These and other issues required painstaking effort to resolve, often combined with calls to tech support. Objects frequently stuck to the build plate, and required careful, sometimes unsuccessful, efforts to pry them off. The extruder or hot end had to be positioned just right to minimize the gap between the nozzle and the build plate (the flat surface on which the object is printed). Issues with filament-based-aka fused filament fabrication (FFF) or fused deposition modeling (FDM)-printers were abundant.įilament feeders had to be coaxed into delivering filament from the spool to the extruder. For the first several years, it was often an adventure getting one of these printers up and running, let alone successfully through our testing regimen.

Today, the state of 3D printing is strong, but that wasn’t always the case. PC Labs has been reviewing 3D printers since 2013. And you may pay less than you expect: Many once-high-end features have migrated down to inexpensive models. Through their first decade-and-change, 3D printers have come down in price, grown easier to set up and operate, and become more reliable.

While we'd hesitate to call 3D printing a mature technology, you might say it has reached its teenage years. Read our editorial mission (Opens in a new window) & see how we test (Opens in a new window). Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.

Best compact 3d printer