3D Printing Companies
The Creality 3D printer is an affordable option for those looking to get into 3d printing. It is a reliable printer with a wide range of features, making it a great choice for both beginners and experienced users alike. The print quality is decent, and the printer requires a decent amount of maintenance. The low price is the selling point as their printers are under $500, but there are many upgrades to make the printers more powerful.
Prusa 3D printers are on the higher end of the spectrum of 3D printers. With this high price of above $750, they offer high-quality prints and a variety of features such as a heated bed, filament run-out sensor, and power panic feature. These printers are great for beginners and experienced users as they are extremely user-friendly and consistent.
Voron printers are a truly open-source alternative to other brands. They are one of the highest quality, fastest, and most consistent printers money can buy. These are the printers that are getting customized to print Benchys in 5 minutes (they normally take 2h). At the same time, they are also extremely expensive and their price ranges from $600 to $2000. However, this is where Voron's open-source nature comes into play, you can't actually buy a Voron, but instead, have to buy parts from sourcing guides. This is why we only recommend Voron's to people who are already experienced with 3D printers.
There are two main types of printers: FDM and SLA
Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D Printer
Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is a 3D printing technology that uses a continuous filament of thermoplastic material. The filament is fed into an extrusion nozzle, which melts the material and deposits it layer by layer to build up the desired object. FDM is a popular 3D printing technology due to its affordability and ease of use. It is often used for prototyping and small-scale manufacturing.
Stereolithography (SLA) 3D Printer
Stereolithography (SLA) is a 3D printing technology that uses a laser to cure photopolymer resins into solid three-dimensional objects. SLA 3D printers are generally more expensive than other 3D printing technologies, but they offer higher resolution and accuracy. SLA works by curing (solidifying) thin layers of photopolymer resin with a laser. The laser beam is directed at the surface of the resin and traces the cross-sectional profile of the desired objectZ