Compared to many 3D printers, Dremel’s 3D40 is relatively polished. It has simple instructions, clear images and diagrams, and it even greets you with a pleasant 8-bit tune on startup. It is relatively quiet printer, which makes the loud bang when the printer homes its end stops all the more jarring. Still, as a fully enclosed machine from a very reputable company, the 3D40 is a nice choice, especially for those who might be worried about little fingers trying to explore what’s going on inside.
Filament for the Dremel is stored in an easily accessible, enclosed compartment on the side of the printer. While it uses a spool and not a cartridge, Dremel recommends you purchase filament from them, and it will void your warranty if you don’t.
The print bed is enclosed, and there are clear plastic doors on both the top and front of the printer allowing easy access to the bed and extruder. The 3D40 has a good-sized bed, but it’s non-heated, so you’ll only being printing in PLA. Unlike many other printers, Dremel made the bed longer rather than taller. This might mean shorter printer times by printing items horizontally, but it may limit some models, like the overnight print we did for testing.
Setting up the 3D40 is straightforward. One of the nicer features of the 3D40 is its bed-leveling system. A retractable switch comes down only during the leveling process, preventing the sensor from possibly catching on the print. If the bed isn’t level the user simple turns the knobs until the printer indicates that point is the correct height and moves on to the next. No need to estimate screw rotation angles or pull out a piece of paper, and guess if it’s the right thickness. The 3D40 includes a number of stored prints you can run right away, and even shows images on the built-in display. Built-in Wi-Fi and Ethernet are also big pluses for this printer.
The 3D40 uses AutoDesk’s Print Studio for slicing and printer control. It is relatively simple to use. Controls are laid out in a logical order and the user is not overwhelmed with settings. It also includes repair feature for fixing meshes. Print Studio creates supports that grow from the bed much like vines, similar to those offered through AutoDesk’s MeshMixer. The slicer defaults to adding those supports, which can be annoying, but they’re easy to switch off.
Overall the Dremel 3D40 comes closer to other consumer items in its designs than many other printers and produces adequate prints.
