3D Printing Blog

Shopping

Top 10 3D printers 2024! Compare the Best 3D Printers and their prices

Top 10 3D printers 2024! Compare the Best 3D Printers and their prices

We've put together a top 10 list of professional composite printing to the best 3D printers and entry models for consumers. he most important points we've taken in our review are target, price and performance.

Spotlight

Buy XYZprinting 3D printer, but which one? Compare prices & all reviews

Buy XYZprinting 3D printer, but which one? Compare prices & all reviews

Want to buy a XYZprinting da Vinci 3D printer, but no clue which one? Check our price comparison, reviews and specifications on all models.

Spotlight

Buying Guide Education: The best 3D printer for your school

Buying Guide Education: The best 3D printer for your school

Students get in touch with modern technology, material knowledge, and it’s fun too. But what is important to take into consideration when buying a 3D printer?

Spotlight

Buy Ultimaker, but which one? Compare prices and all reviews

Buy Ultimaker, but which one? Compare prices and all reviews

Check out our Ultimaker price comparison, reviews and specs. Printing in water-soluble support material was never so easy. Watch it melt away like snow in the sun.

Inspiration

Star Wars 3D designs; an ultimate treasure trove for 3D Printers

Star Wars 3D designs; an ultimate treasure trove for 3D Printers

As of today the film "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" can be seen in cinemas. This spin-off of the Star Wars series tells the story before Part 4 ('A New Hope').

Inspiration

3D printing is a very useful tool for architects with a lot of advantages

3D printing is a very useful tool for architects with a lot of advantages

Who doesn't know them; maquettes, scaled three-dimensional models, mainly used by architects for their graphic design work. A 3D model allows architects to see for themselves whether everything is as intended and it gives clients a much better impression of how things will look like in reality. Until recently architects and modelers were dependent among others on shears, saws and cutters for the processing of materials, like cardboard, wood and styrofoam, now they often use a different tool: the 3D printer! And this gives them a lot of advantages... Types of models The possibilities of applying 3D printing in architecture are almost limitless. An important number of applications are: • Early stage models Why should you wait with showing ideas to the client until everything is almost ready? With 3D printing you can make visualizations at all stages of the design process, so you can optimally incorporate the client in the process from the start in order to ensure proper feedback...

Shopping

Best 3D printers 2016/2017; the choice of the editors

Best 3D printers 2016/2017; the choice of the editors

If you are looking for a 3D printer, this is a real challenge nowadays. The choice today is huge and you have to take into account a lot of different techniques, qualities and capabilities. This is not an easy task for a layman... 3D printers are increasingly improving and are becoming more affordable and more accessible for the general public. Where in the past it was reserved for a few technology-oriented enthusiasts, 3D printing has now more and more gotten within reach of even larger groups of people. In addition, with the improvement of technology and the increase in print material types (you can now, for example, print with glass), more and more nice and certainly useful applications for 3D printing are becoming available. The question that remains is what 3D printer is best suited for getting started? To help you a little bit, below we present our top four 3D printers that are widely available at the moment. Conditions We have defined a few conditions beforehand that we...

Inspiration

Print Pokémon Go characters right on your 3D printer!

Print Pokémon Go characters right on your 3D printer!

You must have been sleeping under a rock for the past few months if you haven't noticed the hype surrounding Pokémon Go. Why don’t you ask the people in Kijkduin about this fad – but don’t be surprised when you end up involuntarily fleeing this district of The Hague real soon. Augmented Reality Nevertheless, for those who had other things on their minds: Pokémon GO is a game for smartphones, that uses Augmented Reality and GPS to project animations on images of the smartphone camera. Players have to look for the virtual Pokémon, catch them and then train them. The characters can be found in many places in the real world and due to the popularity of the game this can lead to quite the commotions, when hordes of gamers are looking for a rare Pokémon in a specific location. With all its consequences... 3D Printing Just like in the game, the Pokémon characters are also in real life very popular with the result that stuffed animals, dolls, etc. are sold out almost...

Product news

Ultimaker 3; the new generation dual extrusion 3D printers

Ultimaker 3; the new generation dual extrusion 3D printers

More than half a year after the Gelder company Ultimaker provided an upgrade for their top 3D printermodel - the Ultimaker 2 - in the form of the Ultimaker 2+, the 3D printer manufacturer has already announced two brand new models: the Ultimaker 3 and its bigger brother the Ultimaker 3 Extended. Ultimaker claims that the Ultimaker 3 is the most reliable dual extrusion 3D printer on the market. Both are immediately available starting from € 3,600. With the new generation of 3D printers, Ultimaker is focussing especially on the commercial market and education; a target group that is now also providing the company with clients in the form of leading companies such as Tesla, Volkswagen and Apple. Consumers still only account for a small percentage of sales and this will likely continue to be the case in the foreseeable future. Jos Burger, CEO of Ultimaker: Our team is constantly working on advancing 3D printing and the new Ultimaker 3 is the result of three years of development with...

General

The future of desktop 3D printing according to Ultimaker

The future of desktop 3D printing according to Ultimaker

Jos Berger, the CEO of Ultimaker, has in an interview given his views on the future of 3D printing. He also discusses what the developments may mean to his company. Grown-up Now that evermore companies find good reasons to use the technology, the 3D printing sector is maturing rapidly. Jos Berger, CEO of Ultimaker, thinks that 3D printing really will change Organizations: While the technology until recently focused on prototyping and making mock-ups, it is now becoming a very good alternative for producing tools and even customizing products for the end user. And Berger should know, because through the direct contact with leading brands in education, the automobile industry and technology brands, such as Airbus, Google, Apple, MIT and Tesla, Ultimaker has a good insight on how their printers are being applied, making it possible for them to predict how the sector is going to change in the near future. Scope Berger: We see that the scope of desktop 3D printers has enormously...

Inspiration

Transparent 3D printing with SBS-Glass filament

Transparent 3D printing with SBS-Glass filament

The developments in the world of 3D printing are moving very fast. And it is not only in the area of hardware where big progress has been made. Also if we look at the materials with which you can create prints, we constantly see interesting developments. For example, what do you think of printing with filament in transparent glass-like colors? The possibilities are endless... Many kinds The times where 3D printing was equivalent to the production of objects made of hard plastic are fortunately some time behind us. Nowadays you can choose from many types of materials, each with their specific applications. Do you choose thermoplastic and plastic or do you prefer resin? And what do you think of nylon, polypropylene, sandstone and even metal? The developments are not standing still and it is difficult to predict what the manufacturers will come up with in the future! Everything about the different filaments can be found in our special: 'What 3D filament print materials are there and...

Filaments

What 3D filament print materials are there and what are the differences?

What 3D filament print materials are there and what are the differences?

Filaments, just call them the ink for your 3D printer, there are many types and all have in turn specific features and applications. And every particular 3D printer supports other, but not all types. In this special we will highlight the major 3D printing materials for you at a glance. First, following below is a list of the main filament types with a short description. Afterwards you will find more detailed information on the most important material groups (plastic and resin) and printing techniques that are used. Types of filaments ABS ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is the material that is among others used for Lego. This filament is not biodegradable and during printing unpleasant fumes are released. Thus, printing with ABS is ideally done in a ventilated room. ABS is sensitive to deformation, so a printer with a heatable printbed is strongly advised. • For more information about ABS: ' ABS filament; Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene for strength and flexibility '...

Technique

3D print techniques; which ones are there and what can you do with them?

3D print techniques; which ones are there and what can you do with them?

Patent disputes, crafty marketing teams and feuds between inventors have led to a point where identical printing techniques are often used by different brands with different names. Many 'new technologies' are presented as revolutionary, when in fact they are comparable or even completely identical to existing printing techniques. 3D Printer Site U.S. shines light on the darkness: What technologies are there and what can you do with them? Main groups In order not to lose sight of the forest for the trees, below similar printing techniques are grouped together. Extrusion (Material extrusion) This 3D printing technology makes use of an additive process, where a model is created through the heating and extrusion (special molding technique) of plastic. It is printed layer for layer. The majority of 3D printers make use of this 3D printing technology, because it is inexpensive and is offered at a larger scale. The 3D print process starts with a wire of solid material called a...

Filaments

PLA filament; biodegradable plastic made from starch and soybeans

PLA filament; biodegradable plastic made from starch and soybeans

PLA stands for polylactic acid and has different characteristics that can be seen as an advantage but also as a disadvantage. PLA is a biodegradable thermoplastic that is especially known for its use as a print material for 3D printers.  PLA is obtained from corn starch and soybeans and this makes PLA environmentally friendly. By choosing this material you will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, because of its agricultural production method. A disadvantage, however, is that PLA is less durable than other filaments. Odor The PLA thermoplastic is melted during printing at a temperature between 190 and 240 degrees Celsius and the smell of the melted thermoplastic can be compared with the smell of sweet corn. The print speed and quality are of a high standard with PLA. This means it is possible to print designs that require more detail and depth. This means that more complex designs are usually printed with PLA. PLA is known as an excellent print material for beginners who have...

Product news

New 3D printing products for professionals from MakerBot

New 3D printing products for professionals from MakerBot

MakerBot, a worldwide leader in the 3D graphic industry, announced today new 3D printing solutions to perfectly match the needs of professionals and education. With its new solutions, MakerBot wants to offer engineers and designers faster and more effective methods to realize their ideas. For education, focus is put on providing better opportunities to integrate 3D printing into the classroom in order to teach creativity and problem solving. The new MakerBot Print and Mobile applications have been designed to allow professionals to easily integrate the MakerBot into their workflow and to help teachers introduce 3D printing to their students. Replicator+ The new MakerBot Replicator and Replicator Mini+ have been completely redesigned and retested to provide better performance, speed, ease-of-use and reliability as well as the possibility to print larger volumes. With the new MakerBot Slate Gray Tough PLA filament Bundle, engineers can, in a more sustainable way, create strong high...

Filaments

ABS filament; Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene for strength and flexibility

ABS filament; Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene for strength and flexibility

ABS, the abbreviation for one of the most widely used 3D printing materials, stands for Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene. It is a petroleum-based plastic and a popular choice mainly because of its high strength and nice flexibility. ABS has different properties that can be seen as an advantage but also as a disadvantage. During printing the ABS thermoplastic is melted at a temperature between 437 and 482 degrees F (225 and 250 degrees Celsius) and the odor of the molten thermoplastic also smells like real molten plastic. This is important to know if you want to print next or near the work place. Recyclable ABS falls under recycle group 7, meaning that ABS objects can be recycled. However, one disadvantage is that it is very expensive to recycle, so only very few organizations will take ABS products for recycling. If environmental friendliness is an important feature you're looking for, then go for PLA. ABS is a hard thermoplastic that is impact resistant and has a high melting...

Company news

Ultimaker gets 15 million Euros for further growth

Ultimaker gets 15 million Euros for further growth

These are good times for Ultimaker, the 3D printer manufacturer from Geldermalsen: The 3D printer pioneer has just gotten 15 million Euros for the financing of further growth The money comes from the EIB (the European Investment bank from Luxemburg) and will mainly be used for research projects and to bridge the gap to an even larger financing round that is planned for 2017. This is an important step for Ultimaker to become an even more decisive player in the 3D printing world. Success story The investment represents a new chapter in the success story of Ultimaker. Since its establishment, the company has grown explosively, it provides 3D printers to the 3D expertise center of Volkswagen in Portugal, Airbus, Tesla and Apple and Ultimaker has become one of the the worlds largest 3D printer manufacturers. The company was started in 2011 by three friends (from left to right in the photo:  Siert Wijnia, Martijn Elserman and Erik de Bruijn) who together began to tinker with an open...

Technique

A substantive ABC; terminology of 3D printing

A substantive ABC; terminology of 3D printing

The 3D print world is full of jargon and very specific 3D terms. Below you will find a list with the most common and important terms and a short explanation of their meaning. • ABS ABS is the abbreviation for Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene. ABS is a thermoplastic that can be used by a 3D printer. ABS comes in the form of a filament. Click here for our Special about print materials. • AMF Additive Manufacturing File Format also known as STL 2.0. AMF is the improved version of STL. While STL makes use of straight lines for the drawing of an object, AMF makes use of curved lines.  As a result, you will need fewer triangles to achieve the same result. Click here for our Special about 3D file formats. • Bed or Printbed With the bed or printbed, the plate is meant on which the object is printed. The printbed is also called the build platform. • Bowden extruder A Bowden printhead (extruder) is a printhead that is not placed directly above the hot end but on the outside of the...

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