Finding the “Best 3D Printer” can be overwhelming and really depends on your needs and demands. We put together this 3D printer buyers guide to help you find the best 3D printer for you. This guide has 3 categories and each category has its own top 5 best 3D printers.
What is the best 3D printer?
‘What is the best 3D printer’ is one of the most common questions we get here at 3Dprinting.com. It’s a difficult question and it has multiple answers because there are at least seven different 3D printing technologies & processes. Within these processes there are numerous different brands, models, types, etc. In order to keep things simple we’ve decide to focus on FFF / FDM desktop 3D printers.
And so, it really comes down to your personal needs. Looking for a huge build volume? Fast print speed? High resolution? Tensile strength of the 3D printed objects?
We’ve used our own experience and the experience of our network of experts to create this buyers guide. These are the best 3D printers to buy in 2018.
We constantly update this list, so you can always check back to find out what the best 3D printers in each category are.
Best 3D Printers for Professionals
Professional 3D printers can be quite strenuous on a buyer’s budget but their utility should not be under-stated. These devices are for anyone looking for a serious, high-quality, production-grade workhorse. They are much larger and are often made to process a wider range of 3D printing materials, including more obscure, high-strength polymers like Nylon. As the title suggests, these are professional machines for complex printing duties.
Bernie Lobb says
A very interesting list which certainly opened my eyes as to the direction and limits that are available.
It might have been interesting to see a section on 3D printers that can 3D print buildings. I am certainly interested to see what is currently available (not that I want to buy one!) And what the future may hold for housing.
Gerald Berchald says
Where’s Fusion3’s F400 in this mix? Crazy to leave it out and give Raise3D the trophy. The F400 is faster, better print quality, more reliable, and a killer 2 year warranty and real LIVE customer support.
Peter says
The Raise3D N2 Plus is first in the sub-category ‘large format desktop 3D printers’ – F400’s build envelop is not big enough to be part of this category
Daniel says
…not to mention the price, and most importantly “availability”.
At 4,500 US plus extras that you will have to eventually buy, it’s not exactly starting business friendly.
Akshay says
This is a great list of 3d printers. I am a beginner and want to get a 3d printer which is easy to use and yes is affordable, maybe under $500. I am on the same side confused which one to get because I don’t want to spoil my first impressions on this kinda printer. Can you help me decide? By the way, Tronxy X5S looks good to me… is it really great for a beginner?
Thanks!
Peter Strikwerda says
Hi Akshay! The Tronxy X5S is not a 3D printer for a beginner.
Zeeshan Riaz says
Dear all,
I am kind a confused. I have two requirements. One is for metal printing.
Dimension, I want to print is 150mm x 300mm. Manufacturing tolerance 0.05 mm. Material is brass or aluminium.
My second requirement is bigger and material is ABS, nylon, PU, PE etc and dimensions are 6″ * 6″ * 8″
Resolution in this case is 100 micron. Cud any one suggest me cheap and good solutions
simonhong says
I’d recommend Dobot Mooz to you, it can meet your requirement.
Nandini says
Which one is best
Dhruv says
I have two requirements:
– Must have a build volume of at least 325 W 325 L 120 H
– Must be under $2000 USD
Any suggestions?
Peter Strikwerda says
For instance:
Alfawise U10
Tronxy X3S
He3D 500
Creality CR 10 (500mm)
You can use our compare tool to filter 3d printers.
Bob says
How would you rate the Creality CR-10S5 against this list?
The Modix Big 60 V2 would work for what I’m wanting to do but I’m not clear on the added value given it’s 3x the cost.
I’m wanting a good print size as I will be doing large pieces and would prefer not to have to go to 3 or 4 sections to get them to fit together (rough dimensions are 42″ x 36″ by 12″h).
The 42″ section will have to be 3 sections by design so a 20″ printer seems like it will be fine to keep the large middle section (38″) to 2 pieces.
Ultimately I would like to print in aluminum but I can live with outsourcing the printing at that point (once the design is confirmed to work).
I would appreciate hearing your thoughts.
Peter Strikwerda says
First off, the parts that Modix uses are of better quality. Modix also offers an optional closed print chamber which you might need when printing large parts (prevent warping).