It seems like they’re all really expensive, with most halfway decent ones being over $1000. It also seems like they’re really finicky and hard to get working consistently.

Are there any 3d printers that are actually a refined product, something you can just get and start using? I don’t want to spend most of my time fiddling with the settings and having to buy a ton of upgrades in the hopes of getting it to be a functional machine that can actually be used to print out parts.

If there are any out there that are basically self-maintaining or highly automated in terms of configuring themselves correctly, is it only the really expensive ones, or are there more affordable sort of “get and forget” printers that you can just set up and start using?

  • pooh [she/her]English
    5•4 months ago

    Bambulabs P1S is maybe your best bet for something that just works, but that is also $850 so not the cheapest. Creality Ender 3 is relatively cheap ($200 I think these days?) and doesn’t require too much tinkering I think to get good basic PLA prints. I think really any printer is eventually going to require some tinkering to replace parts and that sort of thing, even pricier ones. It’s really not too bad though, and kind of fun once you get into it.

    EDIT: I just had another thought. Do they have any makerspaces in your area? If so, they almost certainly have 3D printers and would probably let you print stuff either for free or for a small donation. Might be worth it to look into it at least.