FDM 3D printers have become more and more popular in recent years, and more consumer-grade desktop FDM 3D printers have appeared on the market, which can largely meet the needs of 3D printing enthusiasts. Not only are more user-friendly printers available with higher technology, but also at an affordable price. These factors are in turn driving more interest in 3D printing.
Perhaps you already know about the concept of FDM 3D printing, and know how the machine runs and works. However, how to choose a suitable FDM 3D printer or what machine parameters need to be paid attention to when buying an FDM printer are still troubled by many people who are interested in FDM printing. Today we will explore these issues together, and recommend the best FDM printers in 2022.
What is FDM 3D Printing? What Does FDM Stand For 3D Printing?
3D printing is an additive manufacturing technology, FDM is one of the forms to achieve it. Generally, the technical concepts commonly used in 3D printing include: SLA (Stereolithography), SLS (Selective Laser Sintering), DLP (Digital Light Processing), SLM (Selective Laser Melting), EBM (Electron-beam additive manufacturing), and so on. The common ones are FDM, SLA, and DLP. Especially in the field of consumer 3D printing, printers are mainly based on the these three technologies.
Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is also know as Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF). Its principle is to let suitable materials enter the extruder of the printer, through the heated nozzle, use high temperature to melt the filament, and the moving print head will allow the melted material to complete the accumulation on the print bed, starting from the construction of the surface, and then a layer-by-layer build up, and finally restore the digital 3D model into a real object.
Best FDM 3D Printer: What Features Are Important
When we want to choose a good FDM 3D printer, what factors can help us measure whether it is worth buying? What important indicators of FDM printers can help us make a choose. We might as well first understand the main components and important machine parameters of the FDM 3D Printer.
The important systems of FDM printer:
The important machine parameters that need to know when you want to choose a FDM 3D printer:
Best Budget FDM 3D Printer
Many entry-level FDM desktop 3D printers have very attractive prices. Even under $200, there are many machines on the market for us to choose from. Maybe some brands are looking for ways to make 3D printers more luxurious, but a cheap printer doesn’t mean a drop in quality. Anycubic Kobra Go is a full-featured and powerful entry-level FDM consumer printer, without excessive decoration, this printer provides more practical functions and options. The current activity price on the official website is less than 200 dollars, click to view the latest discount.
Anycubic Kobra Go is designed to be user-friendly, and it has an automatic leveling system. The printer is equipped with a spring steel printing platform for easy removal of the model. In terms of printing quality and printing speed, this machine also performs very well. In the budget price of $200, Anycubic Kobra Go is considered to be a very cost-effectine FDM printer. It should be noted that buying this machine means that it takes a certain amount of time to assemble it. If you enjoy the fun of assembling the machine, in the process, you can learn more about the various modules and parts of the printer. But it is still time consuming and can be difficult and challenging, especially for beginners.
Best FDM 3D Printer For Beginners
Entry-level FDM printers have the most practical features as a printing machine, but in some ways, they are not necessarily the best for a beginner to use. For beginners who are new to 3D printing, a printer which can provide more convenient features and more stable printing will be a more worthy choice.
Anycubic Kobra Neo is a better choice for beginners. Anycubic Kobra Neo is equipped with a direct extruder. Generally speaking, a direct extruder means better extrusion and faster retraction, can print more types of filament, such as flexible filaments. Bowden extruder is limited in aspects. On the other hand, the direct extruder is more efficient, can deliver the filament more accurately, and guarantee the printing quality. For beginners, this extruder is more convenient to replace the filament, and it has a lower failure rate.
Anycubic Kobra Neo supports power off resume and filament run-out detection(optional), and smart sensors can effectively avoid printing failures. After the power supply is restored or the filament is replaced, the machine can continue to print. In terms of technical parameters, Anycubic Kobra Neo is still a simple, efficient entry-level FDM printer for beginners. Equipped with automatic leveling system and double-sided PEI-coated Metal Steel print platform. The machine dimension is 445*443*490mm, and the weight of the machine is only 7.4KG. The printing size of Anycubic Kobra Neo is 220*220*250 mm. Support PLA / ABS / PETG & TPU printing. It can meet most of the FDM printing needs while keeping it simple.