3D printers are becoming more and more popular. In addition, the technology is maturing, so the quality of these machines is increasingly higher, with better results and cheaper prices. An example of this evolution is the Anycubic i3 Mega, a highly recommended printer with a price of less than € 300. A not inconsiderable offer considering the results and characteristics of this machine.
La Anycubic brand has several very interesting printing machines. Among them this i3 Mega model. It is a Chinese company founded in 2015 in Shenzhen, with about 300 employees working there to create these products. Trained in some of the most important international universities to ensure that they have the necessary talent to delight any maker who wants to print their own objects.
Some critics suggest that Anycubic i3 Mega is the best 3D printer of 2019 for less than € 300, and is not for less. You want to know why?
Anycubic i3 Mega Features
La Anycubic i3 Mega is a superior quality printer, with a guarantee (with a good technical service and after-sales assistance) and resistance to have a large volume of printing without it being damaged easily. The printing capacity supports printing quality parts up to 210x210x205 mm, that is, that you can work with pieces large, something that some printers do not allow for these prices.
In many articles I have said that you can print some of the pieces that are used for DIY, because with it you can do it ...
incluye una touch screen where it will show all the operating details, such as the working temperatures of the head or extruder, the printing time, etc. Being tactile, it allows you to operate it directly without using buttons in a much more intuitive way.
Anycubic i3 Mega also guarantees a good finish of the printed parts, with high quality. The materials supported are PLA and ABS, among others that allow fine filaments. A special spatula is included in the kit to remove excess filaments after each print. In addition, it has a filament detector, so if the "ink" runs out, it will pause so you can replace the consumable and continue where it was printing, without having to throw the part away.
The printer is not assembled, but its assembly is quite simple and fasteven if you have no experience. It is all very intuitive, so a user who has never had a printer of this type, would not even need to read the manual. It would only be enough to tighten 8 screws and insert three lines and little else.
And if you are thinking that it is one of those low-quality Chinese products, the truth is that all the products manufactured by Anycubic have European CE certification, to ensure that it is safe in all aspects, and also with others such as FCC, and RoHS (environmental).
When you open the box of this printer usually includes Anycubic i3 Mega 3D printer, spatula, 8GB SD memory card, practical user guide, spare set hotend, random color test filament, tool kit, spool holder and spool. Therefore, you can assemble it and start printing to test it even if you have not bought filament ...
Summary of technical characteristics
- Control: easy-to-use touch screen. It has memory to be able to resume printing in case the power goes out and then continues as you can see in the previous Hulk figure. Also, if the filament runs out, it pauses and continues when you put a new spool on it. That way you will not waste time or material on prints that are left half ...
- Modeling technology: FDM, that is, by deposition of the molten material.
- X / Y / Z positioning accuracy: 0.125mm for XY and 0.002mm for Z.
- Layer thickness: 0.05-0.3mm
- Print speed: 20-100 mm / s
- Supported filament materials: 1.75mm with PLA, ABS, HIPS, Wood, TPU, and PETG materials
- Nozzle diameter 0.4mm
- Work temperature: the extruder nozzle works at 260ºC and the heated bed is kept at 110ºC
- Dimensions and weight: 405x410x453mm and 11 kg
- Slicer software: Cure
- Input / output formats: STL, OBJ, DAE, AMF / GCode
- Work mode- You can send the files for printing online by USB or offline without a computer connected with the SD card.
Advantages and disadvantages of the Anycubic i3 Mega
Like all products, Anycubic i3 Mega has its advantages and disadvantages. Although the truth is that the 3D printer leaves users who try it quite satisfied, and almost everything is advantages compared to few disadvantages. If compared to other alternatives, it is the best you will find for that price.
Some printed examples To get an idea of its level of detail and quality, you have them in the previous image. Look especially at the bike, and the level of detail it achieves in the chain.
Advantages
- Print quality
- Low price
- Good instruction manual, technical service and warranty
- Simple assembly and spare parts included
- Automatic stop system in case the filament runs out or restart if there is a power cut.
- Heated bed (ultrabase) that stays warm so that the part does not move and achieve better results.
- Print speed
- Versatility in media
- Large print volume
- Quality of printer finishes to give it robustness
- Fast, intuitive user interface with touch screen
- Supports various formats and SD PCless printing
- Quality certifications for safe use against other Chinese
- Easy to find compatible filaments
Disadvantages
- The example coil that you bring to test may be of poor quality
- Somewhat noisy
- It is not easy to improve if you need it.
- The bed calibration is semi-automatic and not entirely automatic, so you will have to intervene, although it is not complicated at all.
Where to buy the printer and replacement
You can find it on some sites selling online, such as eBay, Amazon, etc. But taking into account the service of online platforms, the choice of Amazon is better for logistics and for the guarantees offered by this service.
Where to buy the 3D printer?
On the Internet you will find other offers of this same model above € 300, which are expensive prices that you should avoid, since you can find cheaper. In fact, you can find one Anycubic i3 Mega offer for about € 279.
Where to buy replacement printing filament?
Just like the printer, you can order it from various supported materials and in various colors. It is available in specialized stores or for purchase online. For example, the 1 Kg coil of PLA of various colors for about € 20.