FLSUN 3D Printer - Prusa i3 doppelganger: $326 CAD
Overall Rating:
Pros:
- Good value for price
- Relatively easy to assemble
- Easy to calibrate, mostly manual settings
- Easy to clean
Cons:
- Instructions are slightly confusing
- Bulky
- Mess of wires
- Manual z-axis trigger switch does not work
When I was first introduced to a 3D printer in 2015, I wanted to own a 3D printer, but at that time, consumer grade 3D printers were still brand new and super expensive. Luckily, I was a member of a local makerspace and had access to shared use 3D printers! I learned enough skills to model custom objects, calibrate the machinery, and print my own custom models! So, of course, I designed a light up Dalek and mini Sailor Moon wands.
Fast forward to 2018 – I finally purchased my own 3D printer from Amazon. It was a FLSUN printer modelled after the Prusa i3 printer. To save on costs, I purchased the DIY kit that I thought I would be ecstactic to assemble once it arrived …
BUT …
it arrived during my busy event season and for two years, it stayed hidden in my dark, dank basement …
One boring 2020 day …
My new studio was tidy enough to have room to assemble a new electronic, so I pulled out my never opened box of 3D printer parts, hoping that the printer still worked (I can’t return it now)!
It took about 12 hours over 3 days to finish building and calibrating the new printer.
The assembled 3D printer almost looks like the one pictured on Amazon – just a few elements in different places – the length of the connecting wires limited the placement of those elements.
It was a relatively easy but time consuming build. There was a lot of tiny bolts that I dropped a million times over because my fingers are too big and clumsy. The instructions were also a bit difficult to understand – bad grammar & unclear instructions. There was quite a bit of guesswork …
One problem that I ran into was that the z-axis switch input is reversed or faulty. I had no choice but to install the auto leveller because the printer wouldn’t read the manual trigger switch properly.
The kit included allen keys and a small Phillips screwdriver but I think a tiny wrench would have been helpful to help tighten the nuts. I do appreciate the extra bolts and nuts – I did lose a few that I couldn’t recover from the abyss.
After bed calibration, I didn’t have any issues with prints popping off the bed or filament refusing to stick to the bed. The trick was to position the bed farther away from the extruder about (1.5 or 2 mm away) – if the bed was too close, the filament wouldn’t stick to the bed. In fact, the filament jammed up the extruder if the bed was too close.
When a jam did happen, it was pretty easy to clear. So, yay for that!
The kit did come with software to start printing 3D models, but, of course, they were outdated. The software is free to download though!
During this week of use, I’ve only burnt myself once (while clearing a filament jam). I have a pretty solid knowledge foundation of 3D printing, so it was easy to change settings as needed to turn bad prints into great prints.
If this model was available, I would consider buying another one!
If this model was available, I would consider buying another one!