The best 3d printer review brings you a large volume 3d printer. Made by 3d systems in America, the 3ds Cubepro 3d printer fits into the prosumer area of printers, it is equally at home on your desk at work or in your living room. It is a FFF( Fused Filament Fabrication) type of printer. This is where the filament is melted and extruded out of a small nozzle, melted onto the previous layer, also called additive manufacturing.
Build size: 275 x 265 x 230mm (10.75” x 10.5” x 9.05”) No. of nozzles : 3 Size: 566 x 581 x 606 mm (22” x 22” x 24”) Material: ABS, PLA, nylon, flex, wood, water soluble support
With the very large build area you are less restricted on the size of your designs. What you will have had to print in two or three parts on some other small printers you can easily print in one go on this machine.
You don’t need to have a physical connection with your printer, enabling it to be placed out of the way and not needing moving every time you want to print. The WIFI connection can be over a network so everybody can use it or you can connect a single computer to it for wireless printing.
The easy to read touchscreen display gives you guidance for every step you need to carry out on your printer. From initial setup to downloading models from the internet, the easy to read display with touch control allows the user full control.
One of the most frustrating things with 3d printers is the warping and non sticking of the model to the build platform. With the enclosed design the inside environment is temperature controlled to reduce this happening.
Do you want more than one colour, then this is the printer for you. Not one – not two but three print nozzles give you a very flexible printer capable of printing up to three colours or two colours and a support material. This allows your creativity to design items which on the single nozzle printer would be impossible.
When you design your creation, you can use the different materials available to you. Once finished designing all you have to do is to load up the simple to change cartridge system with the materials you want. The machine will tell you if there is not enough material left to print your model. Then press print. The enclosed cartridge system allows a moisture lock seal to be included, as the filament will absorb moisture. This simple feature significantly prolongs the shelf life of your cartridge.
Current Fused Filament Fabrication printers have an undesirable layered finish. Getting the size of the layers as small as possible is one way of reducing this ridging effect seen on many printed object. You have control over the print quality, if it is the final model set it to fine, if it is a prototype and you need it quickly then set the print quality to coarse.
Once the print is finished you remove it from the build platform, wash it off and marvel at your ability to print off 3d parts. If you have used the support material drop your piece into the support removal tank, with the liquid made up of either just hot water or caustic soda. This unit is available separately and features a heated tank along with a timer to prevent you from forgetting to switch it off.
Material
Along with the standard materials of ABS and PLA you have nylon to make a more robust part. The 20 colours in the ABS and 11 colours in the PLA range will allow you a lot of flexibility in the colour of your designs. The nylon material comes in three colours, with the flex material in four colours. Some of the materials require a change in nozzle size – so be warned that you will need to calibrate the machine before using this new nozzle and after replacing the old one.
software
3d systems have their own software Invent which is easy to use, starting in 2d you sketch out your initial design. Then you move to the 3d area where you finish off the design. This is one of the first pieces of software designed specifically for the 3d printing market and with the beginner in mind. The software is available for a free trial with a low cost price it is ideal to match with your Cubepro 3d printer.
It does look like a very good printer, a bit on the large side but with three print heads you have a lot of flexibility. The large build area gives you flexibility The easy to change cartridge system With its high resolution printing the finished product will look good, and the ability to change colour part way through the print will give you stunning results. The WIFI communication is excellent and allows the printer to be placed where you want it. I am sure the range of materials will expand and keep up with what is available elsewhere in the industry.
For me the price is high, both of the printer and the cartridges, but for what you are getting – with the ease of use – maybe it’s not too bad.
Would I buy one – not at the moment, I am happy with my reprap prusa i3, only a single nozzle but I am an engineer at the end of the day – I like to play with engineering.
Would I recommend it – yes to those who would like to try out 3d printing in multiple materials or colours. With very little mess or hassle. Almost plug and play.
If you are thinking of buying one then check out the price here.
Leave a comment if the box below if you have a 3ds Cubepro 3d printer or are thinking of buying one, so we can find out your experiences.
