Dremel Digilab 3D40 Award Winning 3D Printer, Idea Builder with semi-automated Leveling, Print PLA at 100 Micron Resolution

I had experience printing with a beta-version resin printer, but it would take hours and the results were less than satisfactory for what I was trying to print (not to mention the cost of resin), so I decided to get a second printer. I desired one which could give professional results and cost less than $1500. After much frustration with what was out there, I finally found the Dremel 3D40 and it seemed to have decent reviews...most importantly, however, the reviews emphasized the excellent tech support (whereas other printers had limited, uncaring, or no tech support). I purchased one in November of 2016. I am glad I did, and I would like to explain why.Firstly, many of the reviews on 3D printers are written by people who seem to think that 3D printing is a matter of "pushing a button and having a perfect print magically appear". such is not the case; 3D printing is a "black art" of sorts, and how any given model is designed and laid out is as important as how well the printer works. It took a few weeks before I figured out some of the secrets. The Print Studio software (which is available to download with purchase) is actually not half-bad software! Once one gets the hang of tweaking the settings (hint: always enable the raft!), it nearly always yields successful prints! The few non-successful prints I had were more a matter of how my model was designed and laid out in the print software...once I reworked the model in question, prints were universally successful! One complaint I read is that the 3D40 can only be used with Dremel filament. I have read numerous accounts of people using other filaments with this printer, but I personally have no problem whatsoever with the Dremel filament. One spool lasts a surprisingly long time! There have been occasions where I needed to contact tech support, and I would like to mention that they are quite possibly the BEST tech support team I have yet encountered. Yes, they will get back to you, and yes they have solved every problem I have had. The most common problem is an occasional clogged print head, and they have excellent directions which will allow you to make the repair at home (I have had to do this once since I purchased the printer). It is otherwise easy to maintain. I did have a problem with the leveling mechanism; they gave me excellent instructions on sending the printer in for repair/replacement of the defective component. The turnaround time was about one week (including shipping time). Again, save the box and material the printer came in just in case it is needed! Print time is relatively fast (my prints took anywhere from under 20 minutes to about 12 hours for a large, complex print; the resin printer takes FAR longer). Another complaint I've read on the 3D40 is that there is no heated print bed. While this might be an improvement for future models, I have had no problems with removing prints. As long as the glass is covered (either by Dremel's prepared stick-on surfaces or by blue painter's tape), prints can be easily removed. Finally, the filament yields a very nice matt, shine-free print. I use white filament, and I find that it takes primer and paint very well. Plastruct Plastic Weld (with the orange label and NOT the white label) has proven to be an excellent and strong adhesive. Filament is readily available and not that expensive at all. In conclusion, I strongly recommend this printer, if only for the tech support. The only improvements I can think of (other than the heated print bed) is better instructions for the Print studio software. Though it is simple enough software, it has a LOT of parameters which might need to be adjusted to yield the best results. I give the Dremel 3D40 five stars and tech support six stars (out of five)!

I have recently decommisioned some of my old 3d printers and purchased some new ones, In the past I cocmpared this to 2 of my other printers. I hare recently decomissined one of them for parts and have purchased a Davinci Jr(I reget this decision) and built a Delta style printer. This thing is still running strong, Printing 10-16 hours a day. This is still the most reliable printer in my Arsenal (hence raising it to a 4 star rating). I still do not have Autodesk print studio working for this. I am not dishing out $150 for Simplify3d (If it wasnt a cloud based software I would consider it). The only issue I have had with it in the last 6 months is the extruder gear getting filament built up on it causing the filament to slip (they did not design this to make maintenance easy). I have yet to have a part fail on this machine. I have actually used this to print repair or upgrade parts for my other 3d printers. In the future I would like to see Dremel build another reliable printer like this with better software, heated bed, and support for filaments other than PLA.Pros.Faster than my RepRap and Aurora.Fully enclosed so it helps eliminate dust and other contaminates from getting inside. Also makes it easier to add a ventilation system to vent the fumes from ABS Printing outside.Calibration and adjustments are easy and only take a few min compared to my other 3d printers.It has great features that allow me to change filaments in the middle of prints. It will detect when filament has run out and pause the print.After pausing a print and restarting it goes back into a print better than any other printer I have used.Neutral.The build quality is not as rigid as my Aurora. If I have it on a slightly uneven surface it will flex and the door wont stay shut.Print quality is better than my RepRap but not as good as my Aurora. This is due to the software not supporting different nozzle sizes.I have used filament other than that supplied by Dremel and found that it does not fit in the spool holder. I had to use PVC pipe I had laying around to make an external spool holder so I could print in glow in the dark PLA.Cons.Software Software Software Software. I have been trying to get the software to use this thing to its fullest for over a week. It will not support STL files it has its own proprietary format that you can only use the Dremels software to make. Currently the only way I am able to use this is I am using the software for the 1st Gen to convert my STL files to Dremels format, put them on a thumb drive and load them into the printer. It would be nice if there was other software to use fot this thing.This thing needs a heatbed or at least a heatbed upgrade available for it. I have printed out a few items with a large base like a Rasperry Pi case and it warps really bad when its printing.Here is an update. After about 50 prints and about 10 failed prints here is where I stand.(SOFTWARE) I still havent got the software working properly (autodesk printstudio) and their Tech support told me it is an issue with internet explorer and I need to use firefox. The problem I have there is I cant use firefox either because I have it configured as my work browser (java, flash and a lot of other things disabled). I am still using the software for the original dremel idea builder, which means I cannot make use of its full build plate or add supports for overhangs. The software is a remix of flashforges flashprint (I went into the softwares configuration files and they didn't even bother to change any of references to flashprint) with most of the needed features disabled. The only other software that will work with this, is simplify3d at $150 and a need to be logged in just like the autodesk software I think I would have the same issue. I have given up trying to get this resolved. (BIG FAIL on the software)(BUILDPLATE) After numerous prints nothing sticks to the buildplate anymore, not even tape. I have tried cleating it with everything from soap, alcohol, simplegreen and nothing works. I have resorted to using spray adhesive. I have ordered a new buildplate and a heatbed with a standalone heatbed controler. I am going modify the new buildplate to accept a heatbed. This should have came with this option to begin with.(PRINT QUALITY) The print quality is awesome as long as you dont print anything with overhangs that needs supports. I have printed quite a few things with this that need bridging and it bridges better than any printer I own. You can get very high quality prints with minimal tweaking. the extruder setup is the best I have seen so far it is so easy to load. I love the filament runout feature. it is easy to pause the print and change to a different color filament without ruining the print results (this is very hard in other printers). I have mostly printed custom speaker pods and other car audio stuff with this and I have experimented with different resolutions, speeds, and infill and always get good prints.(MISC) The touchscreen interface is one of the greatest features. I love the ability to preview things on the screen before I print them. It is the quietest printer I own. It plays a short melody after the print is done so I know I can go do my next print.Overall the things I like about this printer I really like. Dremel really needs better software for this, or at least give the consumers an option to use Cura or Repetier. Dremel really needs to offer a heated bed for this. This has become my goto printer for builds that have bridgin in them. For large builds I prefer my reprap. for high detail builds I use my Aurora. Once I get my Delta printer I may have to compare it again.