3D Printer Systems
for Less Than US$20,000

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THERE IS NO strict definition of a price below which a rapid prototyping or additive manufacturing machine becomes a 3D printer. Some individuals include any machine that sells for below US$60,000, and others US$40,000.

Considering that a large fraction of customers at present are in educational institutions, small companies or even single proprietorships and individuals, for whom price is of primary importance, we've decided to compile all the choices below about US$20,000.

Here's what available today and its general qualities in the order of increasing price. To widen your choices beyond this, explore the commercial listings by technology.

You can compare the specifications of the 3D printers listed on this page in our very complete chart.

Listings Color Key...

Open-source Hobbyist & Do-It-Yourself Systems Fully-Assembled or Commercial Systems Available

Do-It-Yourself & Open-source 3D Printers
Vendors of parts, kits and systems based on open-source hardware and software are sprouting like mushrooms after the rain. It is hoped they will not disappear quite as quickly. Nevertheless, if you wish to satisfy that deep-seated need for a 3D printer of your own, this is how to do it at minimum cost with maximum learning. Since much of the hardware is off-the-shelf, and some of it can even be made by the machines themselves, obsolescence or dead vendors shouldn't be major concerns. All systems have similar specifications and are thermoplastic extrusion-based, although the mechanical implementations and materials capabilities may differ .

RepRap RepRap is short for replicating rapid-prototyper, an open-source 3D printer design project initiated by Adrian Bowyer at the University of Bath (UK). RepRap uses robotic thermoplastic extrusion similar to fused deposition modeling at present, but ceramic, metal and other materials may also be possible at some point. The ultimate intent of the project is to eventually produce a machine which can make copies of itself. Darwin was the first version of the machine which has now morphed into Mendel, an improved version. RepStrap is a term describing a version of the machine capable of making parts for other machines, but not necessarily self-reproduction itself. Many of the outgrowths of the project available from vendors are actually RepStraps. Parts kits and individual items are now available from dozens of sources.

RepRap's Mendel

Below is a listing of some of the better-known and more organized vendors, as well as those that are notable for one reason or another. A more complete listing can be found in the RepRap wiki.

3DP-TOOLS (Switzerland) Sells consumables, parts and sub-systems for RepRap and RepStrap. Also supplies RepStrap part printing services and a fully-assembled machine for about US$2,600.

Bilby CNC (Australia) Sells Mendel Prusa kits and locally-assembled MakerBot Thing-O-Matic machies. See below. Also sells parts and materials.

Bits From Bytes (UK) Sells complete kits of mechanical parts, and also acts as an OEM vendor. See listing below.

BotMill.com US vendor selling assembled Mendel machines and kits. See listing below.

Buildatron Systems US vendor selling assembled machines at US$2,000 and kits at US$1,200. Introduced in Sept., 2011 the machine has metal case and can use PLA or ABS.

eMAKERshop UK exchange for owners of 3D printers to sell parts to the community. The company is also in the process of fund-raising to go into the business of manufacturing inexpensive Huxley kits.

Fabbers.ru (Russia) Distributes Makerbot and Buildatron machines in Russia.

FELIX Printers (Netherlands) Sells the Felix 1.0 for €799. The machine has a simplified mechanical design which the company claims to result in an assembly time of 2 to 4 hours.

The Future is 3D US vendor selling assembled Mendel machines starting at about US$1,600. Several versions are available with larger build platforms, steel construction, etc.

MakerGear LLC US vendor selling both metric and US/English unit Mendel kits and sub-assemblies. MG started selling a kit named the Mosaic Plus in July, 2011 for US$999 which appears to be very similar to the more expensive Thing-O-Matic from MakerBot. An assembled version is also available.

RepRap Source (Germany) Sells parts and sub-systems. The company supplies an aluminum frame version called Shapercube for about US$1,000.

Solidoodle At its introductory price of US$699, it is the least expensive, fully-assempled 3D printer available anywhere - even considerably cheaper than most kits. The machine has a fully-enclosed, attractive sheet metal case, and has not increased in price since it was introduced in Oct., 2011.

TechZoneCommunications.com US vendor selling materials, parts and sub-systems.

Thingfarm.org UK vendor selling parts and sub-systems with a division in Canada to serve North America.

UltiMachine US vendor selling materials, parts and sub-systems.

Ultimaking Ltd. (Netherlands) The Ultimaker looks a lot like the MakerBot Thing-O-Matic, but is claimed to be faster and have higher theoretical accuracy. It sells for about US$1,700 and started shipping in May, 2011. See below.

BotMill.com A US vendor formerly selling mostly parts and sub-system kits for RepRap machines introduced a fully-assembled version of the RepRap Mendel in January, 2011. Named the Glider 3.0, it sells for US$1,545 with a kit version selling for US$1,165.
The machine is touted to be Plug and Play and includes a heated build platform. BotMill was purchased by 3D Systems August, 2011, although there has been no public announcement.

MakerBot Industries Their first machine was called the CupCake because its build envelope was about the size of a cupcake - a big one that would fit in a 4 inch cube. This small, open source thermoplastic extrusion-based kit sold for US$750 but is no longer available. It was superseded by the Thing-O-Matic, shown at the far right. This new kit version offers an improved extruding head, sturdier construction and also has a heated build platform that can spit a part out of the machine when complete. This gives the machine the ability to execute a long queue of print jobs unattended. The Thing-O-Matic kit is priced at US$1,299 and the company sells an assembled version for US$2,500. MakerBot Replicator™

The Thing-O-Matic is now being superceded by the Replicator™, a fully-assembled machine that sells for US$1,749 with a single extruder and can be equpped with an additional extruder for US$250. Dual extruders permit building objects in two colors or with two materials. The obvious main difference between the Thing-O-Matic and the Replicator™ is the build volume, described by the company as "a loaf of bread." The ability to queue parts has also been sacrificed to accomodate the larger platform.

The company has an extensive framework of blogs, wikis, etc., and also a web-site reminiscent of Shapeways for users to exchange designs called the Thingiverse. It's open-source, however, so anyone can use it, not just MakerBot customers.

Bits From Bytes (UK) The RapMan 3.2 thermoplastic extrusion system, pictured at top, is based on open-source hardware and software with much in common with the RepRap Darwin. Like that machine, it can print some of its own parts for replacement or maintenance purposes. The RapMan can be supplied with two extruders. Complete kits of mechanical parts start at about US$1,300. Materials available include ABS, high- and low-density polyethylenes, polypropylene, polyvinylchloride and other plastics. Pictured below the RapMan is the 3DTouch™. It's a completely-assembled machine and has a selling price of about US$3,900. The company was purchased by 3D Systems in October, 2010.: A1 Technologies Ltd. (UK) Distributes the Bits From Bytes RapMan system kit. The company also sells a fully-assembled version.; Benson Machines (Australia) Exclusive Australian importer for Bits From Bytes products. The company lists several distributors for territories on the continent on its web-site.; desktopFab, Inc. A Distributor of BfB products based in Texas.; Purple Platypus Distributes assembled Bits From Bytes equipment and also US west coast distributor for Objet Ltd.; Technology Education Concepts (TEC) US vendor selling Bits From Bytes kits to the educational marketplace in the US. A basic RapManUSA kits sell for US$1,495 and a fully-assembled version is US$2,495.; Technology Supplies Ltd. Distributes Bits From Bytes products throughout education markets in the UK.

Ultimaking Ltd. (Netherlands) An interesting variation in the open-source arena, Ultimaker differentiates itself by moving the deposition head rather than the build platform. This is said to enable up to five times higher speed operation while depositing layers as thin as 10 microns. This also permits a large build volume of 8.25 x 8.25 x 8.25 inches while retaining reasonable outer dimensions. Kits are priced at about US$1,700 and are aimed at individuals who'd prefer to keep tinkering at a minimum with no soldering required.

Fab@Home An open-source project to design, develop and manufacture an inexpensive syringe-based additive fabrication machine and related software. The components to build the device can be had for as little as US$2,500, and a variety of materials can be used for building, from silicone to chocolate. The project is led from Cornell University, but there are participants from all over the world. A good choice for real pioneers and do-it-yourself fans who may be satisfied with parts and models that will not achieve a high level of precision, durability or speed of fabrication for some time to come.: NextFab Store The company provides kits for fab@home machines priced in the range of US$3,100. It also sells major machine structural part kits for those wishing to procure their own electronic and mechanical components or to experiment. An (almost) completely assembled version of the machine can be purchased for about US$3,700.
Automated Creation Technologies ACT provides a range of parts and assembled systems similar to and competitive with NextFab, above. In addition, a two head version of the machine is also available which allows for the possibility of using a support material during the build.
Kraftmark The company sells epoxy- and polyether-based materials for use with fab@home machines. Also see their blog for examples and discussion.

PP3DP Company (China) Introduced the fully-assembled UP! Personal Portable 3D Printer at the end of July, 2010. The machine is based on thermoplastic extrusion and is extraordinarily small and light, weighing just 11 pounds. The selling price is US$2,690 and the device is also based on open-source efforts. The only material available at the moment is ABS which is also used to make support structures, but the machine is also capable of using PLA. Distributors are listed below: 3D Printing Systems Australia and New Zealand. 3DPhome Ltd. Russia, Byelorussia and Kazakhstan. Cool Components Europe. CV 3D Solutions Indonesia. OPT Technologies Co., Ltd. Japan. RMS Ltd. Korea. X-object US and Canada. Offers some unique finishes and bundled pricing.
Asiga Startup Asiga unveiled a photopolymer-based machine for less than US$7,000 in December, 2011. Dubbed the Freeform Pico, the unit boasts a better than 38 micron (0.0015 in) pixel size and z-axis increments as small as 1 micron (0.00004 in). It's accuracy is specified at 50 microns (0.002 in). The machine uses a deformable mirror device to expose a complete layer using LED illumination, and the unit weighs less than 25 pounds. It's about the size of a large loaf of bread standing on-end. That's the good news. The bad news is that its build envelope is only a maximum of 30 X 40 X 100 mm. While this is quite small, there are plenty of applications that don't require a large volume. The company mentions dentistry, jewelry and medical applications. There are probably many more, as well.
3D Systems See the company's separate web-site for the V-Flash™ Desktop Modeler. This is a next-generation photopolymer-based technology which is said by 3D to have many of the characteristics of stereolithography, such as good finish and accuracy, but also limited material choices and properties. The technology builds an entire layer at a time and is relatively fast. The first product based on the technology was expected to be shipped in April, 2008 at a price of US$9,900, but technical problems resulted in delaying introduction until May, 2009. Versions of the machines have also been announced for dedicated rapid manufacturing applications such as hearing aids, and a next generation has been produced and is being sold under the ProJet™ trade name. See below. See a schematic of V-Flash™ technology... Learn about the company...
Beijing TierTime Technology Co. Ltd. (China) The company makes a range of extrusion-based systems starting at approximately US$10,000 and says less expensive machines are in the pipeline. They call their version of the technology MEM (Melted and Extrusion Modeling), and at present only ABS materials are available. The company has been selling in China for many years and began exporting in 2010. Their products are available in Asia and Europe with TierTime seeking representation in other geographic areas. Learn about the technology...
3D Systems Introduced in December, 2011 at US$10,900, the ProJet™ 1000, the latest iteration of its V-Flash™ photopolymer film transfer technology. The machine is positioned as a faster alternative to Stratasys and HP offerings, and a less-expensive alternative to the Objet machine below. The ProJet™ 1500, introduced in September, 2011 at $14,500, can produce parts in several different color materials and also has a high speed mode which sacrifices some resolution. Learn about the company...
Dimension^TM This is a division of Stratasys dedicated to selling a low-cost 3D printer line based on the company's FDM technology. Its lowest-priced entry-level system, the uPrint,^TM Special Edition, originally introduced in early 2009, now sells for US$13,900. Parts produced have good material properties - probably the best of all 3D printer technologies - and can often be used in final applications, although they may lack fine detail and finishes. Dimension^TM offers machines that incorporate both break-away support technology as well as dissolvable supports such as the uPrint. The uPrint^TM Plus is capable of printing as many as eight different colors, although only one at a time. That machine sells for just under US$20,000. Learn about the technology... Learn about the company...
Hewlett Packard HP entered the market in April, 2010 with products designed and manufactured for the company by Stratasys based on its Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology. At present HP's *Designjet 3D Personal Printer* products are only available in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. Roll-out to other countries is expected to follow shortly. As with their close relations in the Dimension^TM family, parts produced have good material properties and can often be used in final applications. Specifications are similar to the Stratasys machines. HP is offering two models, one exclusively for monochrome printing in ABS at about US$17,000, and another capable of printing as many as eight different colors, one at a time. That machine sells for about US$22,000. Learn about the technology... Read the Latest News Release...
Z Corporation The company, now owned by 3D Systems, introduced a low-cost machine for less than US$15,000 in July, 2010. It also offers the only commercially available color RP systems with prices starting at US$25,000. Parts are not as functional as those produced by other technologies and they require infiltration before they can be handled without danger of breaking. They also have a sandy appearance and lack fine detail. On the other hand, the technology is considerably faster than any other and can give quick feedback and is useful for multiple design iterations. 3D Systems finalized purchase of Z Corporation in January, 2012. Learn about the technology... Learn about the company...
Objet Ltd. (Israel) Introduced in December, 2010 the Objet24 and Objet30 start at US$19,900. They're based on the company's jetted photopolymer technology and offer excellent resolution and finish combined with good speed. The Model 30 offers a bigger build chamber plus support of several materials compared to just one for the Model 24, but it sells for many thousands more. Learn about the technology... Learn about the company...

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3D Printer Systems for Less Than US$20,000

3D Printer Systems
for Less Than US$20,000