If you’re looking for an FFF 3D printer that offers semi-professional results, the choice of 3D printers is now getting even bigger with the new MakerGear M3. 

Seemingly the FFF 3D printer market is getting more and more interesting for smaller companies and semi-professionals. Ohio-based 3D printing company MakerGear have added new and improved 3D printers to their line-up. With a lot of interesting features, the M3 targets businesses, schools, and experienced makers.

The 3D printer comes in two formats targeting both advanced and new users: M3 Independent Dual (M3-ID) and M3 Single Extrusion (M3-SE).

The MakerGear M3 is currently available at the reduced price of $2,350 and should ship on May 22, 2017.

The dual-extrusion system will set you back $2,999 and will be available a month later.

What’s new in the M3?

The MakerGear M2 already was a sturdy and reliable 3D printer. It delivered good results and offered a lot of interesting features. Let’s see what the M3 has to offer:

Improved Hotends: MakerGear offers a new “V4” hotend family. These swappable hotends can endure temperatures up to 300 °C, so you can use a broader range of FFF materials – like ABS, HIPS, PVA, composites and the PET family. They also come in a variety of sizes ranging from 0.25 mm – 0.75 mm; the V4 nozzles come in brass and stainless steel.

Better Cooling: According to the company, the MakerGear M3 has a new, improved cooling system which should give you better results, especially when printing with “difficult” materials.

Auto-Leveling: For companies, it’s always great to have a buzzword the competitors don’t came up with – this time it’s a trademarked “True-Leveling”. According to the press release, the new technology is getting rid of the “irregularities of auto-leveling”, offering a “machine that is easy to properly level”. Sounds like “calibrate once, print forever”.

Wireless Control: The M3 offers built-in wifi connectivity, so you can control and monitor your prints from your computer or even a smartphone. Also you can use a special version of Octoprint for MakerGear to control your prints.

Touchscreen Control: The printer offers a detachable touch-screen control capability.

Dual Printing Mode: The M3’s independent (rather than fixed) dual extrusion system enables users to double production speed for single-material prints using the M3-ID’s Mimeo Mode.

 

According to the specification, the MakerGear M3 could become a serious competitor to the Ultimaker 3, Prusa i3 Mk2 or the Lulzbot 3D printer series – but we’ll have to do a proper review first.

We’ll keep you updated.