XYZ 3D da Vinci Junior 1.0 Printer
XYZ 3D da Vinci Junior 1.0 Printer
In a past-paced environment, it gives a lot of convenience to have a plug-and-play device. In the printing industry, XYZ printing has understood so much the significance of time efficiency that it chose to manufacture handy and cost-efficient 3D plug-and-play printers. In such a line, its newest addition to its da Vinci models is da Vinci Junior 1.0, which is not just the cheapest of its products, but it is also the smallest.
Easier to Load Filament
The public first knew about Da Vinci Junior 1.0 in January this year and it has since been promoted as user-friendly to beginners. Da Vinci Junior 1.0 is unlike its predecessors when it comes to loading filament. In Junior 1.0, you can see that its filament is made of thermoplastic that does not load on the usual pop-in cartridge. The filament rather uses a spool, around which it loads.
The filament used in Junior 1.0, like the filaments in all its previous models, are tracked using a microchip that relies on Near-Field Communication (NFC) to send the information to it machine. This means that, when the cartridge is out of ink, you cannot use da Vinci Junior 1.0 until a fresh cartridge or spool is replaced.
Refilling a new spool is not expensive. The filament uses Polylactic Acid (PLA) which is not costly. In addition to being cost-efficient, the filaments are biodegradable; they melt when the temperature is lower. That being said, Junior 1.0 helps you save on energy use.
The newest model is also easy and simple to maintain with its extruder which is quickly released by a click.
Easy Setup
Most drawback of printers is the setup, which is mostly complicated even on plug-and-play, but not with XYZ 3D printers. In setting up Junior 1.0, you only have to take off its Styrofoam enveloping that platform and print head. Then you hand its spool, which has the filament on its inside hook, feed it into its print head. After that, you choose “load filament” from its menu, then it is ready for any printing tasks.
Though Junior 1.0 3D printer is the cheapest model of XYZ printer lineup, it still has features of its predecessors. For example, its menu features a LED display, which makes selection of several functions easy. Two of its useful functions are energy saving mode and nozzle cleaning. The energy saving mode turns off the printer’s internal light.
Found on the printer’s side is a port for USB for any firmware updates or tethered printing. You can also see its power socket on the side. On its top is the printer’s pipe where the filament feeds. This pipe moves during the printing process.
On its front side is its control panel, where print menus and settings can be navigated; and a slot for SD card if you want to take advantage of card printing. Also on its front side is its top-hinged door, which when opens shows its build platform. Once you take a peek on its inside left, you will see its filament spool.
XYZ 3D printers are known for their transparent, attractive and sound-muffling enclosures. The case itself is entirely solid from the top, base and sides and this feature assures you that during printing and assuming the top-hinged opening is shut, no injury should occur. And the Junior 1.0 is quiet for a 3D open-air printers, it allows you to concentrate on your job.
Lower Resolution; Build Quality
But since da Vinci Junior 1.0 is inexpensive, it does come with a consequence—its resolution, which is low at a range between 100 and 400 microns. With this not-so-impressive resolution, the pictures or images printed are not detailed-oriented. Notwithstanding this however, the da Vinci Junior 1.0 3D printer is not left behind any other famous 3D printers in the market.
And because it is a junior model, it definitely not superior in size compared to other models. Its footprint is recorded at 42 x 43 x 38 cm, which is already manageable. Junior 1.0 is the lightest and the smallest 3D printer of XYZ products. Its weight is recorded at 15kg, which makes da Vinci Junior 1.0 3D printer easy to transport and move around.
XYZWare
This latest 3D XYZ printer uses the same software used by all its previous models—the XYZWare, which to some, may not be that sophisticated nor rich with functionality. Nonetheless, the XYZWare enables you to have basic manipulation of an object’s position once such object is loaded onto your virtual print head. Moreover, the software allows you to scale the size of the object. It is also possible to add several 3D-model files to your single print task as long as the number is within the maximum allowed for volume printing.
However, on the low side, you cannot inspect a print task on each layer for quality assurance. You cannot also control how much of the support material you would like to apply to some areas of a subject that has either precarious or protruding features. This functionality is important if you want some features not to droop during printing. On the high side, you have three levels of quality and five levels of smoothness to choose from.
The Bad Side
Although da Vinci Junior 1.0 is lightweight, strong, inexpensive and functional, it does have one huge drawback—its speed. Junior 1.0 is not very fast compared to its previous models. And this could have something to do with its USB 2.0.
Another lacking feature of Junior 1.0 is the heated print platform. With such feature, it could have a superior adhesion during printing. In other words, the heated platform ensures that the edges or ends of printed subject flat and down.
Da Vinci Junior 1.0 is compatible with Mac OS X 10.8 64-bit and later and Windows 7.
Conclusion
Considering its low price, da Vinci Junior 1.0 is definitely a remarkable printer. It is accurate and functional with no hassles in setting up. It is also handy for simple 3D printing jobs.
