可能感觉消费级 3D(consumer 3D)打印机仍然是一种早期采用者技术，但事实却大不相同。就在几年前，您的 3D 打印机还处于拆卸状态，由一些邋遢的家伙在棚子里组装。现在，典型的主流 3D(mainstream 3D) 打印机产品与您可以使用(printer product)信用卡(credit card)的任何其他消费电子设备一样光彩照人。
价格也一直在暴跌，这意味着修补匠的预算可以得到一些体面的、负担得起的 3D 打印机。然而，这不是我们在这里看到的。就消费者打印机而言，此处列出的打印机推动了行业向前发展。
它们的特性、功能和质量代表了对早期几乎自制的机器的巨大飞跃。(quantum leap)因此，您可以在 2019 年购买四款最好的 3D 打印机，让您大饱眼福。
达芬奇颜色
在过去的几年里，XYZprinting 确实为自己赢得了名声。他们的打印机不断创新，产品范围内(product range)有很多不错的选择。例如，他们的 da Vinci AIO产品还包括一个 3D激光扫描仪(laser scanner)，它将打印机变成各种 3D 复印机。
虽然FDM打印机已经相当成熟，但大多数仍仅限于单色打印。双或多挤出机型号可用于轻松打印多种颜色。每个挤压头(extrusion head)一个。但是，如果您想要一个合适的全彩色 3D(full-color 3D)对象，那么还没有任何消费产品能够胜任这项任务。
输入达芬奇颜色(da Vinci Color)。这台打印机感觉像是技术的真正进步。它将FDM 3D打印与CMY墨水打印技术相结合。最终结果(end result)是一个系统，可以随心所欲地为打印的外层着色。(outer layer)所以你不再需要手绘你的版画！da Vinci Color感觉就像我们想象的 3D 打印机可能的科幻复制器的开端。
它也不是一匹小马。引擎盖下有许多高科技功能。如今， WiFi(WiFi)已在高端机型上提供，但它也有一个整洁的磁性打印床和(print bed and sports)一个复杂的自动校准系统(auto-calibration system)。
7.9 x 7.9 x 5.9 英寸的打印体积(print volume)对某些人来说可能有点紧张，但绝大多数用户会对这么大的空间感到非常满意。唯一真正的抱怨是 100 微米的最大分辨率比da Vinci Pro上的 20(Vinci Pro)微米分辨率(micron resolution)要大很多。如果Color的价格对于您的血液来说太丰富了，现在可以预购迷你版打印机。(Mini)
闪锻造物主专业版
Flashforge与最初的Creator 模型(Creator model)相得益彰。这个新的Creator Pro模型继承了原始模型的优点并提高了质量。Pro选择了更好(Better)（也更昂贵）的材料，使其更坚固、更具吸引力。
你会得到保证不会在热和金属框架(metal frame)下翘曲的航空铝材，而不是木材。新的金属结构和导杆组件(metal construction and guide-rod assembly)均以精度和可靠性(precision and reliability)为目标。最重要的是，内置的腔室是绝缘的，因此ABS（它也支持PLA）持续冷却。
这也是一台双挤出机打印机，它开启了各种可能性。是的，您可以将不同颜色的细丝用于双色打印，但更有趣的是能够为支撑和最终产品提供不同等级的材料。
这是一款简洁的打印机，在这个价格(price bracket)范围内，它比大多数其他机器明显地淘汰了高质量的打印件。说到这一点，Creator Pro最初以远高于 Grand 的价格推出，并且一直在降价，现在几乎是原价的一半。
它已经是全价的强大竞争对手，但在撰写本文时，您很难找到这么便宜的东西。
LulzBot Taz 6
尽管名字很傻，但LulzBot Taz 6 绝不(LulzBot Taz 6)是一个笑话。这是一款先进的、开源的、露天的 3D 打印机。它具有 11.02 英寸 x 11.02 英寸 x 9.8 英寸的巨大构建体积(build volume)和同样庞大的价格。
然而，它并没有被高估。这是一款足够可靠的 SERIOUS 打印机，可在出厂设置中持续运行。事实上，Lulzbot确实做到了这一点，用 150 台机器打印零件，这些零件进入客户最终购买的打印机。
虽然没有WiFi 连接(WiFi connectivity)，但您无需将Taz 6连接到计算机。它支持SD 卡(SD card)打印，这意味着您只需带着模型文件走过去即可。
维护也保持在最低限度，具有自流平和自清洁功能，使其成为非常方便拥有的机器。
在Taz 6(Taz 6)给人留下深刻印象的所有事物中，打印头(print head)位居榜首。打印机采用模块化设计，这意味着您可以升级或修改现有打印机以支持双材料打印(material printing)和一长串打印材料，包括木材和金属复合材料(wood and metal composites)、尼龙丝和尚未发明的打印材料. 这是一些严肃的未来证明(future proofing)，并且在这种情况下使肥胖的价格标签(price tag)更加明智。
Dremel Digilab 3D20
Dremel是世界顶级电动工具(power tool)制造商之一，因此尝试制作桌面 3D(desktop 3D)打印机对他们来说意义重大。Dremel Digilab看起来确实很重要，具有令人愉悦的金属饰面和封闭的构建空间。
绝对没有预组装，这使其成为市场上对消费者最友好的 3D 打印机之一。由于此打印机没有加热构建平台(build platform)，因此您只能使用PLA 材料(PLA material)。这可能不是一件坏事，因为Dremel将Digilab 定位(Digilab)为高质量的桌面打印机(high-quality desktop printer)。
PLA倾向于用于需要更好细节和整体光洁度的模型，而不是实际用于实际零件的模型。对PLA的关注意味着Digilab已针对该材料进行了调整，从而使您的打印件更有可能按照预期的方式打印出来。
Dremel声称 3D20 是市场上最可靠的 3D 打印机，并以他们的测试制度(testing regime)为其提供支持。当然，我们无法验证可靠性声明，但Dremel在制造可靠工具方面享有盛誉。这就是为什么该品牌在各行各业的建筑商和制造商中如此受欢迎的原因。
其他生活质量功能包括全彩触摸屏和从(touch screen)SD 卡(SD card)打印的能力。这意味着Digilab可以独立于计算机运行，具有非常友好的用户界面。
唯一的潜在缺点是 9”x5.9”x5.5” 的构建体积。如果您想打印比这更大的模型，您将不得不寻找其他地方。否则，这可能是您今天可以买到的最好的“最佳”桌面打印机。(” desktop)
就是现在
标准材料沉积 3D(Standard material deposition 3D)打印机现已准备好迎接黄金时段。当谈到桌面 3D 打印机时，没有理由再犹豫扣动扳机了。虽然仍有很多创新出现，但下一代 3D 打印技术(technology isn)不会很快出现在您的办公桌上。
这意味着等待没有多大意义。如果您现在购买现代 3D 打印机，它应该会在未来几年内保持相关性，直到他们找到将真正的多材料打印带入国内市场(home market)的方法。如果您一直想要一台 3D 打印机，那么 2019 年是购买一台 3D 打印机的最佳时机。享受！
The Best 3D Printers to Buy in 2019
It might feel like consumer 3D printers are still an earlу-adopter technology, but the truth is verу different. Just a few years ago уour 3D printer would have arrived in а disassembled state, having been partly put together by some ѕcruffy guys in a shed. Now the typical mainstream 3D printеr product is as polishеd and shiny as аny othеr consυmer electronic device you can throw a credit card at.
Prices have also been plummeting, which means that tinkerer’s on a budget can get some decent, affordable 3D printers. That’s not what we’re looking at here however. The printers listed here are ones that have pushed the industry forward as far as consumer printers are concerned.
Their features, capabilities and quality represent a quantum leap over the virtually homemade machines of the early days. So feast your eyes on four of the best 3D printers you can buy in 2019.
da Vinci Color
XYZprinting has really made a name for itself over the last few years. Their printers are consistently innovative and there are many good choices in the product range. For example, their da Vinci AIO products also include a 3D laser scanner, which turns the printer into a 3D photocopier of sorts.
While FDM printers have become quite mature, most are still limited to printing in a single color. Dual- or multi-extruder models can be used to easily print in multiple colors. One for each extrusion head. However, if you want a proper full-color 3D object there haven’t been any consumer products up to the task.
Enter the da Vinci Color. This printer feels like a real step up for the technology. It combines FDM 3D printing with CMY ink printing technology. The end result is a system that can color the outer layer of your print however you like. So you no longer need to hand-paint your prints! The da Vinci Color feels like the beginnings of the sci-fi replicators we imagined 3D printers could be.
It’s not a one-trick pony either. There are many high-tech features under the hood. WiFi is a given on high-end models these days, but it also has a neat magnetic print bed and sports a sophisticated auto-calibration system.
The 7.9 x 7.9 x 5.9 inch print volume may be a little tight for some, but the vast majority of users will be perfectly happy with that much room. The only real gripe is that the 100 micron maximum resolution is quite a bit grainier than the 20 micron resolution on the da Vinci Pro. If the price of the Color is too rich for your blood, there’s a Mini version of the printer now available for pre-order.
Flashforge Creator Pro
Flashforge already had a good thing going with the original Creator model. This new Creator Pro model takes what was great about the original and dials up the quality. Better (and more expensive) materials were chosen for the Pro, making it sturdier and more attractive.
You get aviation aluminum guaranteed not to warp under heat and a metal frame, in place of wood. The new metal construction and guide-rod assembly are all aimed at precision and reliability. To top it all off, the built chamber is insulated, so that ABS (it also supports PLA) cools consistently.
This is also a dual-extruder printer, which opens up all sorts of possibilities. Yes, you can use filaments of different colors for two-color prints, but of much more interest is the ability to have different grades of material for supports and final product.
This is a no-frills printer that knocks out high-quality prints a clear step above most other machines in this price bracket. Speaking of which, the Creator Pro initially launched with a price well north of a grand and has seen consistent price cuts, now going for almost half of the original tag.
It was already a strong competitor at full price, but at the time of writing you’d be hard-pressed to find something this good for so little.
LulzBot Taz 6
Despite the goofy name, the LulzBot Taz 6 is anything but a joke. This is an advanced, open-source, open-air 3D printer. It sports a massive build volume of 11.02” x 11.02” x 9.8” and a price that’s equally voluminous.
It’s not overpriced by any measure however. This is a SERIOUS printer that’s reliable enough to run constantly in a factory setting. Indeed, Lulzbot actually does this, with 150 machines printing parts that go into the printers that customers ultimately buy.
While there’s no WiFi connectivity, you don’t need to hook the Taz 6 up to a computer. It supports SD card printing, which means you only have to walk over with the model files to get going.
Maintenance is also kept to a minimum, with self-leveling and self-cleaning features, making this a very convenient machine to own.
Of all the things that impress about the Taz 6, the print head is at the top of the list. The printer has been designed to be modular, which means you can upgrade or modify your existing printer to support dual material printing and a long list of printing materials, including wood and metal composites, nylon filaments and printing materials that haven’t been invented yet. That’s some serious future proofing and makes the fat price tag much more sensible in this context.
Dremel Digilab 3D20
Dremel is one of the top power tool makers in the world, so it makes a lot of sense for them to try their hand at making a desktop 3D printer. The Dremel Digilab certainly looks the part, with a pleasing metallic finish and enclosed build space.
There is absolutely no pre-assembly, making this one of the most consumer-friendly 3D printers on the market. Since this printer does not have a heated build platform, you are limited to PLA material. That may not be a bad thing, since Dremel is pitching the Digilab as a high-quality desktop printer.
PLA tends to be used for models that need better details and overall finish, not ones that will actually be used for practical parts. This focus on PLA means the Digilab is tuned to that material, making it much more likely that your prints will come out the way they are supposed to.
Dremel claims that the 3D20 is the most reliable 3D printer on the market, backing it up with their testing regime. Of course, we have no way of verifying reliability claims, but Dremel has a reputation for making reliable tools. This is why the brand is such a favorite among builders and makers of all stripes.
Other quality of life features include a full-color touch screen and the ability to print from an SD card. That means the Digilab can operate independently from a computer, with a very friendly UI.
The only potential drawback is the 9”x5.9”x5.5” build volume. If you want to print models that are larger than this, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Otherwise, this is probably the best “sweet spot” desktop printer you can buy today.
The Time is Now
Standard material deposition 3D printers are now ready for primetime. There’s no reason to hesitate on pulling the trigger when it comes to desktop 3D printers any more. While there is still a lot of innovation on the horizon, the next generation of 3D printing technology isn’t going to make it to your desk any time soon.
This means that waiting doesn’t make a lot of sense. If you buy a modern 3D printer now, it should stay relevant for years to come, until they find a way to bring true multi-material printing to the home market. If you’ve always wanted a 3D printer, 2019 is as good a time as any to finally buy one. Enjoy!
