Posted on 03/16/2017 7:18:25 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
XYZprinting is one of the most prolific 3D printer manufacturers active in the market right now. The company has released so many products just in the last year, in fact, that you’d be forgiven for having to stretch your memory to recall XYZprinting’s beginnings. It all started with the da Vinci 1.0 Blue, also known as the da Vinci 1.0 or the da Vinci 1.0A, XYZ’s debut 3D printer that was an immediate hit at CES 2014. It’s hard to believe XYZprinting has been around for just a few years, considering the success they’ve had since then; a lot can happen in a short amount of time, especially in the 3D printing world.
The da Vinci 1.0 Blue won multiple awards including the CES 2014 Editor’s Choice Award and a Tom’s Guide Reader’s Choice Award. The printer snowballed from there, spawning multiple variations from the da Vinci 2.0 to the recent sub-$300 da Vinci Mini and miniMaker models. Each of XYZprinting’s new releases has been celebrated, but now the company is going back to the beginning and celebrating the da Vinci 1.0 Blue all over again with a special promotion.
One of the reasons the Blue was so popular was its affordability – it was touted as one of the most affordable consumer 3D printers in the world at the time, and the company has kept up a reputation for extremely inexpensive yet quality printers. The da Vinci 1.0 Blue currently retails for $499.95, but until the end of March, you can get it for free.
True story – until March 31, you can get a free da Vinci 1.0 Blue 3D printer when you buy 12 cartridges of filament from XYZprinting. The total cost actually comes out to $335.40 plus shipping, but you’ll have enough filament to last you for months at least, even if you’re 3D printing constantly. You’ll need to decide on either ABS or PLA – no mixing – but you can pick any variety of colors you like, and XYZprinting offers a large selection for both materials.
It’s a great promotion, for sure, and while the da Vinci 1.0 Blue is an older model, it’s still a great printer, with a sizable build volume of 7.8 x 7.8 x 7.8″, a heated print bed, full enclosure and the capability to print with ABS, PLA and flexible filaments – so when you eventually use up your 12 spools of ABS or PLA, you can experiment with a few different materials. You can check out the promotion here.
XYZprinting is offering a few other promotions right now as well; in fact, they’re running a similar deal with the Nobel 1.0, the company’s first SLA 3D printer. Buy an SLA printing kit consisting of four resin tanks and eight boxes of resin, and you’ll receive a free Nobel 1.0, valued at $1,000. In addition, the company is offering a special deal for St. Patrick’s Day, running from March 13 to March 19. Any 3D printer that uses XYZprinting’s “green,” eco-friendly PLA material, identified by a green hat in the online store, is 10% off when you enter the code GREEN10 at checkout. (Please note, though, that customers cannot stack their coupons.)
And of course, XYZprinting offers plenty of free resources that you can take advantage of once you have a 3D printer, including: •The XYZ 3D Gallery, which features more than 5,000 3D models that can be downloaded and printed for free •XYZmaker, the company’s free CAD software, which is designed to help users start out in 3D design with pre-set but customizable geometric figures, numbers and symbols •XYZprinting STEAM, a free online curriculum exchange program for educators teaching at the K-12 grade level. The program provides free curriculum to help teachers incorporate 3D printing into the classroom, and also includes free videos, images, and STL files.
Discuss in the XYZprinting forum at 3DPB.com.
Pity my lumber dealer won’t give me a free CarveWright with an order of wood....
Have you ever asked them? LOL
That’s pretty cool. I’m finally starting to get interested in 3D printing just for the heck of it at these prices. My kids would love it.
3D printers would be nice to get one. As a model railroader, I’d use it to create one off items (maybe N scale NASCAR race, a few unusual buildings and boats) or maybe start a business creating model railroad items.
I remember helping my late father work on his HO set-up way back when. He got the magazines for years and I would read and re-read them.
They’re also great for repair/replace fixes for those critical small plastic parts that, if they can break, will break, will do so at the worst possible time and will make anything using them inoperable.
what s the difference in filament types?
12 cartridges for $335? That’s expensive. Are these proprietary cartridges? If you buy generic 3D printers that accept a spool, you can shop around for filament. Prices vary for the same item. And, how much filament is supplied in each cartridge? Perhaps as much filament as found on small spools that go for $10 each. I’ve bought an assortment of spools of PLA, ABS, and Nylon and there are some pretty good deals going between $10 to $50, depending on quantity and quality. Several grades of Nylon available at different pricing, more expensive than PLA and ABS. I would stay away from proprietary cartridges.
Don't know much about the newest materials, mostly PLA, ABS and Nylon.
PLA is more or less biodegradable. Which means you shouldn't use it outside unless you want to watch it fall apart in weather. Easy to work with, good for kids toys and such.
ABS is a tougher plastic, holds up pretty well in or out. And you can "weld" it with acetone, or polish it to a shine with acetone vapors to smooth out blemishes. Tougher to work with, as it tends to easily warp on the build table unless you have a properly heated table, control internal airflow in the printer, and/or use a support mesh.
Nylon is extremely tough and flexible. Won't easily break under stress. But is difficult to work with supporting mesh that would need to be cut away. Alternative is to use two print heads, one for mesh that is not nylon, and simultaneously build. I like nylon because I can dye it any color with common clothing dyes. Costs more than PLA or ABS.
Don't want to rain on your parade, as I like seeing others experiment with 3D printing. But consider it a hobby, not a business. It takes a very long time to print each item on your 3D printer (unless you spend really big bucks). You may not recoup your expenses and labor! Then again, maybe you will build some really nice items for a niche market selling them for many hundreds of bucks. Have fun.
What the heck! That business model served Gillette pretty well over the years in the razor business.
No idea.
I took a cursory look at the XYZ stuff, and it looks like the cartridge is a container that will accept spools from other filament makers; the container fits within the XYZ printer. Unknown what size spools fit within their cartridge. I have a CTC/Flashforge type printer, and can hang any size spool on it. I suppose you would have to buy small spools for the XYZ, or move filament from a larger 3rd party spool to one that would fit in the XYZ cartridge, but just guessing.
I have a couple of 3Ds on my amazon wishlist for someday.
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