3D printers p22

Stuck on which 3D printer to go for to get the best balance of features? It’s a tough call, Ali Jennings takes a look at five leading printers.

“There’s no doubt these ingenious machines are going continue to increase in popularity.”

Predictions that 3D printers would soon be in every home have yet to be realised, but there’s no doubt that these ingenious machines are going to continue to increase in popularity and everyday use. The latest generation of printers is easier than ever to use and now we’re starting to see each manufacturer chase defined user groups, such as education, makers and professionals etc.

Each group of users has very different demands and although the basic technology used in the majority of printers is the same, the end use for each one is very different. In education you need speed and safety; there’s no use developing a fine-resolution printer if the students don’t have the time available to see the end result. Likewise, makers tend to like to tinker and the professionals just want a machine that gets the job done.

The 3D printer field is dominated by fused filament fabrication (FFF) which is the technology used by the likes of LulzBot and Ultimaker. The alternative is Stereolithographic printing (SLA), as used by the FormLabs Form2. This technique generally produces better prints, but takes far more work to finish the print. Today there’s a massive range of excellent printers, it’s now just a case of selecting the one that best suits your needs.