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M18Pro 3D Printer

RocketNut

Alibre Super User
I am thinking of getting a new 3D printer and I found this printer on eBay ( M18Pro ). I look at the reviews on youtube but all the reviews I found are the same video.

So I am wondering if any of you there has heard or is using this printer.

I like the price, especially it has auto-leveling.
 

bigseb

Alibre Super User
Don't know them. Price is good for the size. One thing that leapt out immediately is the single Y rail which is unusual for a bed this size. Might cause issues with adhesion and Z accuracy when printing on the outer edges of the bed. Also they don't specify what electrical components they use. I'm guessing it isn't a 32 bit board or silent stepper drivers. You don't need them but in 2021 (almost 2022) they should be a given imo. Going only by the ad you linked I'd say expect to tinker if you buy it.
 

RocketNut

Alibre Super User
I googled it and did not find any reviews other than the single review on Youtube ( Review ).

Maybe someone might have luck finding more info.

For $200 I think is cheap enough to take a chance.
 
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srjacob

Senior Member
These look like NO-Name Chinese printers. I got a similar one once, and after replacing the controller and one extruder motor, I found that the extruders weren't designed properly and wouldn't stay aligned when heated. I never got any prints out of it. The thing is, when you get tired of futzing with it and want to send it back, it cost more to send it to China then it is worth.

If you want to get an inexpensive printer, look at the Creality printers. People seem to like them. Microcenter even carries them.

Be prepared to start 3D printing with a steep leaning curve. Use PLA filament because it's easy to print

I am no novice to 3D printing. I rebuilt a Flashforge Creator clone, and now I have a Prusa I3. Auto bed leveling is a must because that governs the first layer accuracy.

Another issue is dual extruders. Why would you want dual extruders? One for the actual filament and one for support filament. Or you can run two colors of filaments. With a true dual direct drive extruder, you have weight and ballistic problems. A solution to this is to separate the extruder motor from the hotend via a tube, and the filament threads through this tube. This is called a Bowden extruder, and the Chinese printers like to use this. It works ok for rigid filament (like PLA, PETG, etc.) but not too well for flexible filament. Another way to get around the weight problem is the IDEX (independent dual extruder) method. Here, two extruders are driven independently by two different drive mechanisms, so that a single drive only drives one (not two) extruders. Some Chinese printers use a Y-type hotend, that feeds two different filaments into a single nozzle. This is OK if the two filaments require the same hotend temperature, but otherwise, it doesn't work well.

I assume that since you posted this on an Alibre forum, you are going to use Alibre to build your model to be printed. That's what I do, and it works well. I use PrusaSlicer for a slicer, but I understand Cura works good too. You will need a good slicer to take the .stl files that are created by Alibre to convert them to gcode for the printer.

all3dp.com has some good articles on 3D printing.

Steve
 

RocketNut

Alibre Super User

srjacob:​


Yes, you are correct in all aspects. I am willing to gamble because the price is within my budget. I found a printer made by Aibecy that likes the M18-PRO.
 
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