My first 3D Printer

Today I finally ordered my first 3D Printer!

The decision was a very hard and long process – a lot of tiny details had to be considered, a lot reviews had to be read and watched and all the variety of printers had to be examined carefully.

But finally, finally I chose one…

Nope the thumbnails is not the printer my dad and I ordered. That, folks, is a Resin (SLA/DLP) printer, it prints in liquid photopolymerizing resin with a laser.

I ordered a Creality3D CR-10 printer. It is a fused filament fabrication printer, what basically just means that it prints one layer on top of the other with the chosen filament.

Yes, this is a big thing to consider when buying a printer. It depends what you want to create.
Both printer types have their own unique purposes:

  1. (SLA/DLP) Printers

    • + can print ultra-thin layers (between 16 and 30 µm)
    • + amazing details in the created objects
    • + a huge variety of resins to create ultra strong parts, heat-resistant parts, etc.
    • – very expensive piece of equipment (starting around 1200 USD/ 1000 EUR)
    • – you can only print small models due to small bed sizes (most of the “cheap” printers)

  2. Fused Filament Fabrication Printers

    • + affordable for hobbyists
    • + some have big beds for bigger models
    • + good for prototyping projects
    • – layers are usually around 0.1 to 0.5mm (depending on the printer, filament, printspeed, etc.)
    • + filaments are not meant for heavy duty applications

After doing deep research, considering all those points and reading/ viewing a lot of printer reviews I decided to go for the Creality3D CR-10.
It is affordable: I ordered it at GearBest.com for just under 400 USD (roughly around 350 EUR) and it was said the shipping would take around 7 to 15 days.
It has a big bed size: 300mm x 300mm x 400mm
The extruder nozzle is able to heat up to 270°C, so I will be able to print a more or less strong filament called Nylon (melting point around 260°C).
And it is able to print layers with 0.2mm height, so quite detailed.

Oh man, oh man, I so can not wait to get my hands on that fabulous piece of equipment and start creating stuff!