3D printers get creative juices flowing
Achieving good quality 3D prints always came at the cost of speed, which used to be OK, because a 14-hour print job was better than the days it would take and the sums of money it would cost to get something made in a factory. We’ve been testing 3D printers for nearly a decade now, and they’ve always been a little slow. With the advent of fast 3D printers though, we can cut that 14-hour print time to seven hours or less. This saves time and money and lets your creative juices flow. If you already own any of the current best 3D printers, you may not want to upgrade to a faster printer yet and that’s OK. But if you’re on the lookout for a printer that offers excellent quality and can blow you away with its speed, we have the goods right here. CNET has tested a number of the latest in fast 3D printing, and three of the best are included below.
BEST OVERALL FAST 3D PRINTER: BAMBU LAB P1S
The Bambu Lab P1S is an updated version of our previous best 3D printer winner, the P1P. Each of the updates to the machine — plastic side panels, glass top and door, camera, part fan and LED light — help raise the P1S to be our No. 1 pick. The quality of the models and the speed at which it can print them is amazing, and very few printers can do both of those things at anywhere near the same price. The P1S beats out its predecessor, even though it is the same machine in every mechanical way because the case and door make it a more well-rounded product.
Material type: Filament
Build area (mm): 256 by 256 by 256
Official max printing speed (mm/s): 500 Dimensions (mm): 389 by 389 by 458 Price: $$$
BEST BUDGET FAST 3D PRINTER: ANYCUBIC KOBRA 2
While not as fast as the P1S, the Kobra 2 is around the same speed as the AnkerMake M5. It will happily produce prints at 250 millimeters per second, though the best quality seems to be hovering around 150mm/s in my testing. It also comes with a filament runout sensor and bed leveling, which works extremely well. The big selling point for the Kobra 2, though, is the price. It has all the advantages of a faster printer but with a sub-$300 price tag, which is astonishing. This is my recommendation for any first-time buyer or someone on a budget.
Material type: Filament
Build area (mm): 250 by 220 by 220
Official max printing speed (mm/s): 300
Dimensions (mm): 486 by 440 by 435
Price: $
BEST COLOR-READY FAST 3D PRINTER: BAMBU LAB A1 MINI COMBO
The Bambu Lab A1 Mini Combo is an almost perfect entry to the world of color 3D printing. It’s well priced, and while the build area is small, the quality of the print — and the fact you can print in four colors straight out of the box — is amazing. If you’re looking for your first printer and want to try color printing, this is a no-brainer.
Material type: Filament
Build area (mm): 180 by 180 by 180
Official max printing speed (mm/s): 500
Dimensions (mm): 347 by 315 by 365
Price: $$