Latest news with #BambuLab
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Yahoo
Anycubic S1 Combo Review: We Finally Have a Bambu Lab P1S Competitor
See at Anycubic Over the last year we have seen a lot of 3D printers trying to replicate the success that Bambu Lab has had with its color system. The P1P combo" target="_self (followed up by the P1S combo) are still some of the best 3D printers" target="_self you can buy, and until now, there was very little in the way of competition. The combination of color system, speed and quality seemed like a pipe dream for most manufacturers. That's all changed in early 2025, with several companies finally taking a stab at the color combo. Anycubic has been making budget 3D printers for a long time so it makes sense for them to try and compete with Bambu Lab in the color system space. Its first foray, the Anycubic Kobra 3 was a fine attempt, but the S1 combo is the company's direct competitor to the Bambu Lab P1S, and it is surprisingly good. Good enough to hold its own in a space long dominated by one company. Like the P1S, the Anycubic S1 is a core XY 3D printer. Core XY differs from many printers in that the print bed moves up and down, and the print nozzles stay on the same plane. This creates a much more stable platform for the print and reduces the chance of vibration issues. Core XY works very well with a color system because it is often enclosed and allows you to stack the color system (called the ACE on Anycubic machines) on top of the machine to reduce the footprint without introducing major movement issues. The S1 has a plastic door and lid, rather than the glass from the P1S, and while it does make it slightly louder, it also makes the entire machine lighter, so it's a trade-off. I was worried that the lack of glass would make the S1 feel cheap, but it doesn't make as much difference as I had thought. What does make a difference is the large LCD panel on the S1. My chief complaint about the P1P/P1S has always been that the display is difficult to navigate and feels very cheap. At 4.3 inches, the LCD on the S1 is large and easy to navigate, which makes adjusting parameters on the fly much easier. It's far more similar to the LCD on the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon (a more expensive machine) than the P1S' tiny 1 inch by 3 inch display. The S1 also uses USB thumb drives as its storage of choice rather than the MicroSD cards used by the P1S. I much prefer that as they are easier to load and unload and they are easier to transport. The S1 does have its own internal memory as well, so when you transfer via WiFi, it keeps a copy stored on the machine, making it easier to reprint if you are making batch copies. The quality of the Anycubic S1 is surprisingly good. Well, maybe surprisingly isn't the right word. Most modern 3D printers are significantly better than they were even 3 years ago, but the S1 is in a price bracket that can fall prey to poor tuning. The machine doesn't seem to have any mechanical issues that could cause bad prints, and my test print showed significant improvements over the Kobra 3, Anycubic's other color system 3D printer. The test print had significantly better towers and dimensional accuracy --something that a core XY printer is very good at -- and shows the cooling is working the way it should. I printed models in PLA, TPU, ABS, and PETG and all of them printed well. The enclosure means that even hot materials like ABS can print well, though I recommend taking the lid off to print PLA. The interior can get a little warm, and it just prints better at cooler temperatures. The best models seemed to come from PLA and PETG in terms of quality, and I had some issues getting the TPU through into the nozzle due to the flexibility and length of the PTFE tube. Aside from that, the S1 performed admirably. Color systems are on the rise and Anycubic's take is likely to give us a good idea of what the budget market systems are going to be like. The ACE unit itself is fine. There is nothing to distinguish it from other color systems as it doesn't have a heated chamber or anything like that, but it works as it is supposed to. I'm a little concerned that the entrances to the material feeds will grind down over time as they are in a fixed position, but they do look like a replaceable part, which is good. The color prints themselves are excellent. You can see from the cheerful pilot and the purge tower behind it there there was very little in the way of bleeding, and that the purge tower is clean along the margins. That means the "poop chute" and nozzle cleaner are doing what they are designed for, which is unusual for a lot of these Bambu Lab clones. Honestly, even the P1S can struggle with this, so seeing Anycubic work to get this right is a welcome change. The Anycubic S1 has the same issue as with any color system, the waste. The amount of printer poop -- the colloquial term for printer waste -- that the S1 produces is very similar to that of the P1S. Though I think I could reduce it if I spent a little more time with the software, which creates challenges of its own. The Anycubic slicer is based on several others, including Bambu Slicer, Orca Slicer and Prusa Slicer. Unfortunately, it seems to have removed some of the more helpful settings, like the one that allows me to adjust the purge levels on the printer. Those settings are important if you want to reduce your printer's waste without creating color bleed issues. The Anycubic slicer is certainly better than its last version, but it still has a way to go to make itself as simple to use as its competitors. This is one of the biggest issues with even the best budget 3D printers" target="_self. These days, 3D printers often come with apps which are usually subpar (like their slicers tend to be). The S1 uses the same app as the Kobra 3, which is, frankly, awful. It is loaded with ads and just feels like an afterthought in a way that the Bambu app and now the Prusa app don't. It feels like it's trying to sell you something, and that's just not what I need from a 3D printing app. It needs to monitor my machines and help me printer quicker or better, but the app struggles to do that effectively. Overall, my experience with the S1 from Anycubic is positive. For $400 for the standalone machine and $600 for the color system combo, it stands up to the P1S in almost every way, and beats it on price. The P1S with color system sells for around $700 and, from what I can see, doesn't offer anything more than the Anycubic. Only the software reduces the overall experience of using the Anycubic S1, though I find the better LCD on the printer makes up for some of that shortfall. Software issues aside, the S1 is a sturdy entry into the Core XY with color system pantheon and can be considered one of the best in its price bracket.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
I've Spent Some Time With Elegoo's New 3D Printer and It's Pretty Great for $300
Just a few years ago, 3D printing changed significantly. A new brand emerged from Kickstarter, redefining what's possible in the consumer market by introducing enclosed 3D printers that deliver high-quality models at unprecedented speeds. Since then, every company has tried to react to the change, but it's taken a while. Now, though, companies are starting to release CoreXY machines to compete with the Bambu Lab behemoth, and Elegoo's Centauri Carbon is a great example of this new wave. The Centauri is aimed squarely at the beginner to mid-range market that the P1S and P1P from Bambu Lab currently occupy. As a direct rival to the P1S -- one of my top picks for 3D printers -- it comes at a lower price and, surprisingly, with very few concessions. I've spent some time with it, and at its current $399 price tag, I'd say it's one to watch. The first thing I noticed when I unboxed the Centauri was the glass door and lid. Elegoo could have easily saved a few dollars there and made them out of plastic. It would have been fine, but the weight of the glass and the acoustic dampening it produces is a welcome upgrade. That ethos is prevalent throughout the Centauri, too; it doesn't feel cheap. It feels well engineered and designed to be a workhorse, not a machine to throw away after a year. When you directly compare the P1S and the Centauri, you can see the specs are similar in speed, build area and general accessories. The Centauri even outperforms the P1S in some areas, such as its more user-friendly LCD display. Its interior layout, including a filament waste chute, hints at a possible future multi-color system similar to the AMS. If that happens, I hope it remains compatible with this model -- having to buy an entirely new printer just to access the color system would be a tough sell. When it comes to the overall quality of the prints, the Centauri Carbon performed admirably. The CNET test print that I use to test all of the printers that come through my workshop showed very little defects, though there was some stringing on the print, indicating it was a little too hot, and the 0.2mm tolerance test was stuck tight. Most of the issues could be fixed within the software, so it's not too big of a deal. I used the Centauri to print a large number of fun little flexi dinosaurs and fidget toys for my daughter's first-grade class. No matter how many I printed or what material I used, each one came out looking great. And all the kids loved them, which is the most important thing. I tested the hardened nozzle with PLA, PETG, TPU and even glow-in-the-dark filament, and the Centauri printed them all smoothly. I've enjoyed my time with the Centauri Carbon, and once I've finished the full testing, I have a feeling it'll be a strong contender for a place on my best lists. Right now, it's available to preorder at the Elegoo website for $300 (£300 GBP). If you're looking for a first-time printer, this is an excellent pick.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Yahoo
Best Budget 3D Printers of 2025
There's nothing quite as magical as creating something with your own two hands. That's why, if you're big into the creative side of things, you should save up to get yourself a 3D printer. Whether you're looking to use it for cosplay by making your own outfits or creating your own figurines from the ground up, there's so much you can achieve with a 3D printer in mind. If you're new to 3D printing or want to buy a printer, now is a great time. Printers are affordable, and you can get high-quality prints without spending an arm and leg in the process. Before you start shopping for a 3D printer, think about what you'd like to create. Whether it's fun gifts or impressive costume armor, your options are endless. You could even launch an Etsy shop and sell your creations. If you're so inclined, with a couple of printers, you could even turn your hobby into a little side hustle. Below we've listed all of the top affordable 3D printer options to help you find one suitable for you and your needs. Budget 3D printing is a growing category. For your money, the best you can buy is the Anycubic Kobra 2 (it is currently out of stock, so keep checking back). The affordable printer has enough upgraded features to make it an incredibly useful machine. Its price was recently slashed to $169 from its previously firm-set price range of $250-$280. Having such excellent print quality in a budget printer makes it an ideal choice. These budget 3D printers all cost under $500 (although prices can drift a bit from month to month), and some are better suited for beginners than others. Our list of picks for the best 3D printer overall covers a much wider range of choices, but these are excellent for getting started -- or for buying several at once. If you are thinking of creating a print farm, then buying several Anycubic Kobra 2 is an excellent way to get started. The Adventurer 5M and the 5M Pro are two excellent 3D printers from Flashforge. They aren't fancy, and you can see they take heavy influence from the P series from Bambu Lab -- but what they do, they do well, and they do it at an enticing price. A solid CoreXY printer that can print solidly at 300mm/s is not to be sniffed at and one that's under $300 is well worth your time. I especially like the Flashprint software that allows you to network several printers at the same time effortlessly. Great for schools and small print farms. See at Flashforge Anker did way more than take its excellent M5 printer and remove a few things to create a budget-friendly model. In fact, there are a couple of ways in which this budget bed-slinger improved over the original. The slightly smaller build platter offers guard rails so it's much easier to get it on and off the heated base. The camera and display have been removed, but the AnkerMake app is one of the best pieces of software available for any 3D printer and has a much nicer interface. Perhaps best of all, the new all-metal hot-end means it can handle a larger array of materials when printing. At its core, it's still a rock-solid printer with some of the most user-friendly apps you can get today. See at Amazon Most beginner printers use a plastic filament to create models, but plenty of affordable resin 3D printers are available, too. Liquid resin is a little more difficult to use than standard 3D printing material and requires safety equipment, but it also produces amazingly detailed results. The Elegoo is one of my favorite ultracheap printers. When testing it, I kept expecting it to fail, and it just didn't. It produced amazing results for the price and continues to do so every time I use it. Whether you buy the Anycubic Kobra 2 or the Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro, you are getting the best budget 3D printer for under $300. See at Elegoo This small resin printer is a popular option from Elegoo's Mars line. Because of the 4K monochrome LCD (these printers use light from an LCD to cure liquid resin), it can print much faster than older printers. Standard 3D printing simply can't reproduce the level of detail on models. At this price, the Elegoo Mars 3 is the best resin printer for the money. See at Amazon Most home 3D printers use PLA or ABS plastic. Professional printers can use all sorts of materials, from metal to organic filament. Some printers use a liquid resin, which is much more difficult to handle but offers sharper details. As a beginner, use PLA. It's nontoxic, made mostly of cornstarch and sugarcane, handles easily and is inexpensive. It's also more sensitive to heat, so don't leave your 3D prints on the dashboard of a car on a hot day. Most 3D printers include or link to recommended software, which can handle converting 3D STL or other files into formats supported by the printer. Stick with the suggested presets to start -- with one exception. I've started adding a raft, or bottom layer of filament, to nearly everything I print. It has cut down dramatically on prints that don't adhere to the bed properly, which is a common issue. If you continue to have problems, rub a standard glue stick on the print bed right before printing. Your 3D models probably need some help to print properly, as these printers don't do well with big overhangs -- for example, an arm sticking out from a figure. Your 3D printer software can usually automatically calculate and add supports, meaning little stands that hold up all those sticking-out parts of the model. After the print is done, clip the supports off with micro cutters and file down any nubs or rough edges with hobby files. Testing 3D printers is an in-depth process. Printers often don't use the same materials, or even the same process to create models. I test SLA 3D printers that use resin and light to print, and FDM printers that melt plastic onto a plate. Each has a unique methodology. Core qualifiers I look at include: Hardware quality Ease of setup Bundled software Appearance and accuracy of prints Repairability Company and community support A key test print, representing the (now old) CNET logo, is used to assess how a printer bridges gaps, creates accurate shapes and deals with overhangs. It even has little towers to help measure how well the 3D printer deals with temperature ranges. When testing print speed, we slice the model using the standard slicer the machine is shipped with on its standard settings, then compare the real-world duration of the print to the statement completion time on the slicer. 3D printers often use different slicers, and those slicers can vary wildly on what they believe the completion time to be. We then use PrusaSlicer to determine how much material the print should use and divide that number by the real-world time it took to print to give us a more accurate number for the speed in millimeters per second (mm/s) the printer can run at. Every build plate is supposed to heat up to a certain temperature so we use the InfiRay thermal imaging camera for Android to check how well they do. We set the build plate to 60 degrees Celsius -- the most used temperature for build plates -- waited 5 minutes for the temperature to stabilize, and then measured it in six separate locations. We then took the average temperature to see how close the 3D printer got to the advertised temperature. Testing resin printers requires different criteria, so I use the Ameralabs standard test: printing out a small resin model that looks like a tiny town. This helps determine how accurate the printer is, how it deals with small parts and how well the UV exposure works at different points in the model. Many other anecdotal test prints, using different 3D models, are also run on each printer to test the longevity of the parts and how well the machine copes with various shapes. For the other criteria, I researched the company to see how well it responds to support queries from customers and how easy it is to order replacement parts and install them yourself. Kits (printers that come only semi-assembled) are judged by how long and difficult the assembly process is and how clear the instructions are.
