As my focus shifted in 2024 from manufacturing to designs for downloading, I expanded my printer setup to include more variations allowing me to test better and anticipate how others will experience my designs. My goal is to a) hopefully ensure that anyone downloading my designs will be able to print them successfully, and b) that I can better understand a range of machines so that I can assist anyone who needs help printing.
As of January 2025, I have the following printers:
- 6x Voron r2.4
- 1x BambuLab X1-Carbon with AMS
- 1x Anycubic Kobra 3 with AMS
- 1x Creality K2 with AMS
I am kind of capped out on machine count at the moment due to space limitations but I do have the Anycubic Kobra S1 Combo on order so something will have to give.
For those thinking of buying a printer or multiple printers here are a few notes for consideration based on my years of experience 3d printing.
What printer or printers do I recommend – For sure at this time, I would not buy a printer that does not have some sort of AMS or multifilament capability. Not that printing with multiple filaments is essential but rather I believe anyone who gets into printing will quickly want to have this capability. So start with it. But all the main manufacturers have that now so just make sure to budget a few dollars more for it.
As for what printer to choose… Vorons are obviously a special category because you have to source the parts, build it, “program” it and tune it all yourself (with the help of a huge community of users). If that sounds like fun to you then Vorons are a great choice. But I suspect most people just want a printer that works and works well.
I do not have enough experience with the Creality K2 yet to comment on it so from my perspective I can only comment on the BambuLab X1C versus the AnyCubic Kobra 3 (aka K3). Both are fantastic printers and work extremely well. But at significantly different price points. The K3 is a great choice if you have limited funds to spend and are relatively new to 3D printing. It is fast and prints extremely well. I can confidently recommend it to anyone. I have their newer S1 on order and I have high expectations for it too. My only criticism of it is that their slicer does give me a few problems (but they are relatively minor). But in some cases it prints better than the BambuLab X1C!
The X1C at more than twice the price is crazy good. With micro lidar and AI monitoring of the print, and lots of bells and whistles, this machine is a dream compared to printing only a few years ago. I have been told the BambuLab P1S is also a great printer at a lower price giving up a few of the advancements in the X1C. I think that should be a strong consideration too if the X1C is too high priced for anyone. But the X1C is really a fantastic printer that just works and takes care of literally everything. It even tells you when a lead screw needs to be lubricated for example.
But there are lots of other considerations one should consider before getting a 3D printer. Here are a few of my thoughts…
Space and Organization –
I feel the very first consideration is space, not just the amount of space you need but where it is. Most new enclosed printers are relatively quiet but some unenclosed printers have noisy fans and make a fair amount of noise while printing. But even enclosed printers make noise. So ideally the printer should be somewhere that it will not bother you when you are living your life (and sleeping).
Of course, you need enough space for the printer and now with an AMS to consider the space required is even more. But in addition to the space for the printer, you need some workspace (post-print processing and assembly), storage space (for filament, spare parts and prints) as well as space to access the printer (including the back (and possibly the sides). And, if you are thinking of making a business out of it, you need a lot more space for packaging materials, inventory storage, shipping, etcetera.
What to put the printer on is also a very important consideration. The printer needs to be held steady to minimize vibrations. This can be challenging so do not underestimate it.
I am using the “77-inch W x 78-inch H x 24-inch D 4-Shelf Heavy Duty Industrial Welded Steel Rack” from Home Depot. These are quite heavy-duty. I only use 2 shelves per structure so that I have room for printers on top and bottom of one structure and storage space under printers on another structure. I also have the top shelf installed above the printers so I can store filament as well. I did away with the steel wire shelves and replaced them with plywood – which worked out perfectly.
Since I was now working on more machines I also found I needed more work space and more dedicated workspace. Previously I had an improvised workbench that I shared with other uses. But now I found I needed a dedicated diagnostic and solder bench.
I have way more spare parts now so I needed a shelf unit for spare parts. Filaments supply. Staging products after printing. Packaging and fulfillment space. You get the idea. Things start to add up quickly.
I also built a 7th Voron, a test jig, for troubleshooting and diagnostic purposes. That is on the wall beside my workbench. I call it #0.
I am considering the idea of putting each machine on a separate slide-out tray/surface so that I can pull the machine forward out of the rack to service it and or pick it up. Something for the future.
I was fortunate to find that I have enough room on the top shelf of my rack to store filament. That was definitely a huge bonus as I really have little space remaining for such a bulky supply.
Power – I tried separately to measure and calculate the power I needed but in the end I used the “see how many it takes to blow the circuit breaker” approach. Sicne the power consumed varies significantly depending on the status of the bed heater I found that the most important thing is when you start multiple machines at the same time. In the end it was 4 or 5 at the same time would blow the 120V 15A circuit while sharing a few other loads like some room lights. So I have put a dedicated 15A circuit in for each set of 3 machines and that seems to be perfect.
Ventilation – A big part of my “where to put the machines” decision was also about ventilation. I knew that with one or 2 machines sometimes the air was not great. So with 6, I knew a few filters were not going to suffice. As a result, I organized the printers so that I could vent them all out on a side wall. I designed a quick-release fitting and my own Y joint, fan connection, supports an external port for the house wall. I will post those sometime (when I have time). All the 2.5″ exhaust lines feed into a port on the wall. I have a 4″ fan running there to create a little negative pressure in the exhaust lines. This works excellently.
Lighting – I didn’t really consider it before I started but it is definitely worth considering. I ended up with WS2812 strips in the top of each unit but greater overall room lighting is also an important consideration. I have windows at the end of my room allowing in natural light during the day but in the evenings it can be quite dark. So I have installed more lighting across the room.
Logistics – Simply having space for filament supplies, printed products, packaging and fulfillment is a major area that you must pay attention to. I have super space-challenged but using shelving has created enough space for me so far.