3D printing used to be an expensive hobby, with commercial printers costing thousands. But now, high quality budget 3D printers deliver great results for under 40,000 ($500).
Whether you are a tinkerer, hobbyist, designer or educator, an affordable home 3D printer bring your ideas to life. In this article I have listed the best cheap 3D printers that gives great performance and value.
Top Picks Under $500 (Rs. 40,000)
These workhorse budget 3D printers deliver quality prints for home and any purpose you want to use..
Creality Ender 3 V2
Specifications:
- Build Volume: 8.7 x 8.7 x 9.8 inches
- Nozzle Size: 0.4mm
- Layer Resolution: 0.1mm – 0.4mm
- Print Speed: 180mm/s
- Filament: PLA, PETG, TPU
- Connectivity: SD Card, USB
- Price: $259
Ender 3 V2 improves on the popular original with quieter stepper motors, MeanWell power supply, and 32-bit mainboard. It prints accurately with good adhesion thanks to the carborundum glass bed. Reliable enough for light prototyping and tinkering.
Anycubic Mega Zero 2.0
Specifications:
- Build Volume: 8.3 x 8.3 x 8.3 inches
- Nozzle Size: 0.4mm
- Layer Resolution: 0.05mm – 0.3mm
- Print Speed: 180mm/s
- Filament: PLA, ABS, TPU, Wood PLA
- Connectivity: USB, WiFi, APP
- Price: $169
Anycubic’s Mega Zero 2.0 is highly affordable but doesn’t compromise on quality. Modular design is easy to assemble and maintain for beginners also. It gives detailed prints reliably out of the box. This printer gives great value for educators and new hobbyists.
Elegoo Neptune 2S
Specifications:
- Build Volume: 8.6 x 8.6 x 9.8 inches
- Nozzle Size: 0.4mm
- Layer Resolution: 0.05mm – 0.3mm
- Print Speed: 80mm/s
- Filament: PLA, ABS, TPU, Wood PLA
- Connectivity: USB, SD Card
- Price: $259
Neptune 2S is Elegoo’s reworking of popular Creality and Anycubic models. It adds welcome features like auto leveling and filament runout detection for hassle-free printing. Delivers excellent print quality with a spacious build volume.
Monoprice Voxel
Specifications:
- Build Volume: 6.9 x 6.9 x 6.9 inches
- Nozzle Size: 0.4mm
- Layer Resolution: 0.05mm to 0.5mm
- Print Speed: 150mm/s
- Filament: PLA, ABS, Wood PLA, TPU, PETG
- Connectivity: WiFi, Ethernet, USB
- Price: $399
Voxel stands out with its fully enclosed build chamber and wide range of connectivity options including WiFi. The touch color screen and assisted leveling make it incredibly beginner-friendly. Reliably churns out strong, high-quality prints.
FlashForge Adventurer 4
Specifications:
- Build Volume: 7.9 x 7.9 x 7.9 inches
- Nozzle Size: 0.4mm
- Layer Resolution: 0.1mm to 0.4mm
- Print Speed: 150mm/s
- Filament: PLA, ABS, TPU, PETG
- Connectivity: USB, WiFi
- Price: $499
FlashForge’s Adventurer 4 offers excellent stability and consistency right out of the box. Dual extruders allow printing with dissolvable supports or multi-color models. Rugged metal construction gives it durability. A great starter printer.
QIDI TECH X-Plus
Specifications:
- Build Volume: 5.5 x 5.5 x 5.9 inches
- Nozzle Size: 0.4mm
- Layer Resolution: 0.05mm to 0.4mm
- Print Speed: 180mm/s
- Filament: PLA, ABS, TPU, PETG
- Connectivity: USB, SD Card
- Price: $349
The X-Plus delivers prosumer quality in a compact printer with an enclosed chamber. Aviation-grade aluminum construction offers incredible stability for crisply detailed prints. Auto leveling and resume print make it foolproof.
What To Look For In 3D Printer
Here are main factors to valuate budget 3D printers
- Print Quality – Match layer resolution and nozzle size to your needs, from fast drafts to finely detailed prints.
- Build Volume – Bigger is better, but leave some margin for overhangs and complex models. Under 8 inches gets limiting.
- Filament Compatibility – PLA is standard but also consider ABS, PETG, TPU for flexibility, strength.
- Reliability – Check reviews and forums on failure rates, calibration needs, consistent performance over time.
- Community Support – Look for an active user base sharing prints, mods, tutorials, and troubleshooting fixes.
- Features – Auto bed leveling, runout sensors, touchscreens make printing easier but may raise costs.
Setup Tips For Great Prints
Here are quick tips to set up your new budget 3D printer for success
- Carefully assemble, calibrate, and level the print bed per instructions. Take your proper time while setting up initially.
- Print test models to dial in quality and adhesion before longer prints.
- Position and orient models minimally with overhangs, bridges, and details in mind.
- Enable supports when needed but avoid over-supporting simple layers.
- Clean the print nozzle to prevent clogs and stringing between prints.
- Use optimal build plate temps for your chosen filament. Higher for PLA, lower for ABS.
- Keep filament dry and stored properly to avoid jams mid-print.
- Perform routine maintenance like belt tightening, lubricating rods, and checking connections.
Optimizing Slicer Settings
Your slicer software converts 3D models into printable layers and is key to print quality. Here are some tips for setup
- Adjust layer height, infill, speed, supports, and other settings for each specific model.
- Optimize speed vs quality based on model complexity and your needs. Faster speeds sacrifice some details.
- Add brims and rafts when needed for tricky large surface area models to improve bed adhesion.
- Use lower infill levels from 10-20% for faster prints on less critical models. Dial up to 100% for maximum strength.
- Enable z-hop when retracting over external layers to prevent oozing on delicate overhangs.
- Tweak temperature, retraction, and wipe settings to reduce stringing and improve bridging.
Community Resources
Take advantage of the huge 3D printing community and groups from like minded peoples.
- Thingiverse – Download free models and remixes to print and customize.
- YouTube – Find in depth tutorials on everything from calibration to slicing settings for your printer.
- Forums – Get help troubleshooting issues and share your own tips and tricks for others.
- Reddit – r/3Dprinting and r/ender3 are great places to browse prints and get advice.
Don’t get discouraged by failed prints 3D printing has a learning curve. But hands on practice will make you an expert in printing 3D arts.
Conclusion
Budget 3D printers can give amazing print quality if well tuned and calibrated. Focus on reliability, community support, and features versus just print volume and speeds. Properly preparing models, dialing in slicer settings, and maintaining your printer will give great results.
Have advantage of free tools and the community’s knowledge as you master your new 3D printer. Please share if I missed any best printer under $500 to mention in the post and comment your question related to setup.
Frequently Asked Questions
What software do I need for 3D printing?
You’ll need slicer software like Cura or Simplify3D to prepare models for printing. Many printers include a free slicer.
How safe are budget 3D printers?
Follow all safety warnings in the manual. Keep flammable materials away and don’t leave printers unattended.
What materials can they print?
Primarily PLA, PETG, and ABS plastics. Some printers can also print exotic filaments like wood, metal composites, flexible TPU, and more.
How long do prints take?
Print times range from under an hour for small models to over 24 hours for large, high detail prints.
What maintenance is required?
Required maintenance is occasional calibration, cleaning the print head, lubricating bars, tightening belts and connections.