The one thing most 3D printer hobbyists need is patience. Patience in setting up and calibrating their equipment, patience in finding or creating the perfect 3D models, and most of all, patience in waiting for their creation to be painstakingly assembled line by line of plastic filament laid out at the crawl. However, that last part doesn’t necessarily need to take that long.
Here’s what happened to change the way we think about the speed of 3D printing.
The 3D printing business has been a race to the bottom in the past five years, price-wise. The need to create a class of budget 3D printers that still have some advanced features has captured the attention of most manufacturers. Elegoo, Anycubic, Creality, and others have made the same type of printer with minor modifications to improve operability. Meanwhile, popular brands like Prusa, Ultimaker, and Raise3D have been iterating on their tried-and-tested machines, focusing on print quality rather than speed.
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All that changed in early 2023 with the release of AnkerMake M5followed closely Bamboo Lab X1 Carbon. Overnight, 3D printing had machines that printed amazing models at least twice as fast as other printers. The race for speed was on, and other companies began to respond in earnest. Prusa now has the MK4And Indeed has a K1 Other companies are sure to follow suit. If you are new to 3D printing and looking to get started, purchasing one of these ultra-fast machines will be a boost to your hobby, if you have the right budget for it.
However, the big question: If you already have a 3D printer that works for you, should you rush out and buy a new, faster machine?
Answer: It really depends on your current device
The decision to upgrade likely comes down to one of three factors
- Need to print faster? (for example, if you are printing professionally)
- Your budget needs (faster printers are more expensive)
- Current 3D printer quality is pretty good (if it doesn’t break…)
your budget
These ultra-fast 3D printers start around $600 — the Creality K1 and Bambu Lab P1P are the cheapest ultra-fast machines — but can run as high as $1,400 for the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon. If your current machine is a budget 3D printer like the Elegoo Neptune 3 ($229) and then spending three times that amount to upgrade is daunting. You can simply buy another Neptune 3 and print twice as many things for about $200.
business needs
3D printing has always been great for rapid prototyping. If you run a small business or are a home inventor, having a machine that can print your ideas and allow you to improve them is invaluable. Super fast 3D printing makes rapid prototyping making everything faster and better. A model that used to take four hours to print can take nearly 90 minutes with a machine like the Bambu Lab P1P. In the world of inventions and small businesses, throwing nearly three-quarters of your time into a project is a huge deal.
I run an Etsy 3D printing shop, and while I have several standard speed printers dedicated to the shop, having faster machines obviously increases my productivity and therefore my profitability. If you’re a believer in the adage “time is money,” then investing in a super fast 3D printer is a good idea.
your quality
Without exception, all of the ultrafast printers I’ve tested have achieved comparable results to the best 3D printers around. But if you already have a connection to your 3D printer for amazing results every time, and neither of the other two points above apply to you, you probably don’t need to upgrade at all. After all, if you don’t want to spend money, need the speed to work and have a printer that already delivers great results, upgrading has no real purpose.
Print quality can be amazing on these ultra-fast printers
Should you buy a fast printer as your first printer?
3D printing is still an industry that’s governed by quality, so while the speed is amazing, it might not be a reason to upgrade on its own. If you’re looking to buy your first 3D printer, and your budget allows, you should definitely look into one of these ultra-fast printers. Its print quality, machine quality, ease of setup and the speed with which it prints make it a top choice for newcomers. My current suggestion is Bambu Lab P1P. It ticks all the boxes for an ultra-fast printer, and it does so at a mid-price point of $699.
I’ve been using and testing 3D printers for nearly a decade now, and I’ve seen a lot of exciting improvements. The emergence of speed is the next exciting step forward. It is always important to remember that new improvements do not undo the current crop. If your 3D printer is still working fine, keep it until it doesn’t work.