Printrbot Metal Plus Kit

Printrbot Metal is one of the best budget printers. It's fun and easy to use. Print quality is solid but you need spend some time in learning. It's not the right printer to everyone. I think that is the perfect choice for intermediate users looking for an affordable printer to work with. My blog

I purchased my Printerbot Metal Plus about 18 months ago  factory built, not a kit.  I didn't want it sitting on my front porch all day so I had it delivered to the place where I work. Thirty minutes after unboxing it I was printing a pawn for a chess set in green PLA. I was mesmerized watching it grow layer by layer, as I'm sure every new owner of a 3 D printer is upon seeing their first print.

People would stop by my office to watch it take shape. The owners' young daughter happened by and said "Is that a 3D printer? Why do you have a 3D printer on your desk?" To which a friend who was standing there replied "Because it's awesome!" Exactly!

The solid metal build and open nature of the Printrbot  encourages you to tinker and change it.  I printed a cable chain early on when I saw that the cable management system needed some work. The look on  someone's face when they get the idea that the printer is printing parts for itself is priceless. I added a LED strip to light up the print bed. I added a filament roll holder. All easy to do because  the Printrbot is so open. You can make it your own.

The original UBIS hot end was a great entry level part, but I've since changed it out for an all metal E3Dv6 hot end. The result is finer, more detailed prints. The UBIS2 hot end that Printrbot is now shipping is all metal too, but I have not printed with it.

Aside from the  hot end, the rest of the mechanicals  and electronics are original. I've printed many times a week for over a year and a half and it's been a true workhorse. I've started designing and printing functional parts for work using NinjaFlex, Taulman Nylon, and PETG. I've yet to find something it can't handle.

Of course, there is a learning curve to any 3D printer. Brook Drumm, the CEO of Printrbot, famously opened a video on his site with the blunt statement "3D printing is hard." He is correct, and you will learn this early on. But by trial and error and the help of the online printing community you will get better and better.

Overall, my personal experience with the Printrbot Metal Plus has been great.

This is my first printer and has had a very short learning curve.  Printrbot folks answered the one question I had and shipped me a new power supply because it sounded like the one I had might be wonky, they did it without me asking.  It was easy to set up and I've been printing with it non-stop since I got it.

This was my second 3D Printer.  The technology has not progressed that far yet to make this a plug n play device.  The build quality of the unit is very solid.  It definitely feels like a high quality machine.  

Printing is still not very straightforward but thankfully the community has experienced many of the same problems.  However PrintRBot moved their community to an archive which has reduced it's usefulness.  It was the best part of me getting my printer up to speed successfully.  Their support is not where I think it should be.  

Someone who purchases a 3D Printer anywhere today needs to know they are going to have to solve a majority of their problems on their own.  It's still just for enthusiasts and I would recommend one to a friend who was.

This printer held such promise.  It ran well with relatively good PLA prints for a few months and then it just started acting very erratic.  Then it stopped actually creating prints altogether.  Through very convoluted attempts to resolve the issues using the community forums, we reflashed the firmware a few times, tried at least two different softwares (Cura and MatterControl) got a motherboard upgrade, replaced the wiring, upgraded our extruder head and of the numerous printers our institution has, it's one of two that is not used.  There is the 'spa treatment' option provided by Printrbot but that option is looking rather expensive when the fine print is read.  Seems better to simply cut our losses and purchase another type of printer.

I will readily admit, much of our challenges could be user error but I'm really beginning to doubt it.  We have 6 other printer types that are working on a regular basis, actually very well and very consistant.  We've had numerous tech-savvy individuals try to figure it out and it's still just sitting idle.

This printer is for the very technological savvy who potentially has lots of time to troubleshoot and tinker.  Definitely not a plug and play.  And if issues do arise, you may feel alone in the dark.  Customer service is sparse and primarily through the forums.  Much like trying to learn something through YouTube. . .perhaps the information is there but best wishes hunting and pecking to find it.

Given the competitive landscape in the ABS (ours never could actually retain high enough temps to print with ABS) / PLA desktop printer arena, there are better options.

Not for the faint of heart to build this kit and have it produce quality parts consistently.  I knew what I was getting into and as my first 3D printer I'm now intimately familiar with how it works and what adjustments need to be made. Don't buy this printer if you want  beautiful prints right out of the box. Buy this because you want to know how your printer works and you want to "dial" it in for your purposes. Don't get me wrong, I do love this little workhorse..it just took 2 years of fiddling with it, and modifying it to get it perfectly dialed in.