3D printing is a process of producing three dimensional solid materials by printing a digital image. It is also known as additive manufacturing because 3D printers make use of additive procedures to generate 3D printed objects. Before we delve into the best 3D printers under 500 USD, let’s see how a 3D printer works.
3D printing allows you to create composite shapes with the use of fewer materials than what is normally utilized to manufacture the same product using a standard method. Although the technology is not new, it was very costly to purchase a 3D printer and use it.
However, the technology has developed further in recent times and the 3D printer price has also come down greatly, that you can get 3D printers under 500 USD.
What Are 3D Printers Used For
3D printing is one of the innovative metal 3D printing systems that are revolutionizing the manufacturing industry. Experts believe that 3D printers are fresh development of capital equipment that is poised to play a major role in the upcoming industrial revolution.
Similar to how its precursors ignited the first industrial revolution in the eighteenth century, 3D printing will be utilized for manufacturing future rocket engines, spacecraft, airplane engines, and aircraft. It will equally be utilized in the manufacture of prosthetics, orthotics, a large number of custom-made products like golf club handles and glasses. It would come to a point that 3D printing would be utilized for printing anything physical material that you can touch.
5 Best 3D Printers Under 500 USD
The 3D printing market has made significant progress in the last decade. It is no more the cost-prohibitive technology that it used to be as the entrance barrier has to drop down with the availability of 3D printers Under 500 USD. There are even 3D printers that come with even lower pricing. However, the quality of these printers differs. In this article, we have provided the best five 3D printers under 500 USD to help your buying decision.
Our list includes only 3D printers which their components have been certified the functional and good quality from reliable sellers. We excluded 3D printers with a frame mainly produced from interconnecting acrylic fragments, and any 3D that have records of unreliability.
1. Monoprice MP Mini v2
The Monoprice Mini v2 is currently a commonly utilized entry-level 3D printer especially because of its admirable printer price tag. It is thus the best affordable 3d printer. Although this 3D printer kit comes with a small build quality, it is highly stable. It features a complete metal frame and a firm base and is very sturdy when placed side by side with other 3D printers in a similar price category. And is a desirable best 3D printer cheap for the price.
It yields excellent performance. Also, the low-powered heat implies you can only use the machine for manufacturing materials that don’t easily warp. Besides, it comes with a remote extruder which makes it less efficient for flexible materials. It mainly prints with PolyLactic Acid which is an eco-green material and the upside of it.
Pros:
- Dependable
- Quality build
- Comparatively easy to utilize
- Large user community
- Excellent customer services
Cons:
- Small volume size
- Works with a few materials
- Not practical for flexible materials
- Requires complete manual calibration
2. Creality Ender 3 Pro
The Creality Ender 3 Pro affordable 3D printer is an upgrade of the widely used Ender line of cost-effective printers. This 3D printer under 500 USD comes with a few modifications for enhancing its dependability. It comes with a popular brand name power supply.
This shows that the power output was tested and certified stable for utilization in the home which provides you with an extra piece of mind compared to the previous version. Additionally, this 3D printer kit integrates some good stability and magnetic structure which you can remove from the magnetic build surface to boost the elimination of print.
Pros:
- Comparatively large size construction makes best 3D printer cheap for the price
- Fast and simple to remove printed material
- Large numbers of the user community
- Broad range of aftermarket upgrades
- Fairly sturdy structure
Cons:
- It needs to be set up
- Not so good customer support
- Poor Quality Control
- Not very impressive out of box performance
3. Monoprice MP Maker Pro
The MP Maker Pro is large-sized. It is one of our best 3D printers under 500 that come with a leveling probe connected to the printhead to routinely know the bed’s shape. This makes leveling easier than when you use standard printers. Its magnetic bed makes the elimination of part hassle-less while the touchscreen yields a more contemporary interface appearance.
The extrusion system makes use of a directly mounted motor, instead of the remote extruders found on the first two printers on the list. This makes it easy for it to have more exact plastic regulation out of the box, and also integrate choices for bendable plastics such as TPU and TPE. However, this 3D printer kit prints slowly due to its large size.
Pros:
- Large volume build
- It features a touchscreen interface
- It comes with automated calibration
- Detachable magnetic bed
- Compactible with Stretchy materials
Cons:
- It needs an extensive devoted space
- The user community is comparatively small
- Slow optimal print speeds
4. Anycubic Photon
The AnyCubic Photon is especially dissimilar to the rest of the 3D printers we have on our list. The other 3D printers under 500 USD are from the FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication) classes of 3D printers. What it implies is that they utilize molten plastic passed via a heated nozzle.
The Photon falls beneath the LCD subclass of the DLP (Digital Light Projection) class. This implies they utilize light passed via an LCD to toughen a selective tub of light-sensitive resin. This allows it to print highly detailed material band yielding roughly 4-10 times better details than typical filament dependent 3D printers.
The main point is that raw liquid resin is poisonous and therefore photo-resin printers need adequate airflow which should be functional fan duct. When you need to produce pieces of jewelry, figurines and related materials that require the minutest details, the Photon is the best beginner 3 D printer to go for.
Pros:
- It comes in amazingly high detail
- Ease of use
- Minimal maintenance
- Does not need host computer to function
- Good manufacturer support
Cons:
- Poisonous resin fumes and by-products
- After-processing very complicated
- Requires careful handling
- Prohibitive initial cost of resin
5. Monoprice Maker Ultimate
This is another Monoprice printer in the list, yet it makes it into the list partly due to the company’s quality control, good customer service, and utilization of the safety-rated power part much unlike the other related brands.
Although this printer doesn’t come with automated bed leveling, it can be calibrated using a minor tuning procedure, and as a result of its well-made structure, the calibration commonly lasts longer than that of related brands.
It comes with QuadRap design which makes it better than every other Printer on the list. Hence, among the group, it is the best beginner 3D printer for dependability and speed.
Pros:
- Considerably quicker than other printers on our list
- Steady calibration
- Occupies comparatively less space
- Primary calibration is easy
- Elastic material
Cons:
- Minimal optimal build volume
- Restricted improvement pathways
- Absent of comfortable features
Final Words On Best 3D Printers Under 500 USD
3D printer kit is truly set to revolutionize the production process and make the manufacturing process faster and easier. This best affordable 3d printer also significantly reduces the cost of producing materials especially as it is more efficient in the use of materials. Although there are other 3d printers, this list a good but if you are looking for entry-level 3D printers.
