Another day, another printer release. Nothing to see here.
Or at least, so we would be lead to believe given Monoprice’s nonchalant release of the new MP Select Mini Pro.
Quietly introduced with the appearance of a product page on the company’s website sometime in the last week or so, this new 3D printer adds in-demand features to the renowned MP Select Mini V2.
Popular for their ease of use and competitively low price, the MP Select Mini line of 3D printers has pretty much been the go-to for beginners dipping their toes and those in need of a no-fuss second printer. The emergence of inexpensive kit printers has somewhat gutted this market, but the power of a brand name and establishing itself just before the likes of the Anet A8 settled in has probably served Monoprice well.
This means that being cheap doesn’t cut it anymore. There are plenty of cheap printers vying for the budget dollar, so purchasing decisions are leaning harder on features (or lack thereof). New for 2018, Monoprice has upped its game with the MP Select Mini Pro, adding a removable magnetic heated bed and an automatic bed-leveling probe and touchscreen interface on top of an already winning formula.
All that, and a new brushed Aluminum frame.
Features
Setting you back $249.99, an increase of $30 over the previous generation of MP Select Mini machines, the MP Select Mini Pro features some new tricks that go part way to justifying the price jump.
Firstly, the Monoprice Select Mini Pro has a removable heated bed that fixes in place using magnets.
We’ve yet to go hands on with the machine so can only speculate from the images we see online, but it appears that the bed is a stiff sheet of metal with magnets in each corner to snap it into position. Topped with a sheet of BuildTak-like material, it does not seem to be the flexible spring steel sheets that are increasingly common on higher end machines — more of a middle ground overall.
Additionally, it appears that the heating element only covers a smaller central area of the bed, leading us to think that printing at the edges of the bed will be trickier using materials prone to warping without bed heat.
Also new for the Monoprice Select Mini Pro is auto bed-leveling. It does this using an inductive probe that is mounted to the print head. Reading through the process as detailed in the printer’s user manual, it should be a simple few button presses and the printer will calibrate itself.
Another welcome addition introduced with the Monoprice Select Mini Pro is live Z adjustment. Accessible in the Tune option during printing, you can manually increase or decrease the distance between the nozzle and print bed should the printer lose its level across the bed.
Interacting with the Monoprice Select Mini Pro will be a whole new experience for users of the range’s older machines. Gone is the traditional scroll wheel, replaced by a 3.3-inch touchscreen.
Comparing Monoprice’s specifications for the MP Select Mini Pro and V2, the Pro can print hotter (280 degrees Celsius to the V2’s 230) and faster (75mm/s to the V2’s 55mm/s).
The last notable difference between the Monoprice Select Mini Pro and the V2 is the ditching of color variants for a brushed Aluminum shell.
Carrying across from the V2, the MP Select Mini Pro features WiFi connectivity and a 120 x 120 x 120mm print volume.
Tech Specs
Make: Monoprice
Model: MP Select Mini Pro
Technology: FDM
Frame: Cartesian
Year: 2018
Category: Desktop, fully-assembled
Print area: 120 x 120 x 120mm
Max. bed temp: 70 degrees Celsius
Nozzle size: 0.4mm
Max. nozzle temp: 280 degree Celsius
Max. Z-axis resolution: 0.1mm
Z-axis accuracy: –
X/Y-axis accuracy: –
Max. print speed: 75mm/s
Max. travel speed: –
3rd Party material compatibility: Yes
Interface: 3.3″ touchscreen
Boxed size: –
Printer size: –
Packaged weight: –
Printer weight: 3.8kg
Power supply: 12V
Where to Buy
Despite the lack of fanfare around its appearance suggesting otherwise, the Monoprice MP Select Mini Pro is available now from the Monoprice website. Check the link below.
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