About the Printrbot Metal Plus 3D Printer
A lot of value in a small package, the Printrbot Metal Plus is a single extruder 3d printer with a heated bed. The Plus model in particular offers a number of features otherwise limited to more expensive machines, and the powder coated steel frame construction means long term durability in a variety of applications.
The heated print bed is a warp resistant aluminum, usable for both PLA and ABS (though PLA is the recommended material). This is distinctly different than the other two models currently offered by Printrbot, which are either PLA only or require an upgrade to print ABS. The design of this machine is minimalistic, in that it makes the most of the desktop space it occupies. This particular model allows for a full 10″ x 10″ x 10″ build area, or nearly 16.4 liters of available build volume – pretty impressive for a relatively small printer.
The single extruder is Printrbot’s factory standard Alu direct drive extruder, with the Ceramic Ubis hot end (a .4mm nozzle). A relatively unique feature of the Printrbot line is one that’s integral to the minimalistic design: the print head moves along the X and Z axis while the print bed moves back and forth along the Y axis. This limits the number of parts in the machine, lending to additional durability (with the proper routine maintenance).
Additional Tech Specs
The Printrbot Metal Plus is currently Printrbot’s top tier model. With all metal construction and native support for PLA & ABS, it’s a great hands on machine that offers excellent value comparable to more costly 3d printers. One such example is the bed leveling probe, which can be used in coordination with the recommend software to easily and accurately level the print bed – a task of critical importance.
Printrbot recommends the use of Ultimaker’s open source Cura software, or RepRap’s Repetier software – both available for free download.