FDM printers do some phenomenal work, though! Look at some examples in Figure 4-4 to see the quality
level achieved on FDM 3D printers.
FRAME/CHASSIS
This is what you first see when you look at a 3D printer; the overall general shape. There have been many 3D
printers that have enjoyed crowdfunding success on websites such as Kickstarter or Indiegogo because of
beautiful 3D printer enclosures/frames. If the enclosure looks nice, people are more inclined to infer it's a
quality printer. This is only somewhat true, and this is where your own research can really help you make an
informed purchasing choice.
The frame/chassis needs to be structurally sound over time. 3D printers have moving parts, they get
bumped and prodded when youre removing prints from the build plate, and they need to deal with inherent
vibrations from the printing process itself. There are few (if any) printers in the market right now that use a
wooden frame, so best to stay clear of any you might see. The same thing goes for a plastic frame...you will
always want to look “inside” of a printer to make sure that there is a rigid metal frame underlying any fancy
exterior to help long term durability. Additionally, If you will be moving your printer from location to location,
frame strength is something you will especially want to keep in mind, and a metal frame is more solid than
wood.
Don't judge a printer by its cover! Many 3D printers have 3D printed parts holding them together. And why
not? It helps keep costs down and allows for easier upgrades later on. While 3D printed parts might lack
FIGURE 44: Bracket with no gaps, and perfect layer finish (left). Very smooth 3D model of “equation of time” based on work from
LongNow.org (right).
37 Chapter 4: Understanding FDM Printers Getting Started with 3D Printing 38
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FDM printers do some phenomenal work, though! Look at some examples in Figure 4-4 to see the quality
level achieved on FDM 3D printers.
FRAME/CHASSIS
This is what you first see when you look at a 3D printer; the overall general shape. There have been many 3D
printers that have enjoyed crowdfunding success on websites such as Kickstarter or Indiegogo because of
beautiful 3D printer enclosures/frames. If the enclosure looks nice, people are more inclined to infer it's a
quality printer. This is only somewhat true, and this is where your own research can really help you make an
informed purchasing choice.
The frame/chassis needs to be structurally sound over time. 3D printers have moving parts, they get
bumped and prodded when youre removing prints from the build plate, and they need to deal with inherent
vibrations from the printing process itself. There are few (if any) printers in the market right now that use a
wooden frame, so best to stay clear of any you might see. The same thing goes for a plastic frame...you will
always want to look “inside” of a printer to make sure that there is a rigid metal frame underlying any fancy
exterior to help long term durability. Additionally, If you will be moving your printer from location to location,
frame strength is something you will especially want to keep in mind, and a metal frame is more solid than
wood.
Don't judge a printer by its cover! Many 3D printers have 3D printed parts holding them together. And why
not? It helps keep costs down and allows for easier upgrades later on. While 3D printed parts might lack
the durability of machined parts, having 3D printed parts in your printer should not be a mark against the
overall printer itself. If an update to the design becomes available, you can print your own upgrades! 3D
printed parts can be found in all price ranges of printers, and some have no 3D printed parts at all. As with
all products, it is advisable to read the forums and unbiased reviews to see if a printer, no matter how it is
assembled, is reliable.
There are quite a few “kit” 3D printers that you have to put together yourself that are incredibly structurally
sound. One standout printer is named the Prusa i3 MK3S kit from prusa3d.com which positively answers
most of the bullet-point questions below and stands out as one of the best and most popular 3D printer kits
on the market (as long as you are willing to devote 6-10 hours to assemble the printer yourself, following
detailed online guides!).
WHEN YOU ARE LOOKING AT FDM PRINTERS (OR REALLY ANY 3D PRINTER), LOOK CRITICALLY AT THE
CHOICES THAT THE MANUFACTURERS MADE:
How thick is the sheet metal forming the chassis? Does the chassis have any flex if you try and
bend it?
Is there flex to the horizontal arm that carries the extruder assembly which would result in
potential alignment issues? (There should be no flex)
Does the printer have a heated bed? (You definitely want a heated bed)
What sort of covering does the printer use on top of the heated bed? (Many printers have remov-
able build plates which make print removal very easy)
What sort of components went into the extruder assembly? Are they machined parts, are they
custom made, or something that is shared by many other manufacturers? (For example, extrud-
ers by the company “E3D” are excellent, and used in many 3D printers)
We have a Prusa i3 MK3S (with the additional 5 filament “multi-material upgrade v2”) at the office, and it is a
go-to machine we use for our client 3D prints. When the RepRap Project started developing, many of the 3D
printer development lines were named after famous geneticists: Darwin, Mendel, etc. An individual maker
named Josef Prusa was very active in that community and developed an entire line of printers that is named
after him! There are clones of the “Prusa” printer all over the internet, but they are not as reliable as ones
purchased directly from Josefs site.
These printers are hallmarked by easy print set up, an elegant two-piece chassis, and great build quality.
The Prusa printer’s thin metal frame might not look robust, but a lot of thought has gone into making this
a reliable printer. There are many printers with the “Prusa i3” name out there, but we recommend the offi-
cial Prusa i3 MK3S from the prusa3d.com website, not only because they are great printers, but imitation
printers reduce their cost in notable areas such as power supply and extruder quality. This results in a less
expensive printer, but at the cost of a more error-prone print process. Prusa is a major contributor to the
FIGURE 44: Bracket with no gaps, and perfect layer finish (left). Very smooth 3D model of “equation of time” based on work from
LongNow.org (right).
Getting Started with 3D Printing 38
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software that runs and “slices” prints, and it is good to support companies that donate back thought leader-
ship that help the global 3D printing community.
Costing around $750 for a kit or $900 for a pre-assembled printer (all amounts in USD), these Prusa print-
ers are right in the top positions of consumer-grade 3D printers. Because they are open source, you can
download the design files yourself and make the printer better over time (if you think you can -- they’re
already pretty great).
As an example, Prusa printers do not feel they need to reinvent the wheel...or in this case, the extruder. The
Prusa printers use the excellent hot ends from a company based out of the UK, named E3D (Figure 4-5).
These 3D printers also incorporate cutting edge technology, like the ability to print in up to five materials in
a single print run, which at the time of this writing, no other consumer printer on the planet can do so seam-
lessly (Figure 4-6). This multi-material setup allows for different colors, different materials (PLA and ABS
FIGURE 45: E3D hotend on Prusa i3 MK3 printer (arrows pointing to heat break with fins, and nozzle block, covered with blue silicone
heat-retention “sock”
39 Chapter 4: Understanding FDM Printers Getting Started with 3D Printing 40
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software that runs and “slices” prints, and it is good to support companies that donate back thought leader-
ship that help the global 3D printing community.
Costing around $750 for a kit or $900 for a pre-assembled printer (all amounts in USD), these Prusa print-
ers are right in the top positions of consumer-grade 3D printers. Because they are open source, you can
download the design files yourself and make the printer better over time (if you think you can -- they’re
already pretty great).
As an example, Prusa printers do not feel they need to reinvent the wheel...or in this case, the extruder. The
Prusa printers use the excellent hot ends from a company based out of the UK, named E3D (Figure 4-5).
These 3D printers also incorporate cutting edge technology, like the ability to print in up to five materials in
a single print run, which at the time of this writing, no other consumer printer on the planet can do so seam-
lessly (Figure 4-6). This multi-material setup allows for different colors, different materials (PLA and ABS
and soluble material all in one model), with the only constant factor being the filament diameter (1.75mm).
A word of advice: If you are just getting into 3D printing, go with the single material printer first...you can
always upgrade to the more complex, five material upgrade later on.
The two figures just shown illustrate that even if a printer’s design is completely open to the world, a robust
and quality product can still succeed in the marketplace.
Remember, over 90% of companies in the consumer 3D printing realm are what would be considered
small businesses” with 40 or fewer employees, so the fit and finish of each product is something that
characterizes the company behind the product. Don’t be fooled by fancy renderings or pictures; there is no
substitute for seeing and experiencing the build quality yourself (or in reading independent reviews written
by knowledgeable reviewers).
FIGURE 46: Prusa i3 Multi-material 2.0 upgrade
Getting Started with 3D Printing 40
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BUILD PLATE
The Build Plate (or Print Bed), as shown in Figure 4-7, is pretty straightforward. It is the place where the 3D
model is built, layer by layer. Different manufacturers use different materials for the build plate, and you will
commonly see acrylic slabs, glass, garolite (a type of fiberglass board useful for nylon filaments), and metal
build platforms.
In the image below, a PEI (Polyetherimide) film has been applied to a magnetic build plate that can be
removed easily from the printers heated bed. This film helps the first layers stick to the build plate. Making
sure that your 3D print sticks to the build plate is one of the most important parts to the print process and
one that you should evaluate carefully before you purchase an FDM printer.
All FDM printers require the build plate to be level to the extruder assembly’s movement plane(s), other-
wise, your prints will print lopsided or, worse, fail completely. Some printers, like the Prusa i3 MK3S, have
an “auto leveling” probe that reads the build plate and adapts the print to compensate dynamically for any
skew to make bed leveling extremely easy (and automated).
Many people think that the term “leveling the build plate” means that the plate needs to be level to the
ground. This is not the case! The build plate needs to be level to the travel of the extruder assembly for the
print itself to be level. In other words, the extruder’s movement relative to the build platform needs to be
FIGURE 47: PEI film covering a metallic build plate to help with layer adhesion
41 Chapter 4: Understanding FDM Printers Getting Started with 3D Printing 42
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