The Best Cheap 3D Printers for Creatives
There are hundreds of cheap 3D printers, but we've narrowed down the field for you. We've handpicked the best affordable options for beginners and experts, so you can buy what you need without spending your savings.
Cheap 3D printers are popular with artists because they allow them to bring their creativity to life. From jewellery to woodwork, the ability to produce small-scale objects brings a creative and tactile element that no other medium can match. But there are some serious caveats to buying a cheap 3D printer.
So, if you have an idea that you want to turn into a physical object, you can buy one of these cheap 3D printers, download some software, and start printing out your ideas.
Table of Contents
What are 3D Printers?
3D printing is making three-dimensional objects using a computer-aided design program. The technology can create physical objects such as toys, jewellery, and medical devices, but it is also used to make artistic creations such as furniture, sculptures, and architectural models.
How does 3D printing work?
To print a three-dimensional object, You must first use a computer-aided design (CAD) software package to draw the object using cross-sectional layers of solid plastic or other materials. After designing the object, it is sliced into separate sections, each individually printed layer by layer. The layers are assembled layer by layer, and when they are finished, the final product is ready to use.
Who uses 3D printers?
3D printers have been around for years but only recently have they become more accessible. They are still expensive and require particular expertise to operate and maintain, but prices are dropping, so the technology is now available to the public at a low cost. 3D printing is most commonly used to manufacture durable goods such as products with moving parts. It is also helpful in creating prototypes, models, or artworks for educational purposes.
Are 3D Printers safe?
The technology has been around for a while, but, as with any new invention, there is a risk of injury, and safety precautions should be followed when using 3D printers. Most of the time, the risks are not significant. If a 3D printer is maintained correctly, it should not produce harmful particles and be free of potentially dangerous materials such as toxic fumes. Proper cleaning and maintenance also prevent damage to the printer and surrounding surfaces.
What are the advantages of 3D printing?
3D printing can produce accurate, durable parts for commercial or home use. You can also use it to produce art, which you cannot create with traditional means. Art made with 3D printers is known as “rapid prototyping” or “rapid manufacturing.” 3D printers are also helpful for education, enabling students to learn about the inner workings of machines and products.
Cheap 3D Printers for Artists
Official Creality Ender 3
- Resume Printing Function: Ender 3 has the ability to resume printing even after a power outage or lapse occurs.
- Easy and Qucik Assembly: It comes with several assembled parts, you only need about 2 hours to assemble 20 nuts well.
- Advanced Extruder Technology: Upgraded extruder greatly reduces plugging risk and bad extrustion; V-shape with POM wheels make it move noiseless, smoothly and durable.
- Safety Protected Power Supply: Only needs 5 minutes for hot bed to reach 100 degree.
- Strict Test: Strict testing for key components before delivery and life-time technical supports available.
I recommend this printer to anybody who wants to start with 3d printing but wants something affordable, reliable, and easy to use.
The Creality Ender 3 is the latest and greatest version of Creality's 3D printer. With its elegant and modern appearance, it is the ultimate 3D printer for those who want to print in style. The Ender 3 is the first model in Creality's new series of products that all have the same design. The new series allows users to get familiar with the latest model quickly. The Ender 3 has a new structure, a new power supply, a new cooling fan, a new LCD screen, a new extruder, and a new bed.
Voxelab Aquila 3D Printer
- Fast Heating and Silent Printing: The Aquila 3D printer equipped with carbon crystal silicon glass plate and super quiet printing designing, the printing model will not easily become warped and the printing sounds is below 50 decibels.
- Resume Printing Function: Aquila 3D printer could automatically resume printing when power comes on. It won’t print from scratch once meeting filament breakage, saving time and avoiding waste.
- Semi-Assembled Kit: The easy-to-setup kit comes partially assembled, enabling you to learn about the basic construction of 3D printers as you finish putting it together.
- Fully Open Source: Aquila is a straight forward BD printer based on open source technology. It allows for flexible upgrades and various modifications. Meanwhile, you are able to choose your favorite software as VoxelMaker, Cura and more…
- Warranty and Service: All Voxelab 3D printers provides Lifetime technical support and 12 months warranty, with 24 hours quick response.
The Most Accessible and User-Friendly 3D Printer for the Average User
Voxelab Aquila 3D printer is a 3D printer with a simple yet powerful design. It is capable of printing complex structures with high resolution. It is easy to assemble and use, and its printing speed is as fast as the fastest 3D printer. It is a 3D printer ready to print right out of the box, and its printing noise is only 50 dB.
The printer uses a filament with a diameter of 0.4 mm and a thickness of 0.1 mm, making it suitable for various filaments. Its automatic resuming function can quickly resume printing when power is off, saving time and avoiding wasting materials. The printing speed can reach up to 3.5 mm per second, and the maximum printing length is 50 cm. The printer is suitable for beginners and has a powerful and flexible configuration, making it a popular choice among makers.
AnyCubic Kobra 3D Printer
- Modular Design & Easy Assembly: ANYCUBIC KOBRA is an all-in-one frame 3D printer, can minimize the shaking to improve the print quality. The modular design allows the printer to be assembled only in 10 minutes
- Intelligent Auto Leveling 3d printer: ANYCUBIC KOBRA captured with the Self-developed Anycubic LeviQ Leveling Function equipped with 25-point precise leveling up, which can compensate the unevenness of the heated bed automatically, to achieve easy, fast and precise leveling, providing you with a more intelligent printing experience.
- Ultra Smooth Printing: Direct drive extruder provides greater conveying force and preciser filament control. Compatible with PLA/ABS/PETG/TPU flexible materials. It can reduce jitter in filament transmission and ensure printing precision.
- Removable Magnetic Platform: The models can be removed by bending the spring magnetic platform gently after printing. The platform can withstand high-intensity printing and is corrosion free, saving you a lot of maintenance cost.
- Fast Printing & Large Printing Size: ANYCUBIC KOBRA 3D Printer maximum printing speed is 180mm/s, Average speed is 80mm/s, 167% faster than industry standard, enable you save more time on waiting. Large build volume of 8.7×8.7×9.84in / 220x220x250mm, which has enough space and freedom to realize your fantastic creativity.
The perfect solution for beginners
The Kobra is a versatile 3D printer suitable for beginners and professionals. It is a highly-precise 3D printer with a large build volume, which is easy to use and clean. The Kobra also offers a variety of functions, such as fast printing, large printing size, auto levelling, etc. With the large build volume and the intelligent levelling function, the Kobra is easy to assemble, clean, and maintain.
Affordable 3D Printers for Home Hobbyists
Official Creality Ender 3 Pro
- 1.Auto Bed Leveling: Upgraded CR Touch 16-point automatic bed leveling technology saves you in the trouble of manual leveling. Easy to use, the intelligent leveling system can automatically compensate for the printing height of different points of the hot bed. It saves much more time for customers in long-time leveling adjustment, quickly finish the leveling process.
- 2.Smooth Feeding: Full-metal extruder with greater force enables smooth feeding, reducing the risk of nozzle blockage. Quick Heat Dissipation: Corrugated heat sink enlarges the radiating area, enabling fast cooling down.
- 3.Silent Mainboard: Low-decibel operation ensured by a silent mainboard, will not bothering study or work. Which has stronger anti-interference, faster and more stable motion performance, silent printing and low decibel operation, create a quiet environment.
- 4.Resume Printing: Ender 3 Neo can resume printing from the last recorded extruder position after suffering unexpected power outages. You don't worry about the power outage suddenly when printing a model.
- 5.Durable Glass Build Surface: Different from the Ender 3, Ender 3 Neo equips the carborundum glass build surface, it effectively reduces the warping issue with even heating. The coating brings good adhesion for filament, and the finished models can be easily removed by bending the print sheet. WHAT YOU GET: Ceality Ender 3 Pro 3D pinrter, lifetime technical assistance and 24 hours professional customer service.
Creality Ender 3 Pro, A High-Quality Replication Printer For Less Than $300
The official Creality Ender 3 Pro is the latest 3D printer from the world-famous Creality team. Its 3D printing technology offers the latest technology to build a high-resolution, professional-quality 3D model. In addition, it has a built-in power supply, a high-quality print head, and a wide print area. Moreover, it is also compatible with popular computer-aided design (CAD) software and is ready for immediate printing.
Entina Mini Tina 2
- 👍[3D Printer for Beginners] Out of the box,completely assembled, Speedy Printing –The 3d printer is super easy to use and does not require a complex setup, you can start the first print within minutes!
- 👍[Auto Leveling & Magnetic Platform] The small 3d printer does not need manual leveling, the intelligent leveling system can automatically adjust the uneven bed, thus realizing one-touch leveling and printing. With flexible and removable magnetic build plate, you can remove the models easily.
- 👍[Dual Z-axis Rails] High-precision printing is the most outstanding feature of Tina2. The dual Z-axis design makes the auto leveling 3D printers run more stable, which greatly improving the printing details and precision. Ideal for beginners DIY Kinds of Craft.
- 👍[Compact Design] This is lightweight and minimalist desktop 3D printers, the mini 3D printer size is 8.3”x8.3”x11.4”, weight is 3kg. Light weight and portable design make it perfect for home use, classrooms, offices and door rooms. The build volume is 100x120x100mm.
- 👍[Ready to Print] Equipped with 2.4″ LCD screen and Wiibulider slicer software makes it easy to conduct offline printing using the MicroSD Card. The 3-d printer supports resume printing after suffering unexpected power outages or your stopping printing.If you have any questions during your use, you can contact us at any time, we will serve you wholeheartedly.
An affordable, portable, quiet, and reliable printer
The Entina mini Tina2 is a user-friendly, beginner 3D printer that can produce excellent prints. The Tina2 is a desktop printer, an industrial grade production level; it is a small size suitable for a variety of places, open the box, simple installation, no complicated settings can be fast printing. It can completely meet your creative needs!
The compact design makes it perfect for home use, classrooms, offices, and dorm rooms due to its small size. Easy to operate, high precision & semi-enclosed printing equipment, very suitable for beginners and kids. It can print PLA, PLA Pro and TPU filaments and supports printing various colours, which is very suitable for teens and schools.
Auto levelling is essential for beginners; the small 3d printer is equipped with a proximity sensor to ensure the distance between the nozzle and the print bed is uniform throughout the print area. No wasting time fiddling with the bed and Z height.
The enclosed 3d printer is equipped with a removable magnetic build plate, which can easily remove printing files. Whatever size mode adheres to the platform easily. You can easily remove the printed models by bending the print platform.
AnyCubic Mega X
- Fast Assembly, Mega X 3D printer came in two modules and all it takes is to plug in 12 screws and 3 cables, easy to assemble and get printing right out of the box, Perfect choice for beginners and veteran
- High Print Precision, This 3D Printer’s print precision is greatly improved by equipping it with Y Axis Dual Sideway Design and Z-axis dual screw rod design, The pitting in the skin and texture in the clothing all can shows up
- Large Build Volume, This FDM printer comes with larger build spaces available, At 11.81in(L) x 11.81in(W) x 12in(H), able to print models that 90% of other 3d printers could not. More space for fulfilling your fantastic idea
- Patented Heat Bed, No hassle of sticker any more, Ultrabase bed surface coated with patented microporous coating, allowing the print holds strong when printing and then effortlessly falls off the bed when it cools to room temp at the end of the print, Kindly note, The bed will not go over 90 degree
- More Function, Resume Print: One click to resume from the last recorded position when suffered power outages, TFT Touch Screen: As responsive as operating on the phone, Meanwell Power Supply: Compliance with UL60950-1, enhance the safety performance, All ANYCUBIC 3D printers backed with lifetime technical support
The Mega X Is A Tank With Awesome Features
The Mega X 3D printer came in two modules, and all it takes is to plug in 12 screws and three cables; easy to assemble and get printing right out of the box; perfect choice for beginners and veteran 3D printers.
This 3D printer's print precision is greatly improved by equipping it with Y-Axis Dual Sideway Design and Z-axis dual screw rod design. The pitting in the skin and texture in the clothing all can show up.
This FDM printer comes with larger build spaces available, At 11.81in(L) x 11.81in(W) x 12in(H); able to print models that 90% of other 3d printers could not. More space for fulfilling your fantastic idea.
No hassle of sticking anymore; Ultrabase bed surface coated with a patented microporous coating allows the print to hold firm when printing and then effortlessly falls off the bed when it cools to room temperature at the end of the print.
One-click to resume from the last recorded position when suffering power outages, TFT Touch Screen: As responsive as operating on a phone.
Budget 3D Printers for Pro Users
ANYCUBIC Resin 3D Printer
- Extraordinary Printing Size, Anycubic Photon M3 Max with a 11.7” x 6.5” x 11.81” building size, which is the largest one of Anycubic resin 3d printer so far. The practical printing volume can meet the printing needs of your large-scale models, while achieving batch printing and improving production efficiency.
- Well-defined Print Details. comes with a 13.6’’ 7K HD Mono Screen, Photon m3 max achieves the large size printing while maintaining the precision of the model. Coupled with the Z-axis rail of the ball screw, and the high contrast ratio of 450:1, it can better reproduce the details, making your model more different.
- Fast Printing Speed. The ANYCUBIC Photon M3 max mono screen is composed of 84 LED lights neatly arranged, providing a powerful matrix light source that shortens the printing time of each layer to 3 seconds, and can achieve fast printing of up to 60mm/h.
- Automatic Resin Feeding, Anycubic Auto Resin Filler can intelligently replenish resin and stop replenishing, reducing printing failures caused by insufficient resin, making your time more free.
- Upgraded Function. Photon M3 Max adopts laser engraving 3D printing platform, which has better platform adhesion than brushed platform and improves success rate. At the same time, anti-scratch film can reduce the screen damage caused by resin leakage and save the high cost of replacing the screen.
It's the Smallest Biggest Printer You'll Ever Own, And You Can Build Anything With It.
With the unique structure, the ANYCUBIC Photon M3 Max 3D printer can print in the smallest and largest sizes. With a larger build volume, the ANYCUBIC Photon M3 Max can print larger models, up to 11.7”x6.5”x11.8″.
This printer can produce more details and have higher resolution, with a larger build volume than the ANYCUBIC Resin 3D printer, so it can print a large model in a single piece. It has a faster printing speed and more stable printing quality, so it can print faster and with fewer problems.
It has a laser engraving 3D printing platform, which improves the platform adhesion, produces more detailed models, and has a higher resolution.
FlashForge Adventurer 3 Pro
- 【240℃ & 265℃ Nozzle Bundle】printer equipped with a 0.4mm 240℃ nozzle and a 0.4mm 265℃ nozzle. Heat to 200°C (392°F) within 60 seconds. Detachable design allows you to remove the nozzle from the extruder in one push.
- 【Leveling Free & Glass Bed】Out of the box, Build plate is well leveled in the factory. Better flatness than flexible build plate, greatly minimal warping issues.Compatible with pre-released PEI platform assembly.
- 【HD Camera & Support Various Filament】Built-in HD Camera allows you to remotely view the printing process online. Adventurer 3 Pro shows great performance on 3d printing ABS, PLA, PC, PETG, PLA-CF, PETG-CF, and other filaments.
- 【Filament Auto-Loading & Mute Printing】Enclosed spool holder, put filament end in, then trigger filament loading via the touchscreen for auto & smooth feeding. <45dB, ensures you a quiet and comfortable printing environment.
- 【Efficient After-sales Support】All of our 3d printers provide one month free return and exchange. Lifetime technical support, a one-year warranty and reliable 12-hour response service. At Flashforge, zero risk purchase is for every customer's smiles.
The FlashForge Adventurer 3 is the first all-in-one 3D printer for small spaces.
FlashForge Adventurer 3 Pro is a 3D printer that allows you to print anything you can imagine. With a temperature range of up to 265℃ and a nozzle temperature range of up to 245℃, the FlashForge Adventurer 3 Pro will print at any temperature setting. It features a dual nozzle and a 0.4mm nozzle diameter.
The extruder is equipped with a 240℃ nozzle for printing ABS, and a 265℃ nozzle for printing PLA, PC, PETG, PLA-CF and PETG-CF. It also has a glass bed, levelling free and supports various filaments. You can connect to the printer through a WiFi connection.
It has a built-in camera that lets you view the printing process online. With the built-in camera, you can view the printing process from your computer, tablet or phone. You can mute the printing process to keep the noise down. It also has a spool holder that holds the filament in place. The spool holder prevents the filament from being pulled out.
Official Creality Ender 3 S1 Pro
- Reach to 200mm/s: 2024 New Version Ender 3 S1 Pro 3d printer, equips 200mm/s printing speed, it is 4 times faster than the other normal 3d printer. Give good printing experience to customers and get a good model in short time.
- “Sprite” All Metal Direct Drive Extruder: The new upgraded direct extruder comes with the pushing force up to 80N, the extruder realizes smooth feeding and discharging of flaments without slipping and works extremely well in printing flexible flaments like TPU.
- CR-Touch Auto-level Sensor: CRTouch can complete quickly adjust the the nozzle printing height on the hot bed. CR-Touch gets the 16-points auto-leveling program, which can collect more samples than the 9-points of the BLTouch which makes the bed leveling more precise.
- Upgraded 300℃ High-temp Nozzle: This creality 3d printer comes with upgraded brass nozzle which can stand 300℃ high-temp, allow you to choose more kinds of filament like ABS, PETG, PA, PLA, TPU and Wood. Not only for more possibilities of creation but also gives you a smoother printing.
- Upgraded in All aspects: Also like Ender 3 S1, Ender3 S1 Pro also has Z-axis dual-screw+Z-axis dual-motor design. This can make Ender 3S1 Pro works smoother and more synchronously to lower the possibility of lines and ridges on the sides of your print, thus improvingthe printing quality. You can also quickly install the printers with 6 steps. New 4.3 inch color touch screen installed and it takes an user friendly UI face . LED light allow you print in the dark environment. The Steel Spring PEI sheet Bed can help you slove the adhesion problem, no need shovel anymore. Filament detection sensor installed and power Loss recovery function also supported.
A well-thought-out machine with a wide variety of features.
The official Creality S1 Pro is a professional 3D printer with the latest technology and high-tech. With a large print area of 23.5 x 15.4 x 24.2 cm (9.27 x 5.69 x 9.65 in), it is the best choice for 3D printing. With a resolution up to 240×240, it can print at a speed of 60-200mm/s.
It has a high-temperature nozzle to print flexible materials and a precision leveller that detects the bed's position. The printer supports all popular 3D modelling software, including Blender, SketchUp, and Meshmixer.
R QIDI TECHNOLOGY 3D Printer
- 【QIDI Third Generation Extruder Assembly】The two newly upgraded extruders of X-PLUSⅡ are dual-gear extruders with more accurate printing, better heat dissipation, and less clogging.The ordinary extruder has already been installed on the printer, and its max printing temperature is 250 ℃. It can work well with PLA, ABS, and TPU. The high-temperature extruder has a 300 ℃ maximum printing temperature, which can print Nylon, PA12-CF, and PC.
- 【Double Z-axis driver】 Ensures more stable and more precise printing quality when you print large model size. Higher configuration 3D printer.Large print size is 10.6×7.9×7.9 Inch.
- 【Filament detection function& Resume Printing】X-PLUSⅡis equipped with a filament runout sensor. When printing a large model, there is no need to worry about the filament depletion. It will ring to remind users.If a power outage occurs during the printing process, the printer will automatically save the breakpoint.
- 【Latest slicer software version 6.5.3】: Redesigned UI interface of QIDI software is smarter and more convenient to operate. It has changed the software's slicing algorithm and improves the print quality by 30 percent and speed by 20 percent. The QIDI software is compatible with all types of QIDI printer.(If yours is the old version, please download the latest version on QIDI official website).
- 【About R QIDI TECHNOLOGY X-PLUSⅡ】X-PLUSⅡprovide free one-year warranty, lifetime technical assistance.Professional after-sale service team will help customers solve the problem within 12 hours.
QIDI X-Plus – The Future of Printing
Qidi Technology is a high-quality, low-price, professional 3D printer manufacturer. It is one of the most popular 3D printer manufacturers, with a solid reputation.
They have been focusing on developing high-quality, high-performance 3D printers and have eight years of manufacturing experience.
The X-Plus printer features an efficient, modern design that will look great in your home or office, which makes bringing 3D printing into your workflow easy. It is a higher configuration 3D printer but is under $1000 on Amazon.
It combines all the features you want in a 3D printer like quiet printing, air purification, WiFi connection, one-button quick levelling, breakpoint printing, etc. It can print advanced materials such as Nylon, Carbon Fiber, and PC and be compatible with any brand of 1.75mm filament.
It is suitable for education institutions for hands-on, project-based learning, designers, tinkerers, hobbyists & home users, and advanced 3D users in industry, engineering and product development, which brings tremendous contributions to the development of modern society.
How to Pick the best 3D printer
3D printing has become one of the most talked about inventions recently. Many people have made use of this invention to their advantage. This has been a revolutionary invention that has helped many people around the world.
3D printing is now considered to be one of the most popular inventions. It has become a new type of revolution. This technology is being used to create objects by melting layers of plastic material into a solid shape.
With this technology, you don't need to be an expert to create a beautiful piece of art. Anyone can use this invention to make something they can be proud of.
In recent years, there have been many advancements in this technology. They have been able to print previously impossible objects. With this technology, you can print out anything you want.
Many 3D printers are available in the market. However, it is essential to know what the best 3D printer is for your needs. Below are some things you should look for when buying a 3D printer.
1: Material
The material used for the 3D printing process is usually filament. Nowadays, you can find printing materials in many different shapes and sizes. You can use any of the materials as long as it meets the required quality.
2: Resolution
The resolution refers to the number of layers that are printed at the same time. For instance, if you print a model with 12 layers, it is possible to print 12 at once.
If the resolution is low, you may have a poor-quality object. On the other hand, if the resolution is high, you may spend more time waiting for the object to be printed.
The best resolution depends on the materials and the printer's size. For instance, the FDM printers can print up to 100 layers.
3: Print speed
This refers to the number of layers that are printed at the same time. It is pretty easy to determine whether the 3D printer is capable of printing a large number of layers at once. The larger the number of layers printed at once, the faster it will be to print.
4: Layer thickness
It refers to the number of layers that are printed at the same time. A lower layer thickness means a thinner object. This means that the object takes less time to print.
However, if the thickness is higher, it will take longer to print the object. You can use the 3D printing software to determine the required thickness of the object.
5: Size
This refers to the size of the object you are trying to print. You can choose from a wide range of sizes for the 3D printer. You can print a small object or a large object depending on the size that you choose.
Conclusion
In conclusion, knowing your goals is the key to finding the best 3d printer for your creative needs. If you want to print jewellery or a custom wedding band, you'll want something that has a smaller build volume. If you want to create a prototype for your new product idea, you'll need something with a large build volume and high resolution.
It's important to remember that while technology has made it much cheaper and easier to create and print our designs and artwork, we shouldn't forget that there are still fundamental limitations and trade-offs to creating and printing 3D objects.
3D printing has been all the rage in the creative industry for many years. This is thanks to the ability of 3D printers to create objects from digital designs with fantastic accuracy and detail. While a 3D printer may seem like a luxury item, some cheaper ones can still be useful.
The most popular are desktop-based 3D printers, though they can vary in size, quality, and price. The top ones are often used by designers, graphic artists, and architects but can also be helpful in other industries.
Our editors have spent countless hours researching the best cheap 3D printers available. Learn what you should be looking for when buying a cheap 3D printer.
Last update on 2024-05-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
