Low-cost desktop 3D printers did not quite meet professional engineers expectations. Actually, the price was a bit too high for what you received. For the average price of $5000, you often got a unit that was easily broken, did not really deliver quality parts, was not very fast, had a small build table, software that barely functioned without a lot of tweaking, and overall, was just not good value.

But if the price is right and the printer is sound, engineers are starting to return to desktop 3D printers for their prototyping needs. These units prove useful for the initial first few iterations of an engineer’s design, after which engineers often turn to service bureaus for more professional prototypes or even low-run manufacturing.

Price and ruggedness are key criteria in an engineer’s choice of desktop 3D printers, though. One such printer that is receiving attention is the MakerGear M2, from MakerGear, an Ohio-based manufacturer of desktop 3D printers. Recently the printer was ranked No.1 in the world in the 2017 global 3D Printer Index published by 3D Hubs. 3D Hubs is an online marketplace for 3D printing services, with a network of 20,000 desktop 3D printing service providers in more than 160 countries. 3D Hubs collected detailed reviews from 8,624 3D printer owners who reported on 513 different 3D printers to determine this ranking.

The MakerGear M2 3D printer, which has a listed price of $1,825, was originally released in 2012, and is now in its fifth generation. It has a steel frame and CNC machined cast aluminum construction. Its build size is 8 by 10 by 8 in. The build bed uses auto-leveling to stay level and eliminate the need for Z axis compensation. It prints in a range of materials from common thermoplastics such as PLA and ABS to nylons, polycarbonate, and more, using a 1.75 mm filament.

Tolerance is smaller than 50 micron to 0.25 mm with a 0.35 mm nozzle, however, there is more to print quality than layer thickness.

These features are typical of desktop 3D printers. Except that this one is of more rugged construction and at a reasonable price; other 3D printers of this ruggedness would range from $3000 to $5000.

Leslie Langnau
llangnau@wtwhmedia.com