Anyone tried the $199 Monoprice 3D printer?

[NeverDie]

At $199, I figure it might be nice for creating custom cases for putting sensor projects in: http://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=107&cp_id=10724&cs_id=1072403&p_id=15365&seq=1&format=2
I also like that it works out of the box and doesn't require assembly. The reviews look favorable, but it's conceivable they might have been manipulated. Anyone here have any direct experience with it? Or, alternately, if there's something better for a comparable price, please post a link or name names.

[Yveaux]

@NeverDie Seems like a nice printer! Is the same as this one btw: http://malyansys.com/en/?page_id=315

[Martin Tellblom]

The negative as I see it:
Small buildarea 120x120x120mm
Quite slow 55mm/s as top speed (that means ~30mm/s in good printing mode)
Open to the air (If you open a windows while printing you can ruin your print)

The positive:
The price

I think this could be a good printer as a first printer. You could proberbly hack it

[NeverDie]

@Yveaux said:

@NeverDie Seems like a nice printer! Is the same as this one btw: http://malyansys.com/en/?page_id=315

No idea. How much is the one you linked to? I clicked on purchase, but no price indicated.

[Yveaux]

@NeverDie said:

No idea. How much is the one you linked to? I clicked on purchase, but no price indicated.

No idea

Can't find a reseller...
Hackaday mentions they are identical: http://hackaday.com/2016/06/13/review-monoprice-mp-select-mini-3d-printer/

[NeverDie]

@Yveaux said:

@NeverDie said:

No idea. How much is the one you linked to? I clicked on purchase, but no price indicated.

No idea

Can't find a reseller...
Hackaday mentions they are identical: http://hackaday.com/2016/06/13/review-monoprice-mp-select-mini-3d-printer/

Thanks for the hackaday link. That, together with the user comments at the end of the article, constituted a good review!

[NeverDie]

@Yveaux said:

@NeverDie Seems like a nice printer! Is the same as this one btw: http://malyansys.com/en/?page_id=315

The answer is that the Malyan M200 is a little different. It has two fans instead of one. Two is better. Not sure if there are other differences also.

According to the article, it's not open source, and replacement parts may be impossible to come by.

I'd be willing to pay more if the known issues were fixed already.

[NeverDie]

For anyone who is interested, I found what seems like a reasonable review on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3J1cmI5FPU

[Nca78]

Thank you for the links @NeverDie
Looks like a great printer for the price, I'm really tempted now

[scalz]

looks nice for first printer..but still 200$!
imho i prefer to wait/save money and buy something more durable when it's 200$ tools. I mean about replacement parts, calibration, sw etc, it's a cnc
and the slow speed too.. can be very disappointing..perhaps not on the first prints, but at a moment that can be boring (can take a lot of hours printing!).

i'm not expert, i have just built mine..for twice the price. But it's a corexy design, better imho. Monoprice seems to sell corexy but more expensive..
A good source for info is reprap.org, i got a lot of advices from kind people there.

Really personal opinion, as this looks cute, sure. if i had to buy my first printer now.. i don't know what i would do, but i think i would still prefer corexy.

[NeverDie]

@scalz said:

looks nice for first printer..but still 200$!
imho i prefer to wait/save money and buy something more durable when it's 200$ tools. I mean about replacement parts, calibration, sw etc, it's a cnc
and the slow speed too.. can be very disappointing..perhaps not on the first prints, but at a moment that can be boring (can take a lot of hours printing!).

i'm not expert, i have just built mine..for twice the price. But it's a corexy design, better imho. Monoprice seems to sell corexy but more expensive..
A good source for info is reprap.org, i got a lot of advices from kind people there.

Really personal opinion, as this looks cute, sure. if i had to buy my first printer now.. i don't know what i would do, but i think i would still prefer corexy.

That reprap video on the link you provided is interesting. It says version 2 can make its own circuit boards by printing with conductive materials. Is that working yet? If so, that sounds compelling.

[rbrbrb]

3D printed circuit boards are still kind of a novelty and have issues.. honestly at the prices for boards now days, especially if you are doing quantity, you cant beat traditional process. But that is true of about anything you intend to print. At some quantity, the price/part for traditional process always beats 3D printed parts.

I purchased a one-up as my first printer for about that price. This one has a steel frame (that's a pretty major and important upgrade!), 20mm bigger build area, and somewhat higher temperature design. Plus filament holder and a really nice LCD and a heated bed. But it is not a direct drive extruder.

If the arm tends to sag, you just adjust the build plate accordingly (yes, that means your single line filament layers 'might' have a 1degree slant to them. It wont matter in reality). And as far as printing flexible filament, its a bowden (tube with remote feed) style head, it appears, so flexible can be really difficult in general to print with.

If you can get it at $200 then i'd say yeah, do it, as a first printer. If you're handy with tools and such, and you find an online group or people making upgrade parts (check Thingiverse for the printer name for design parts), then chances are you'll be able to fix anything it breaks during normal use.

And all printers wear down, get sloppy, etc. Keep em clean and lubed. If possible, use a build plate you can un-clip from the base plate - I found I never have to re-level if I don't put stress on the build plate (from trying to remove prints mostly).

As far as upgrades.. well honestly, everyone you find more or less says Simplify3D as your slicer is worth the price. And after using it on my system, I'd have to completely agree. But by all means, try it with the open source slicers first for a few months to get familiar with the thing (cause you'll end up having to tweak it and settings, and you will learn what all the adjustments really do, if you use a less polished slicer).

FYI - I use a CTC (replicator clone, dual head) printer I got for $500 on ebay. Its been a real workhorse, and aside from a wire harness wearing out from constant motion, its still going strong.. it is made of wood, so there is some flex, and the CTC warranty support.. well.. there just isn't any.

Oh yeah, that 30 day warranty - its not near long enough. But unless you spend over $1000, don't expect much in the way of support from any company.. from what I can tell. Its just the nature of the business.

[NeverDie]

@rbrbrb said:

As far as upgrades.. well honestly, everyone you find more or less says Simplify3D as your slicer is worth the price. And after using it on my system, I'd have to completely agree.

Thanks for this comment. It's perhaps the first I've heard of Simplify3d. I wonder if it comes bundeled with any of the 3D printers that are on the market, and whether that's a better deal. At $150, Simply3D is nearly as expensive as the Monoprice printer!

[Chester]

I thought it looked really good, until I saw the shipping costs of 3/4 of the price of the printer to get it to Australia! Ack! Back to the drawing board

[NeverDie]

@Chester said:

I thought it looked really good, until I saw the shipping costs of 3/4 of the price of the printer to get it to Australia! Ack! Back to the drawing board

Strange. Here the shipping cost is $16.45.

[NeverDie]

Is there a way to run this Monoprice Mini 3D printer using Simplify3D as the slicer?

[Chester]

@NeverDie

@NeverDie said:

Strange. Here the shipping cost is $16.45.

Wow, wonder if its because I'm in Western Australia, that final step over the Nullarbor taps on another $135.00!

[Martin Tellblom]

@NeverDie

Simplify3D can slice for whatever printer. You just need to configure your printer in the software

[NeverDie]

I've confirmed that the MP Select Mini is listed in the picklist of supported printers in the Simplify3D software.

[blacey]

@NeverDie Cura is an open source slicer used by many 3D printer manufacturers and enthusiasts... There are sites that provide profiles for the MP Select Mini so there would be no additional software cost if you went this route - for example http://johnbiehler.com/2016/06/05/monoprice-maker-select-mini-3d-printer/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/MPSelectMiniOwners/comments/52183h/cura_21_profiles_for_mp_select_mini/

I have a LulzBot Mini that I really like and I use Cura and have had no problems. I also ginned up an RPI3 running OctoPrint so I can print wirelessly to my USB-only printer. I am sure Octoprint would work with MP Select Mini as well...

[NeverDie]

Do these 3D printers give off odors from the melting plastic during the printing process? I'm wondering whether it would be OK to run inside the house, or whether I should run it in the garage. WAF considerations....

[mfalkvidd]

@NeverDie the smell is not very spouse friendly, but I'd say the noise is worse. Garage is a better option, especially for printing during late nights.

[NeverDie]

@mfalkvidd said:

@NeverDie the smell is not very spouse friendly, but I'd say the noise is worse. Garage is a better option, especially for printing during late nights.

Thanks for the reply. In that case, here's a possible rub: do 3D printers require a stable ambient temperature in order to print properly? I think I read somewhere that some 3D printers are enclosed for that reason (though, I don't know, maybe it's primarily for noise containment). Our indoor temperature is fairly uniform, but the garage temperature will vary, as it is not insulated or conditioned.

[blacey]

@NeverDie Anything other than ABS can be printed inside. ABS gives of odor and can adversely affect some people's respiratory systems.

[NeverDie]

I hear there's some plastic used by 3D printers that smells like pancake batter. Which is that? Is it PLA? Pancake batter smells don't offend me.

[blacey]

@NeverDie PLA, made from corn starch, will indeed smell like food, such as pancakes, while printing.

[NeverDie]

@blacey Thank you! I love the smell of pancakes in the morning. Better than napalm, that's for sure.

More seriously though, what's the preferred type of 3D plastic to print project enclosures with? For instance, are any of them non-flammable?

[blacey]

@NeverDie ABS is the most popular filament but my current goto filament is HIPS. It has a lot of the same properties as ABS but without the smell and is a bit more forgiving. There is a promising new player on the market called nGen but I haven't used it yet.

[NeverDie]

@blacey
That's good to know. Any special requirements on the printer for using either HPS or nGen, or are they both easily substituted to replace PLA and/or ABS?

I don't want a betamax printer if it turns out that what I should have gotten was VHS, so to speak.

[blacey]

@NeverDie It all comes down to hot-end temperature range and a heated bed. Any printer that supports ABS (higher hot-end temperature and a heated bed), will support HIPS and nGen.

[NeverDie]

@blacey said:

@NeverDie It all comes down to hot-end temperature range and a heated bed. Any printer that supports ABS (higher hot-end temperature and a heated bed), will support HIPS and nGen.

Thanks! You're very helpful.

[NeverDie]

In case anyone is interested, the Black Friday price is $189.99 on Amazon with free Prime Shipping or else $179.99 (plus shipping) on the Monoprice website.

[niccodemi]

@NeverDie they do, but many people don't notice it or find it unbearable. It also depends on type of filament; ABS smells like hot plastic, PLA like something sweet (it is derived from sugar). I keep mine in the house but I put it inside DIY enclosure - mainly to improve ABS printing quality but as side effect it also contains smell.

[NeverDie]

I think I'll order it. What's the best kind of plastic filament to practice with? Is it PLA?

[kalle]

Hi guys, I have bought the MPselect mini (320 EUR with shipping and customs to germany) and I'm very happy with it. It is even easier to handle this printer as my Arduino Materia printer and the prints are really good - the printer has a heated bed which is fantastic in this price class. The hot-end temp and bed temp are really stable (+-1°C)
The printer works fine with PLA - I don't know if ABS will work also fine, because I don't have it and so far I know you must disable the hot-end fan to get good results with ABS. My printer has the newest firmware on board which activate the printers WiFi functionality. I can post pictures from prints if needed.

here are a good review on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSZrqgLj3ag

Kalle

[Nca78]

@kalle said:

I can post pictures from prints if needed.

Yes please. But only if they are ugly so I'm not too tempted to buy

[NeverDie]

I stumbled across what seems like a really great comparison of the top slicers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USA29CuYOvk

[kalle]

@Nca78 : Decide for yourself

It is the "Bauhaus" Chess printed with the MonoPriceSelectMini.

[dynamite]

@kalle tempting....!

[kalle]

@dynamite Haha, especially for the price

[Nca78]

@kalle unfortunately I cannot decide for myself, as I live in Vietnam and it's not even available to select in the list of countries where they deliver