Which 3D Printer to Buy

Buying a 3d printer can be complicated if you don’t know what you want. Here is a summary of the main factors to take into account when choosing.

Choosing a 3D printer

The world of 3D printers is vast, so we’ll try to narrow down the domestic range without losing sight of where we can go and what interests us most in the medium and long term.

After all, buying a 3D printer is often something you do to experiment.

Identify your needs

Before you buy a 3D printer, ask yourself what you want. Is it to try your designs? Then you can limit yourself to a simple one. However, if you want a finish that will allow you to sell the result, that will not be enough.

Will you need to print in color? In several colors at once? Print speed is essential because some printers achieve a better finishing level than others in the same price range, but their print speed is much lower.

Some of them break more than others, and you must consider when you buy a 3d printer.

Also, keep in mind that maybe what you need is not a printer, that is, there are machines such as cutters that allow you to cut your designs in various materials, and are suitable for pendants, earrings, etc.

These machines have their particularities, but if what you have in mind is to obtain three-dimensional objects with a specific thickness, you may not need to buy a 3d printer but another machine.

Evaluate your needs

Do you need a 3d printer? Depending on the use you will give, you may find it better to outsource the printing to a 3d printing service.

A good option may be to have a desktop printer, and once the prototype has been approved, use a printing service to obtain the final, better quality product.

After all, the costs of a 3D printer involve its purchase price and the price of the materials you will use with the printer, as well as maintenance and tuning done at least once a year.

Ask yourself if the machine will meet your needs

Almost worse than spending more than necessary would be to spend less, since buying a machine of inferior quality will make it useless.

Therefore it is essential to be sure, when buying a 3d printer, that it will meet our expectations.

Be aware of privacy and rights on projects

One of the advantages of having your 3d printer is that you can forget about your files’ worries going around. That’s why I suggest that if you hire a 3d printing service, you make sure that they treat the information correctly and that later you won’t find your file on a download page.

This risk is non-existent when you buy a 3d printer, and depending on what you are going to do with it, it can be a relevant factor when deciding whether to purchase or outsource printing. If you outsource, make sure you protect your designs.

Request a demonstration

You can also ask the distributor of the 3d printer you want to buy to give you a demonstration of the printer’s operation from start to finish, although to be realistic, few will have access to these demonstrations, more for cases of professional 3d printers.

Research the after-sales service

3d printers can be sensitive machines, which may require some final adjustments to be made, and can break (in fact, they break, some more than others).

Therefore, when you decide which 3d printer you are going to buy, make sure that the dealer will give you proper after-sales service.

Material

Find out about the materials that each 3d printer uses and its cost. Resin is more expensive than plastic, and within the plastic, some are more expensive than others. Research about the maintenance costs of the machine. In this way, you can better estimate what your total investment will be when buying a 3d printer.

Where to buy

Finally, once you have made your decision to buy, choose well where to buy. You can go to a store and buy a 3d printer, but the most extensive variety will always be online. I recommend Amazon as they have the largest selection for all budgets, and their customer service is excellent.

I guarantee you will make the best purchase within your budget to cover your expectations with all these tips. Good luck!