9+ 3D Printer Under 150 Dollars of 2022 | Unrivaled Guide

Are you looking for the best 3d printers under the $150 budget and want to know which are the best and most recommended in 2022? We are here to help you.

Nowadays when you are looking for something related to 3D printers you can find different types of very different products: 3d printers for resin or plastic printing (the best known), 3d printers for metal, 3d printers for wood, printers 3d for glass, professional 3d printers, small or large, etc.

So to find exactly the 3d printers you are looking for, and not find yourself consulting other categories, it would be necessary to do a little more detailed research … but we are here to help you.

Another aspect to investigate when choosing a 3d printer is knowing the reason why one should be chosen instead of another, especially when there are several dozen different products at different prices.

Also Read: Best Printers For Heat Transfers 

3d Printer Under $ 150

In this, the others can be useful, that is, those who have already gone looking for 3D printers Under 150 Dollars before, have bought and used them, gaining a personal opinion. In fact, we cannot know if the printer will do for us even before having tried it, but we can initially trust the choices of others and choose which of the 3D printers 150 USD today is the best-selling and the most reviewed.

Precisely for this reason, we have created an updated list (monthly) of the best-selling 3d printers on Amazon. It will surely help you find what you are looking for quickly.

Tip: If you are in a hurry, add a product to the Amazon cart without obligation. This will help you NOT to forget the product when you are ready to make your purchase and review it more calmly.

3d Printer Under $ 150 | Comparison Table 2022

Prices and images pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:

3d Printer Under $ 150 | 2022 Products Overview

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3D printing technology | Unrivaled Guide For Buyers

The first thing to know about 3D printers is printing technology, as not all printers use the same technology. Most home 3D printers use a process called “Fused Deposition Modeling” (FDM), sometimes also called “Fused Filament Fabrication” (FFF) or “Plastic Jet Printing” (PJP). This printing technology is the process of making a three-dimensional object by applying successive layers of a specific material (usually plastic) layer by layer until the entire object is created.

The layers are like horizontal cross-sections of the object that were created by the 3D modeling software and that are formed by extruding a continuous length of plastic material using a heated nozzle that hardens almost immediately after extrusion.

Also Read: Best 3d Printer Under 500 Dollar

Print material, filament, and spools

The next thing to consider is the compatible print material itself. Most 3D printers use a spool of ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) or PLA (polylactic acid) filament available in all sorts of colors. Many printers in the past used both ABS and PLA, and many still use it (such as the Cube or the CEL Robox). These two plastics are known as thermoplastics, which means that they can be heated to become flexible (slurry) and as soon as they are cooled back to being solid no matter how repeated the process is.

The ABS material is flexible, durable, and has high-temperature resistance, which is why it is preferred by professionals. PLA can produce thinner layer thicknesses, sharper printed corners, and is available in a wide range of colors making it a favorite with schools and hobbyists. An important difference, however, between ABS and PLA is that PLA is corn-based and as such is significantly more biodegradable.

There are several other options available:

– Nylon: There are different types of Nylon material used in 3D printing, the most popular being Nylon 618. It has a natural white color which can be colored to your taste. It has great biocompatibility and is mainly used in the medical industry.

– Resin: This material creates particularly smooth and precise objects with its rich texture. However, exposing a resin-molded object to UV light causes it to discolor. Users of this type of material usually paint the model with varnish after printing.

– Wood: This filament is a mix of recycled wood and bonding polymer. If you like to create objects that look and smell like wood, this printing material is for you. The process of printing with wood is very similar to that with ABS and PLA.

– HIPS: High impact polystyrene filament is a good example of 3D support material. It has an interesting property that makes it suitable as a support material. However, its filaments have adhesion problems, which can be reduced by using a heated bed during printing.

– Stainless Steel: This material is a mixture of a hybrid of stainless steel and bronze. It is the toughest of all 3D printing materials. Usually, desktop 3D printers cannot print in this material.

ABS and PLA are available in spools with two common filament diameters: 1.75mm or 3mm, and not all 3D printers are compatible with both diameters. It should be noted that some 3D printers have a special ABS or PLA cartridge and as such, it is highly recommended to purchase a replacement filament manufactured by the same manufacturer as the 3D printer.

Unlike the filament which has become almost standardized in two sizes (1.75mm and 3mm), the spools are still available in many different sizes. The size and dimensions of the spool is an important feature to consider, as it differs from one printer to another. The first thing to note is that some 3D printers have a closed filament spool holder while others contain an open one. Typically, printers with a closed spool holder take spools made by the same manufacturer or, sometimes, made specifically for that 3D printer.

To choose an appropriate filament spool for your 3D printer, you may need to know the outside diameter, inside diameter of the spool, mounting hole diameter, and weight.

3D printing attributes

We suggest choosing a 3D printer that suits your needs based on several key performance attributes. Here are some aspects of 3D printing performance to consider when comparing 3D printers:

– Build volume/print area: Obviously the larger the build area, the larger the objects that can be created inside the printer. The largest build volume for commercial 3D printers to date is available with stereolithography (SLA) which allows designers and engineers to print up to 1m³ of objects (“one-off” printers have created even larger parts). For most desktop/hobby 3D printers, the build volume will not exceed 380mm³. Usually, 3D printer manufacturers provide build volume or dimensions (width x depth x height) in inches or millimeters.

– Print Speed: A typical FDM 3D desktop printer prints from ~ 40mm / s to 150mm / s. This means that the printer is capable of extruding 40-150mm / sec of molten filament every second. This attribute directly depends on the print resolution. The higher the resolution, the slower the speed and vice versa. The type of material used and the level of complexity of the print can also affect the print speed. While having the same volume, a model with many corners and edges will print slower than a sphere, for example.

– Layer resolution: As for photography, you can choose the resolution of the final printed object and you can choose to create high and low-resolution objects. A high-resolution object tends to be relatively smooth, has very thin layers, and sometimes (at very high resolution) it is difficult to see each individual layer, while a low-resolution object has thicker layers and it is easy to see each layer. Some 3D printers allow you to enter a layer resolution value (each printer has min and max values) while others provide two or more resolution options such as “low”, “medium” and “high”.

– Extruders: In FDM printers, the extruder assembly includes a heated print nozzle (the part responsible for melting and extruding the print materials), as well as a motor that forces the filament into the nozzle, a temperature sensor, and often times a cooling system for the engine itself. An important aspect to consider is the number of extruders a 3D printer includes. More than one extruder allows you to print an object in different colors and/or different materials. Most 3D printers on the market have one nozzle for each extruder, except the CEL Robox 3D printer which has two nozzles with one extruder and this dual nozzle system can improve printing speed by up to 300%.

Features of the 3D printer

In addition to 3D object printing, 3D printers offer many interesting features that can make the printing experience quite easy and fun. Some of these features are listed below:

– Connectivity: Most 3D printers rely on a USB connection (mostly Type B) and a computer to print an object using cutting software. Some printers have the ability to print via Ethernet or wirelessly using a WiFi connection (from a PC or even a mobile phone). Interestingly, some 3D printers include a USB or SD card slot so you don’t have to depend on an external computer during the build process.

– LCD and Display: It is always a pleasure to have a visual display on gadgets and with 3D printers, this is no exception. It can be a character or graphic LCD display, touchscreen or even some colored LEDs that convey useful information for printing, such as the progress of the print.

– Assembled vs Kit: Today it’s easier than ever to build gadgets and invent devices at home. Some 3D printer manufacturers give the user the ability to assemble their own 3D printer without much difficulty. Not all 3D printers come assembled, some of them come in a DIY kit like the Makeblock Constructor 3D Printer. This approach often results in cost savings, as the manufacturer does not need to assemble, calibrate and test the machine.

Additional features of 3D printers

3D printers come in different shapes and designs, but also a host of extra features and accessories. Before buying a 3D printer, it would be wise to consider some of these additional features. Here are some examples your future 3D printer might include:

– All-in-One 3D Printer: A 3D printer that combines copying, printing, scanning, and faxing in one machine.

– Camera: An onboard camera can be useful for monitoring prints. Mostly, the camera is accessible through a PC or mobile phone so that we can always have an eye on our objects being printed and easily take pictures of the final print.

– Automatic material recognition: Some 3D printers automatically recognize the installed printing material. Depending on the filament type, the printer display will show PLA, ABS, or other material. Like the CEL Robox® Dual-Head 3D printer.

– Aesthetics: Even if it is not a technical feature, the appearance of a printer can play an important role and influence our choice. Because of this, the new 3D printers have attractive bezels, and the machines no longer look like something that was put together in a garage.

3D printing software

Most 3D printers provide their own 3D printing software that can open and print STL files. An STL file is the standard file format that you might use to print your 3D model into a physical object. It contains the information (series of triangles and their XYZ coordinates) necessary to produce a physical object layer by layer. Like a traditional 2D printer, with 3D printing software, you can rotate, scale and resize the model.

You can also choose different 3D printing settings, such as layer thickness and fill type. However, to design and create your own objects, you may need 3D modeling software. There is a wide range of free and commercial 3D modeling software that will help you bring your creation to life (123D Design, Sketchup, Autodesk Inventors Fusion…). The STL file can be generated using most 3D modeling programs.

3d printer price

Last but not least, choosing a 3D printer is like choosing any other home appliance. It will depend on the budget you are ready to invest. As for desktop 3D printers, the price range goes from 200 euros to 4,000. It goes without saying that the higher the price, the higher the quality of the prints and the more features you will have.

Usually, the price of the printer will directly reflect the print quality and features. However, with the rise in popularity of 3D printers and stiff competition among manufacturers, printer prices will drop as quality improves.

Advantages and disadvantages of 3D printers

The possibility of creating projects only through a digitized and connected device is, unfortunately, one of the drawbacks of the economical printer. The machinery certainly needs to be connected to a digitized project via PC to work, which, from this point of view, makes everything more restrictive at the design level, which however allows a more scrupulous and precise work.

However, the more accurate the project, the longer it will take to complete. Especially for objects that require intricate processing, the printer will work with care, but also require a long waiting period to finish the job. A real contradiction if you think that among the advantages there is the possibility of carrying out maintenance in total autonomy even in the home environment.

Repairs, additions, small gaskets, without requiring an external technical intervention could become much easier and faster. Furthermore, the 3D printer has no creative limits. Conditionally, we think above all of the simple objects, but it is possible to recreate anything you want: food, personalized bijoux, clothes, and even works of art. Artists also use materials and blends to create sculptures in total innovation.

Ultimately, 3D printing, so varied and multifaceted, is a solution that should not be underestimated. With the uses nowadays it has been possible to move forward and discover innovation in different areas. And, although it still needs improvement and smoothing some edges, the 3D printer can become one of the everyday gimmicks that can adapt to all needs.

Conclusion

Finally, choosing a 3D printer could be quite a challenge. However, when the question arises: what will it be for? You are already aiming for the right one. We hope this article has been helpful enough to guide your choice, giving you the most important attributes that all 3D printers have in common. Before making a decision, try to step back and view all the important specifications you need for your application and compare them to existing 3D printers. Then, you will buy the right one.

We hope you have found the printer you were looking for.

If you do not see the list or you think there are errors, you can report it by commenting on this article. You can comment even if you have already purchased one of the recommended 3d printers Under 150 USD to share your opinion.