The 5 Best Professional 3D Printers for Home and Business

3D printing is known as ‘additive manufacturing’ in manufacturing sectors, has come a long way since it was first developed in the 1980s. The potential applications for 3D printing develop, companies start trying to find new ways to create new business models and opportunities with the technology. 3D printing is a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file. The object is creating by laying down successive layers of material. It brings a digital object into its physical form by adding layer by layer of materials. 3D printing helps you to produce complex shapes using less material than traditional manufacturing methods. It is helpful for students to create prototypes of items without the use of expensive tooling needed in subtractive methods. 3D printing is relatively inexpensive for small scale manufacturing.

How does 3D printing work?

We start with a 3D model, which is created by yourself or downloaded from a 3D software website. 3D modeling software tools are easily available. When industrial-grade software demands money for the license, you are able to also get free open-source software. Some of them offer beginner lessons and has a built-in feature to get your 3D model printed via a 3D print service. The 3D model should be ready as a 3D sliced layers. For that, you can use slicing software or the 3D printer which has an in-built slicer. Once your file is sliced it is ready to be fed to your 3D printer, via SD card, USB, or internet.

Advantages:

• Speed
• Competitive advantage
• Accessibility
• Sustainability
• Cost
• Tangible design and product testing
• Flexibility
• Quality
• Consistency
• Risk reduction

Related Read: How to print 3D objects at Home? A Guide to 3D Printing

Some of the basic elements/ components of Industrial 3D printers

• Connectivity- Wi-Fi, SD card, USB
• Color of the raw material- available in a variety of colors
• Touchscreen control
• Build plate
• Extruders- printing nozzle
• Materials- nylon, polylactic acid, methacrylates, PLA, ABS
• Resolution
• Performance and speed

Industries utilizing 3D printing.

We will have a look at how the technology is being used across sectors:

Aerospace and Defence

The Aerospace and Defence industry is one of the earliest adaptors of 3D printing. First, they used technology in 1989. It is largely using by the key industry players including GE, Airbus, Boeing, Safran, and GKN. Air ducts (SLS), wall panels (FDM), and structural metal components (DMLS, EBM, DED) are examples of parts produced with 3D printing.

Automotive

The automotive industry is a bigger user of addictive manufacturing, mainly in motorsports and performance racing. 3D printing offers a quick and cost-effective approach to designing and producing parts and offering a means to test and validate parts before they are manufactured. The designs can be done very fast and it gives flexibility to designers when testing multiple options. Also, 3D printing helps designers to make quick design changes and modifications very easily. 3D printing offers customized parts in a cost-effective and flexible way. Companies are already using the technology to produce personalized parts for interior and exterior parts of a vehicle in the luxury and motorsports industry.

Related Read: 5 Best 3D Printers Under 500 for Home Use

Medical and Dental

The medical and Dental industry is one of the fastest-growing adaptors of additive manufacturing. From medical devices to prosthetics and even bioprinting, the applications of additive manufacturing for the medical industry are versatile and wide-ranging. The ability to provide more personalized patient care cost-effectively is hugely appealing. 3D printing supports providing patient-specific solutions such as implants and dental appliances and it is an ideal technology for creating designs for medical devices.

Consumer Goods

3D printing has been recognizing as a valuable addition to existing manufacturing solutions, within the consumer goods industry. It is providing a cost-effective approach to product development, testing, and production. During the product development stage, the design must be validated, tested, and approved for any new product before launching. Prototypes and models are aspects of this process. They are commonly using for market research, testing, and validation purposes. By enabling the rapid production of prototypes and models, 3D printing significantly speeds up this process.

Related Read: The 5 Best 3D Printers For Cosplay Costume Design

Industrial Goods

The industrial goods sector includes the production of machinery components, tooling, and equipment. Rapid prototyping is a key use case of 3D printing for the industrial goods sector. Manufacturers can reduce the time needed to produce parts, bypassing a time-consuming and costly tooling production step in 3D printing. 3D printing is a cost-effective technology for producing parts with complex geometries.

Education

It encourages students to be more active and creates an amazing experience that makes learning more and wide. 3D printing can help to involve in the learning environment by making subjects more fun and interesting. It helps the students to increase their problem solving and critical thinking skills.

Related Read: The 5 Best 3D Printers for Miniatures ($200 to $1000)

Robotics

3D printing id famous for the ability to create parts with complex geometries in a fast and cost-effective way. And when it comes to robotics, it can potentially create large-scale objects.
It is also very much convenient for personal and medium, small scale business use. And it is very much improving and establishing in various industries.

Let’s see some of the best professional 3D printers in the market

Monoprice Maker Select Mini V2

The Monoprice Maker Select v2 is an affordable 3D printer. It’s the best option for those who want an affordable product but prefer to stay away from DIY kits. It’s an excellent 3D printer offer, long term values as long as you are willing to put in the effort. It has an open structure. This model is more stable and comes with better parts. But this version does not offer a dual extruder set up and the default extruder works well with PLA filaments. USD and SD card slots located on the control box. The spool holder is mounted at the top of the frame instead of on the control box. You can print with ABS, Nylon, and other high-temperature materials because it comes with a heated print bed. It has a maximum temperature of 260 degrees Celsius for the extruder and 75 degrees Celsius for the print bed. A negative point is it does not have a filament sensor, or a Wi-Fi option or an automatic bed leveling system. You can add the upgrades on your own if you need them. USB connection for tethered printing and SD card compatibility for standalone offline printing is enabled and reliable.
Unlike most other low-cost 3D printers, it comes with a fully assembled package and factory calibrated, so all you have to do is unbox it and supply some electricity.

CONS:

• Economical
• Good print quality
• Strong construction
• Compatible with different slices
• Lots of available parts and upgrades
• Open filament system

PROS:

• Needs mods out of box
• Poor quality control and customer service
• No filament sensor
• No Wi-Fi option

SPECIFICATIONS:

Brand Monoprice
Model Monoprice Maker Select Mini v2
Assembly Fully assembled package
Build volume 7.9×7.9×7.1 in
Connectivity USB, SD card
Product weight 20 lb
Filament 1.75mm
Types ABS, PLA, PETG, TPU, Nylon, and others

CONCLUSION:

It is an affordable desktop 3D printer for those who are prepared to invest in upgrades. And provides good 3D outputs. Connectivity through USB and SD card, but no Wi-Fi option available. Overall it’s a good 3D printer with good features gets as a completely assembled package.

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Snapmaker 3-in-1 3D Printer

Snapmaker 3-in-1 3D printers that unlock your full creative potential, from 3D printing to laser engraving, and CNC carving with an amazing quality printing. These printers are good for beginners, hobbyists who prefer more customized options, and engineers and designers who want to print large objects or accurate parts with outstanding print quality. The Snapmaker is a friendly and useful unique design that lets the user experience three technologies at a very affordable rate. The attractive, professional looks and sturdy body are the major points spread reliability and trust among users. Although some wires are hanging outside, most of the wiring is hidden and the printer is managed well in terms of open-wire. The best part is that the design is trendy and unlike any other simple looking 3D printer.

This Snapmaker 3 in 1 3D printer has got three modules and it’s very easy to switch to. The printer has a color LCD touchscreen right in front of the machine making it easy to reach. You can make many kinds of beautiful and artistic creations using laser engraving. And it is the perfect machine to extend your interest to CNC carving. It supports different materials including PLA, ABS, etc. but better to check the complete list of filaments that are not supported such as Alumide, graphite, etc otherwise it would cause to damage the machine. CNC carving is ideal for precisely carving hard and multiple materials such as acrylic, PCB, wood, carbon fiber sheet, and others.

Related Read: 10 Best Dual Extruder 3D Printers From $300 to $6000

With Snapmaker 3-in-1 3D printer, you won’t be limited with the options of plastic or soft materials. To work with the supported files such as STEP, SVG, DWG, DXF, IGES, IGS, and others, you can make use of third-party applications such as Autodesk Fusion 360. A wide variety of materials you find in daily life are laser engravable with Snapmaker 3-in-1 3D printer. Users can engrave on many different material choices such as leather, wood, non-transparent acrylic, plastic, bamboo fabric, paper, etc. Reminding, it is better to ensure not to use the materials that are not supported such as metal, gem, transparent material, glass, and others. It would lead to the malfunction of the product. The machine is expandable. By replacing the 1600mW laser module, laser power can be increased.
The price is very affordable and would suit anyone looking to use it for specific uses. It is very easy to assemble the parts together and set up this printer, that too on the first try. It would take 30 minutes maximum. Company claims great customer service support, and offers a reply within 24 hours, for the questions from users.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Brand Snapmaker
Model Snapmaker 3-in-1 3D printer
Product Dimensions 28.96 x 33.53 x 27.18 cm
Item model number 80001
Material Aluminum Alloy
Weight Aluminum Alloy
Length 124.6 millimeters
Item volume 1.57 cubic feet
Height 124.6 millimeters
Width 124.6 millimeters
Nozzle diameter 0.4mm
Power requirement 100-240V AC

PROS:

• Decent print quality, free from warping and stringing problems.
• Affordable for individuals and small businesses as well.
• Expandable laser power.
• Provides 3 modules in one machine.
• Heated bed.
• Easy to use the software.

CONS:

• Limited build space.
• Noisy.
• Small print space.

CONCLUSION:

Snapmaker 3-in-1 3D Printer is very much affordable and a great choice for an individual or small business purposes and in education as well. Small print space is a disappointment part for some users, especially beginners. But in total it’s a wonderfully designed amazing 3D printing machine that gives the best outputs.

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Geeetech New A20M 3D Printer

Geeetech New A20M 3D Printer is a single-nozzle dual extrusion 3D printer, supports multiple filaments. The most amazing feature of this 3D printer is its “mix-color” capability. It greatly enriches your 3D printing experience. The overall consensus is that the item is low-priced, offers a generous number of features. This printer aims to provide users with a quality printout and satisfactory printing experience. The classic blue and black color design give an elegant look to the item. Printing at the accuracy of 0.1mm, it delivers objects with smooth surface finish, clear angles, and strong structure. Its filament detector and break resuming capacity greatly elevate your 3D printing experience. Its well-designed extruder helps to reduce the risk of clogging and leaking.

Related Read : The 5 Best Resin 3D Printers Under 500 (SLA & DLP)

The modularized design makes it easy to set up the printer and it usually arrives with all the required parts. Sometimes it arrives not fully assembled, but the enclosed pamphlet makes you understand the procedure easily by simple and instructions with photos. Many customers say that the time duration from unboxing to full operation of the product takes only 30-45 minutes and it depends on how many first-time adjustments need to be made. The company claims good customer service support as well.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Brand Geeetech
Model Geeetech New A20M 3D Printer
Connectivity Wi-Fi, SD card, USB
Material Aluminum Alloy
Machine Dimension 442×447×480mm2
Machine weight 19.4Ib
Power supply Input: 110V/220V, Output: 24V 360W
Nozzle diameter 0.4mm
Build volume 255 x 255 x 255 mm
Filament types PLA, PETG, ABS, HIPS, PVA, Wood Filled
Extruder type Bowden
Heated bed Yes

PROS:

• The quality of print detail is high.
• Build volume is large.
• Bed-leveling is automatic.
• Multiple filament support.

CONS:

• Some customers report an unstable bed.
• It takes a while to adjust the alignment of the Y-axis wheel.

CONCLUSION:

Geeetech New A20M 3D Printer is affordable comparing with other 3D printers available in the market. Great quality of printing and the mix color ability is amazing. The negative points we discussed above are negligible. So, overall it’s a worthy product for the price.

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Flashforge Creator Pro 3D Printer

FlashForge Creator Pro is a desktop 3D printer and it is one of the more affordable and capable dual extrusion 3D printers. The design featured as Sturdy construction, heated build plate, fully enclosed build chamber, versatile dual extruder, and an active and supportive user base. This printer is appropriate for hobbyists and small to mid-sized businesses.

FlashForge Creator Pro is able to print with different materials through the dual extruder. The closed chamber allows the Creator Pro to print a wide range of materials, including ABS, PLA, HIPS, Flex, T-glass, and composites such as Woodfill, CopperFill, BrassFill, and more. It has a closable door and a removable cover, allowing for temperature-stable printing conditions and also adds an extra safety plus it keeps out any dust and foreign particles. The FlashForge’s steel frame construction is ultra-durable. So it holds the printer’s components together solidly. Connectivity is via USB and SD card.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Brand FlashForge
Model FlashForge Creator Pro 3D printer
Assembly Fully or semi-assembled.
Build volume 227 × 148 × 150 mm
Layer Height 100 microns
Extruder type Dual
Positioning accuracy XY: 11 microns; Z: 2.5 microns
Printing Speed 100 mm/s
Print chamber Enclosed
Connectivity SD card, USB
Filament diameter 1.75 mm
Third-party filament Yes
Filament materials ABS, PETG, PLA, PVA
Frame dimensions 480 x 338 x 385 mm
Nozzle size 0.4 mm
Weight 19 kg

PROS:

• Affordable.
• Fully enclosed chamber.
• Aluminum plate prevents warping.
• Dual extruder.
• Durable metal frame.
• Noiseless. (Runs silently)

CONS:

• Not an easy set-up process. (if it does not come completely assembled)
• Inadequate instructions.
• Some customers complained unreliability issues after a short time.

CONCLUSION:

FlashForge Creator Pro is a good option for hobbyists, and small to mid-sized businesses, at an affordable cost. And gives quality print accordingly the price. This is one of the good printers comes with a dual extruder for endless creativity options in the market. Which is why this model is so highly recommended for those who really want to explore what 3D printing without investing so much money in it.

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Ultimaker S5 3D printer

Ultimaker S5 3D printer is a complete professional, large-format 3D printer and one of the most influential printers in the desktop 3D printing market. It gives amazing printing quality and incredible surface quality. It’s an easy to use desktop 3D printer with a large build volume which includes dual extrusion capabilities. Ultimaker S5 is extremely versatile and effortless to use and maintain. It has two easy removable interchangeable build plates. One is a glass bed for general use and next is an ultra-flat anodized aluminum bed for advanced engineering materials, such as ABS and PC. It arranged a full-color touchscreen display onto the front of the printer and it helps to adjust various settings effortlessly. It is pretty much ready to print straight out of the box.

Also, it comes as a package with a large collection of accessories and replacement parts.

• Glass Plate
• Aluminum Plate
• Spool Holder with Material Guide
• Power Cable
• Ethernet Cable
• USB Stick
• Print Core AA 0.4 (x2: One Print Core Already Installed)
• Print Core BB 0.4 (x1)
• XY Calibration Sheet – Glass Plate
• XY Calibration Sheet – Aluminum Plate
• Calibration Card
• Nozzle Cover (x3)
• Tough PLA 750g
• PVA 750g
• Glue Stick
• Oil
• Grease
• Hex Screwdriver 2mm

Though it can categories as a plug and play 3D printer, there are very few simple steps includes in the “Quick Start Guide” to follow before start running the machine. The design is very clean, classy, and minimalistic. The 3D printing experience definitely enhance and simplify by the Cura compatibility.

PROS:

• Perfect for professionals and small business
• Very easy to assemble and use
• Excellent multi-material capabilities
• High printing quality
• Large build volume
• Start print and monitor remotely via Cura
• The touchscreen takes you through every step for the processing

CONS:

• Expensive 3D printer
• Difficulties with certain materials
• Relatively slow print time
• The camera feed sometimes freezes

SPECIFICATIONS

CONCLUSION:

Ultimaker S5 3D printer is an amazing professional, large format, multi material 3D printer gives great printing quality and a device can use seamlessly. The company claims size and reliability are the key focusses. It has enough freedom to tinker, tune, and experiment for those that like to dive into the details. It is a “Best Dual Extruder 3D Printer” and the numerous comfort features make it the ideal choice for professional and small size businesses. This is undoubtedly a great choice if you searching for a good quality professional 3D printer. It will definitely help you with a powerful, reliable, versatile 3D printing experience.

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FINAL CONCLUSION

Use of a 3D printer is becoming a go-to option for small-scale manufacturing. Many people prefer it for personal use a well. When you choose a 3D printer as your best picks, you should consider some factors, including price, accuracy, resolution, materials, and process, etc. And most importantly choose one as per you need.