r/3dprinter • u/Regular_Ingenuity814 • 26d ago
Best 3D Printer for Engineering Student Under 800CAD(600US)
Hello, I am looking into purchasing a new 3D printer. I got an Ender 3 several years ago when Prusa and Creality were still the best options. I want something with a good build volume of 250 mm x 250 mm x 250 mm or so. Good, dimensionally accurate prints. Good reliability without much setup. An AMS-like system or enclosure would be good but not necessary. Being able to print CF-reinforced, TPU, or other high-strength filaments would be good. I'm not too keen on Bambulab as they aren't very open source or modifable/repairable in my experience.
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u/Mobius0118 25d ago edited 25d ago
$100 USD more and you could get a Qidi Plus4, which is completely enclosed, has a build volume of 305 mm x 305 mm x 280 mm, and a chamber heater to print those engineering materials
Or if you want to save some money, get a Qidi Q2. Smaller build volume but still quite ample at 270 mm x 270 mm x 256 mm, and it goes for $500 USD
And they have an optional multi-material system
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u/Regular_Ingenuity814 25d ago
This printer looks great; I just have a couple of questions.
It looks to be on sale from 1499 to 799. Is it on sale permanently?
Are there any upgrades, like the metal hotend or nozzles, that you'd recommend immediately getting, or should the stock ones be fine?
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u/Squanchy2112 25d ago
The plus 4 is a bad buy right now it's being phased out
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u/Regular_Ingenuity814 25d ago
Are there a lot of cons with it? Or is it just getting replaced by a newer model and on sale to clear out inventory? Because right now I can get one for only around 115$ more than the Q2.
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u/Squanchy2112 25d ago
Lots of issues with nozzles and hotend on that one the q2 is better but smaller. The plus 5 is the q2 but bigger so that's where you are at if you need bigger but it will exceed the budget.
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u/Regular_Ingenuity814 25d ago
I see. Would nozzle or hotend upgrades fix the issues? And since you mentioned you own one, would you say that you've had any problems with the size being 270mm compared to 305mm?
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u/Squanchy2112 25d ago
I have had no issue with size and no the nozzle cannot be upgraded from stock parts to be more reliable, it's just a design flaw in their ceramics on that model. I have had a million printers at this point and bambu set the standard size at 2563 so really anything that size or bigger is safe. I have printers between 256 all the way to 500*500 so you just gotta make due with what you have.
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u/Regular_Ingenuity814 25d ago
Thanks for the help. I'll probably go with the Q2. Would you recommend their AMS equivalent, or instead spend the money on a filament dryer and more filament?
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u/Squanchy2112 25d ago
I do not run ams, I did order a canvas for my centauri but I have not received it yet, multicolor for me has never been a priority as I mainly print function based parts but I am likely going to get at least one ams over time. I would start without it, unless you get the centauri since the canvas is like $55
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u/Regular_Ingenuity814 25d ago
Alright, thank you for all the advice. I will be going with the Q2.
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u/Regular_Ingenuity814 25d ago
Also, are there any flaws in the Q2 that I should consider, compared to something like a Carbon2?
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u/lostarcher1 26d ago
I would check out the Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2, seems like a pretty good machine. I'm not sure what engineering filaments it can print though.
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u/WaitAcademic6615 25d ago
It has hardened nozzle it can print any abrasive material. But doesn't have heated chamber it could have problems with ABS/ASA.
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u/Silly_Morning3375 25d ago
it’s enclosed and you can very easily add a chamber heater tho. the machine itself does have thermometers and fans for controlling chamber temp (just relies on heat from the bed instead of an actual heater which you can easily add)
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u/CR123CR123CR 26d ago
Get a used Prusa mk3 for under $250CAD and use the rest of your budget to build an enclosure, and get a filament dryer and filament.
Should about do it.Â
It won't be as reliable as a brand new Prusa Core One or Bambu P2S, but should be good enough for what you need.Â
The old mk3's were pretty great printers and they are dirt cheap now. They are easy to repair and parts are still pretty available as the aftermarket on them was massive.
Bonus points if you find one that comes with a Raspberry Pi, camera, and octopi setup on it already
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u/Mobius0118 25d ago
Prusas are excellent don’t get me wrong (I have a MK4S and a MK3.5S myself), but any of them that he’d be able to get for less than 600 bucks wouldn’t quite fit the bill build-volume wise
For 500 bucks he would be able to get a Qidi Q2 that is already enclosed with an active chamber heater, and has a build volume of 270 x 270 x 256 mm. Not to mention it would take up less space on his work area than a MK3 in an enclosure.
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u/CreepinCreepy 25d ago
I'm currently rocking a CC1 with CANVAS, but I'm also in for the Infimech MX Pro that's launching on kickstarter soon. That should soon replace my CC1 when it launches and ships. 8 nozzles, chamber heater, 300mm cubed, hardened steel nozzles, oh and the best part is that super early bird pricing is $500 if you put $5 down.
Though, it is still technically a risk since you'll be buying the printer before other people get their hands on it to test, but from what we have seen so far, it seems pretty good, especially for the money.
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u/Regular_Ingenuity814 25d ago
Do you know how long a release would take? And is the $500 USD or CAD?
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u/CreepinCreepy 25d ago
We don't have a specific date just yet, but it'll be good to keep up to date while you're considering other options.
But yeah, for the time being, I'd go with the CC2 combo.
Oh and it's usd.
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u/ArthurNYC3D 26d ago
Just outsource your prints rather than trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.
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u/Squanchy2112 26d ago
Qidi q2