you will see auto bed leveling become a standard feature on many of the newer 3D printers.
7) Integrated Camera & Remote Control (WiFi Enabled):
- We find that we use the camera feature of our printer a lot – especially since we located our printer in the basement. The camera feature – combined with the remote control feature are very nice features to have – and 2 that I don’t think we could give up at this point.
- We love having the printer out of the way – but still being able to monitor our print and control the printer. If you have read any of my other posts – you are probably aware that I believe that a printer should NOT be located in a primary living space – since there are some health concerns related to breathing the dust and fumes that can be emitted from a 3D printer.
- Pairing an Octopi with a 3D printer, or purchasing a WiFi enabled printer, will allow you to start, control and monitor our 3D printer remotely. Being able to start builds remotely and and not be in the same room as the printer allows more safety conscious hobbyists the opportunity to try out printing with ABS or some other filaments we might not otherwise consider using.
8) Touch Screen:
- Although WiFi enabled/ Remote Control can be wonderful features – they might not be as easy for children to use. For that reason, we feel it is still important that there be a touch screen on the printer itself. If there is something wrong with the print – you want your son or daughter to be able to stop the printer immediately. And the easiest way to accomplish that is with a touch screen right on the printer.
9) Maximum Print Volume:
- If you are planning on, or want to be able to print larger objects – you are going to want to make sure that the printer you buy has a sufficient build volume. This may be especially important for people planning on printing parts for cosplay costumes – which tend to be on the larger side. So take a look at some of the posts here on this blog and some of the free 3D model repositories (Thingiverse, Cults3D, etc) to get some idea of the types of models and objects you might be interested in printing.
All the Rest – Other Factors & Features You May Want to Consider for Your First 3D Printer!
These are some other factors & features you might want to consider for your first 3D printer, but were not as important to us.
- Assembled / Unassembled Printer. You may want to purchase an unassembled 3D printer in order to learn about how the printer is put together and how it works. Other people would rather avoid having to assemble the printer themselves and are just more interested in using it right out of the box. There isn’t as much of a cost premium associated with purchasing a fully assembled 3D printer as opposed to one that requires assembly as there was a couple of years ago.
- Filament Types to be Used: This was not as important to us – as we have concerns about some filament types such as ABS – so PLA is the only filament type we really cared the printer could use. Some printers are limited in the types of filaments that can be used with them. If you have a specific type of printing you have in mind – you will want to make sure that the printer can handle the type of filament that will be required for the type of printing you want to do. For example – if you plan on printing parts that need to be durable or mechanical parts to be used in machines – using nylon filament would probably be your best bet. So you will need to make sure that the printer you buy can handle nylon filament!
- What you want to make: This will factor into the materials you will want to print with – see above (Filament Types to be Used).
- What colors you want your objects to be: This will, again, also factor into the materials you will want to print with – see above (Filament Types to be Used).
- Number of Extruders:- printers with more than one extruder will cost significantly more – but can do AMAZING things – like print dis-solvable supports or 2 color objects!
- Nozzle Size: .1mm for more precise prints, cheaper FDM printers will have a larger size such as .2mm, .3mm, or even .4mm.
- Print Resolution: Consider both XY and vertical (Z) print resolutions.
Our Situation
My nerdy 10 year old daughter, Gracie, had been bugging me to get her a 3D printer for over a year before we purchased our first printer! Since she was only 10 at the time – any 3D printer we would consider purchasing has to be something that she can use and learn more about without it being overly complex or involved.
It also couldn’t be too expensive – since we are talking about an inexperienced 10 year-old girl using this thing – which will inevitably result in the 9 year old boy wanting to use it (her brother), and then the 8 year old younger sister…. You get the point!
We were looking to spend between $200 – $300 on a 3D printer.
We wanted an open source printer – since we were hoping that the open source nature of the printer we have will also extend the novelty of the printer and hobby – because we can always be adding something new to upgrade & improve it!
We are aware and realistic that this is a hobby and printing will entail some tweaking and experimentation.
We spent a lot of time reading reviews and watching YouTube videos about the printers we were interested in and tried to ascertain how easy to use the various printers would be.
The FACTORS we felt were the most important in selecting our first 3D printer for our young family were Safety, Price, Ease of Use, Open Source, the presence of a Strong Online Community, and the number & strength of Positive Reviews for the printer.
The most important FEATURES we wanted in a 3D printer were a Heated Build Plate, Removable Build Plate & Automatic Resume.
Ultimately, we chose the Creality Ender 3 Pro as the 3D printer we would first purchase. You can read about the analysis and comparison we made between the final two printers we looked at and considered here.
Conclusion
Here we outlined some of the most important FACTORS (Safety, Price, Ease of Use, Open Source Versus Proprietary, Noise Level, Online Community, Online Reviews & Size of the Printer) you should consider before purchasing your first 3D printer, as well as the most important FEATURES (Fully Enclosed Build Area, Air Filtration, Removable Build Plate, Automatic Resume, Heated Build Plate, Automatic Bed Leveling, Integrated Camera/WiFi Enabled, Touch Screen & Maximum Build Volume) to look for.
Of course, picking the right 3D printer will depend on your particular circumstances and what your specific goals and objectives are for buying the printer.
I hope you found this post helpful in identifying the various factors and features you should consider before buying your first 3D printer.
Thank you for reading!
Sincerely,
