Reliability is key
It can print once, but will it keep printing?
Reliability is the big-selling point for one of our printers and in this test, and previous tests, the LulzBot Taz 6 has worked without fault. The other four printers have a challenge if they are to come close to the near 100% print success rate of the LulzBot.
FormLabs Form 2 has very little to go wrong as long as you remember to open the resin cartridge vent. During the printing, there were no issues and the support structure that surrounds the print is extremely easy and satisfying to remove. The Ooznest Prusa i3 is the least reliable with about a 70% success rate when the base plate isn’t checked, but the printer’s biggest issue is the thinner 1.75mm filament getting tangled on the roll. As the i3 is a DIY project, some of the reliability issues are in the hands of the builder and generally the more time spent over the build, the better quality and reliability you can expect at the end. The Ultimaker proved consistent, but swapping between materials some filaments did require a slight adjustment of the feed to stop slippage.
The 100% print success result for the XYZPrinting da Vinci Jr 1.0 was a surprise. In all our reliability tests, every print was usable and nothing seemed to affect its accuracy. However, in reliability terms the LulzBot continues to shine as the leading star, and this can be directly attributed to the new auto-leveling base. Although the LulzBot still looks like it was built in a garage, the 10mm rods and high-quality lead screws are built solid and designed to just keep on going. The Ooznest Prusa i3 may lack reliability in comparison, but this can be easily overcome as long as you check that everything is tight, levelled and aligned every few prints. A spot of loctite on the nuts and swapping threaded screws for lead ones will also make a huge difference to the Prusa. This is part of the fun, the initial kit is just the start.