When buying your first 3D printer for your office, lab, studio, or workshop, the first things you need to think about are the ease of use and customer support.
Your printer needs to contribute to your company’s overall productivity and speed to market. It needs to save you money and effort. You can’t afford to waste time with a slew of manual controls that require veteran expertise, prints that fail because of unreliable mechanics, or no one to call for help.
We’ve selected some of the easiest-to-use and dependable machines on the market that also have some of the best software and support backing them up. They have a complete ecosystem of hardware, software, materials, and expertise to help you get the most out of your 3D printer purchase.
As the low-price end of the market for 3D printers becomes more saturated with hobby machines of varying levels of quality, the mid-market machines are improving their technology and growing their feature sets to appeal to business users. Manufacturers in the $5,000 to $ 20,000 range focus on attracting a wide swath of professional customers with improved ecosystems of interoperable software, hardware, and materials, along with near-one-button-printing ability.
Whether you’re an architectural firm wanting to print better and faster models or a metal part fabricator looking to print more innovative designs and save on raw materials, adding 3D printing to your workplace is a smart decision.
But before buying your first business 3D printer, check out our guide, “Business 3D Printers: How to Make a Purchasing Decision”, which covers establishing a business case for your 3D printer purchase, requesting a sample print, understanding hidden costs, and where to buy.
Now, let’s take a deeper look at our top picks for your company’s first 3D printer.
UltiMaker S7 Pro Bundle
UltiMaker offers a comprehensive 3D printer solution, not just a machine. The company has 3D printing bundles that include the hardware, software, materials, and access to the company’s 3D Printing Academy, all at a convenient package price.
UltiMakers are truly simple-to-use dual extrusion machines ideal for prototyping, tooling, and replacement parts with an open filament system that lets you print with practically any filament, plus a new metal filament for metal parts. The company’s partnerships with material manufacturers ensure that UltiMakers are verified to deliver optimal prints from a wide range of specialty filaments, including industrial-grade engineering plastics. The new S7, and the older S5, printers even recognize which material you have installed and automatically print with the corresponding settings.
UltiMaker invented the popular slicing software Cura and the recent 5.5 update actually makes UltiMaker printers print 50% faster than they used to.
UltiMaker has also taken the guesswork out of how to keep your materials in optimal condition since exposure to moisture, heat, and cold can lead to failed prints. The S7 Pro features filament humidity control and automatic material handling – if filament runs out or you start a new print that needs a different material, the material station automatically switches to the next spool.
UlitMakers are easy to network and scale for print-farm production. The relatively new UltiMaker Essentials software-as-a-service enables companies to roll out 3D printing enterprise-wide with a central hub, heightened security, and biannual software updates. Their e-learning platform features issue- and topic-targeted videos covering the basics through to complex issues and even awards certificates for completion.
UltiMakers are ubiquitous across a range of industries, from automotive and art to healthcare and engineering, for good reason.
- Technology: Filament (fused deposition modeling, FDM)
- Price: $12,000 for the S7 Pro bundle plus materials
- Ideal for: product designers (functional prototypes), manufacturing (fixtures, cases, molds), teachers (models, prototypes), automotive (prototypes, carbon fiber gigs and fixtures)
Formlabs Form 3+
The Formlabs resin printers are as near to one-click printing as you’ll get in a desktop resin machine. Their ecosystem of business software, materials, printers, post-processing accessories, and printing resources is a full bundle that all but ensures easy and flawless printing. If you’re new to resin printing, you’ll appreciate the Formlabs material cartridges, which make printing and cleanup easier than pouring resin from large bottles.
The Form 3+ produces smooth surfaces that are especially good for prototypes and proofs of concepts, while the engineering-grade materials make it a workhorse for highly precise, functional 3D prints that can stand in for final parts and stand up to the rigors of the factory floor. These printers are also highly popular among jewelers and artists for their fine detail.
A plus for businesses, Formlabs software offers a dashboard so employees can queue print jobs and monitor printer activity from anywhere. The printers, whether you have two or 20, network together to easily scale print production. Formlabs also offers a piece of hardware called the Form Auto that will automatically remove your finished parts, deposit them in a bin, and ready the printer for the next job.
Support is another Formlabs strength. On their website, you’ll find a library of in-depth guides, step-by-step tutorials, and webinars. You can also upgrade the basic warranty to a Pro Service Plan or an Enterprise Service Plan that includes priority email support, expedited troubleshooting, live training sessions, and remote printer health monitoring.
- Technology: Resin (Stereolithography, SLA)
- Price: $4,200 ($9,999 with accessories and materials)
- Ideal for: architects (models), jewelry designers (wax casts), product designers (detailed prototypes), dentists (dental models), manufacturing (cases, molds)
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Markforged Mark Two
The great appeal of the Markforged Mark Two printer is its ability to deliver metal-strong parts without metal. Especially prized by engineers in automotive and machine design, its carbon- or Kevlar-fiber prints can stand in for traditionally machined aluminum tools, fixtures, and functional prototypes at a fraction of cost and time. The Mark Two is easy enough to use that businesses of all kinds can skip the machine shop and print from their desktop.
Like the others in this collection of ideal entry-level business printers, Markforged backs up solid technology with robust software. The company’s Eiger 3D printing cloud-based software encompasses a digital part library, print prep, and printer fleet remote management into one platform. The Blacksmith software works to make your prints even better and more consistent by connecting your 3D printers with your inspection equipment to ensure every part is produced as designed.
Delivering better resolution than your typical desktop filament printers, the Mark Two is optimized for the company’s proprietary materials that produce parts with verifiable strength and flexibility.
Although ease of use is its strong point, to get the most out of your Markforged investment, staff can attend a multi-day Markforged University in person or online.
- Technology: Filament (continuous fiber fabrication, CFF)
- Price: $18,000 plus accessories and materials
- Ideal for: manufacturing (fixtures, cases, molds, factory tooling), product designers (functional prototypes), teachers (models, prototypes), automotive (spare parts, prototypes)
Raise3D Pro3 Plus
The Pro3 series fine-detail, high-speed 3D filament printers from Raise3D are mini-factories from the start with quality construction and reliable output print after print. Not exactly plug-and-play, but considering the sophistication of its output, relatively little onboarding is needed for great results.
Raise3D calls its printers “industrial grade,” which fits this manufacturing tool well, considering its strong focus on durability, repeatability, and volume production. The Pro3 Plus’ large format is a favorite among artists and engineers alike for large (605 mm tall) prints.
The Pro3 Plus connects with Raise3D’s 3D printing software ecosystem that includes a 3D slicing program, ideaMaker, an open-software template called ideaMaker Library, and the cloud-based 3D printing software RaiseCloud. This networkability creates a companywide seamless workflow enabling staff in various departments to easily design 3D printing files and produce accurate results. The RaiseCloud 3D printing management software remotely monitors the entire printing production across one or multiple 3D printers.
A wide range of materials – from carbon fiber to wood fill – make almost any type of print possible on the Pro3. And for a large printer, it’s incredibly fast. The company’s relatively new Hyper-FFF kit ($999) enables 200% faster prototyping and print times reduced by 75%.
- Technology: Filament (fused deposition modeling, FDM)
- Price: $7,600 plus accessories and materials
- Ideal for: product designers (rapid prototypes, functional prototypes), manufacturing (fixtures, cases, molds), teachers (models, prototypes), automotive (spare parts, prototypes)
Formlabs Fuse 1+ 30W
Formlabs is best known for its resin technology, but when it finally introduced its selective laser sintering (SLS) technology in 2021, it was a game changer not only for the company but for the availability of the technology to non-industrial professionals. Fuse 1 is vastly more affordable than other SLS machines, which use lasers to sinter polymer powder into a 3D shape, yet it offeres the same predictability, ease of use, and quality as the company’s popular resin machines.
Now, Formlabs just introduced a more powerful version of the Fuse 1 called the Fuse 1+. The new machine is faster and can make strong, durable parts in carbon-filled Nylon, which is what more companies are turning to for end-use 3D printed parts.
For any small business suffering from raw materials shortages, supply-chain disruption, or factory shut-downs, the Fuse 1+ represents the opportunity to bring end-use and spare part production and prototyping in-house whether for stop-gap options, validation stages, or customization applications.
As with all the machines on our list, the Fuse 1+ is rounded out with all of the required post-processing accessories, materials, software, training, and support to ensure your adoption of SLS 3D printing actually solves your business problem, not becomes an problem in itself.
SLS technology used to be the technology of choice after a company has cut its teeth on FDM or resin. More often today, with new desktop-size machines like the Fuse, companies can dive into SLS with no prior 3D printing experience. SLS prints are stronger than FDM prints and are more often used for final products and functional prototypes that can be texted under harsh conditions.
- Technology: Powder bed fusion (selective laser sintering, SLS)
- Price: $27,500 plus materials
- Ideal for: manufacturing (fixtures, tools, jigs, molds, end-use products), product designers (functional prototypes), teachers (models, prototypes), automotive (spare parts, prototypes)
Bambu Lab X1 Carbon With Automatic Material System
The Bambu Lab 3D printers have quickly become a favorite in the All3DP office, so they may also be right for yours. Granted, we have more experience with various 3D printers than, well, anyone, but we think you’ll also find it easy to jump right in.
Bambu Lab has burst onto the 3D printing scene, delivering a well-connected, beautifully designed machine that makes printing easy and enjoyable. Although the other companies on our list have been churning out 3D printers for many year, Bambu Lab is new, and their printer isn’t perfect, but it has far more pros than cons. Plus, it’s the only “multicolor” (max. four colors) printer on our list.
The only warnings we may have it that is can take some dialing in on the settings to get just the print you want, which can lead to waste, but if you tend to print the same type of item over and over again this shouldn’t be a drawback. Additionally, Bambu Lab’s own filaments work best with the AMS, meaning you’ll mostly have to buy from them. This same thing also applies to parts and repairs, making the actual printer and AMS unit difficult to modify or repair without sending the unit back to Bambu Labs.
There are a trove of features that make is easy to use, including the lidar-assisted bed leveling and a well-presented touchscreen that’s responsive and easy to navigate. There’s also all the specs you need for printing both basic PLA and some more industrial materials, such as carbon-fiber reinforced materials.
We’re recommending the machine with the four-material station, even though it won’t handle filament with cardboard spools, it’s a minor drawback.
Although we haven’t taken it for a test run yet, the new machine from Bambu Labs, the X1E, is aimed at professionals. The X1E is the X1 Carbon but with more for professional offices, such as a heavy-duty air filtration system, a higher level of network security, and the new hotter 320ºC nozzle temp and active chamber heating so it can handle more engineering-grade materials.
- Technology: Filament (fused deposition modeling, FDM)
- Price: $1,449 plus materials
- Ideal for: product designers (multi-color prototypes), manufacturing (fixtures, cases, molds), teachers (models, prototypes), automotive (prototypes, carbon fiber gigs and fixtures)
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Original Prusa i3 MK3S+
There’s no doubt that the Original Prusa i3 MK3S+ is a favorite among 3D printing hobbyists, but its invariably excellent results elevate it as a solid choice for any business looking for occasional small part prints and prototypes. In fact, it rivals the print quality of machines that cost ten times as much.
The simple software makes it the easiest to use in our list, but you won’t find any of the fail-safe features, monitoring, or multi-printer management here. It’s basic by the standards of the machines above, but as your first step into 3D printing at your office, it won’t disappoint.
Although you won’t find a sophisticated learning platform, what you will find are countless videos and support posted online by throngs of loyal users. This should be support enough.
- Technology: Filament (fused deposition modeling, FDM)
- Price: $770 plus accessories and materials
- Ideal for: product designers (prototypes), teachers (models, prototypes)
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