Make: Ultimate Guide to 3D Printing 2014

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Which 3D printer is right for you?

The world of desktop 3D printing is rapidly expanding and new companies and printer models are emerging daily.  With so many options to choose from, how do you decide what machine is right for you?

The second annual MAKE Ultimate Guide to 3D Printing is here to help, with reviews of 23 printers currently on the market.  In this year’s testing, we assembled a diverse team of expert reviewers and put these machines through a battery of tests to determine this year’s standouts.  We focused on the printer’s end users and made recommendations based on goals, budget, and usage setting.  Learn about how we tested for this issue.

This issue issue delves into:

  • Reviews of 23 3D printers
  • 3D scanners and filament extruders
  • Cool, useful, and specialized 3D printed applications
  • CAD Software tutorials

This year we have published the seven reviews for the this year’s standout printers online and will be publishing one additional review each day until they are all available.

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Table of Contents

Projects

3D SCANNING PARTY “PHOTO BOOTH”

Make full-body scans of your guests for printing!Page 44

METAL MADNESS

Move past plastic — use your printer to cast objects in metal.Page 48

DIY FILAMENT EXTRUDER

Make all the plastic you can print at a fraction of the retail price.Page 50

MORE FUN 3D PROJECTS

Tips, tricks, and toys.Page 54

MEGA MAKE

Print your own articulating action-hero robot model.Page 112

Buyer’s Guide

INTRODUCTION

Page 56

3D Systems Cube 2

Page 72

Up Mini

Page 74

Felix 2.0

Page 76

Liquid-Resin Printing

Page 91

PRINTER RESULTS OVERVIEW

Page 94

3D Scanners

Page 96

David Vision Systems

Page 96

MakerBot Digitizer, Matterform, Cubik

Page 97

Accessories and Mods

Page 98

Filament Extruders

Page 99

Ones to Watch

Page 100