Want to start 3D printing, but afraid it’s too complicated? The da Vinci Nano from XYZprinting makes it simple! And, at just under $230, it’s an affordable way to get started with 3D printing. Just expect to wait for your prints.
It’s Not a Bread Maker!
Getting the Nano set up is not difficult, but some assembly is required. The printer looks somewhat like a small bread maker and is about the same size as a large toaster. It measures 11 x 13 x 14 inches and weighs 10 pounds. In the box are the printer itself, a translucent dome for the top, and a set of tools that includes a scraper and some cleaning tools.
A short piece of thin tubing, called a Bowden tube, is also included. It allows the filament to feed easier and minimizes jams. The filament is the plastic strand fed into the heating element (called an extruder), melted, and deposited layer by layer to build the object you’re printing. The da Vinci Nano comes with a starter spool of this PLA plastic filament.
Also included are three large tape pads. During the setup, you peel the backing off the pad and apply it to the removable glass build plate. The build plate is where the object you’re printing is created layer by layer from the melted filament.
The Nano only accepts PLA, which is a biodegradable plastic. It’s not as strong as the ABS plastic that some other 3D printers can use. This is because the build plate isn’t heated, and ABS often warps considerably when printed on an unheated print bed. The da Vinci Nano requires a proprietary filament only available from the vendor. The chip inside the spool hub keeps track of how much filament remains, which is helpful. The downside is XYZprinting’s filament is noticeably more expensive than generic brands. For example, a 600-gram spool of PLA XYZprinting filament is about $23. A 1KG spool of generic PLA is about $20 and gives you almost twice as much.
The build plate is a small sheet of glass, and XYZprinting doesn’t seem to offer replacements, so don’t drop it! Measuring 4.9 x 4.9 inches, it’s similar in size to many other sub-$500 3D printers. The tape you place on the build plate is designed to provide better adhesion for the object you’re printing. The documentation warns that if the room is cooler than 77 degrees, it’s probably a good idea to apply a thin film of glue stick, such as Elmer’s School Glue, to the tape. I did use a glue stick and clean the build plate afterward.
Don’t worry about having only the three build plate tapes that come with the Nano. When these wear out (and they will), you can cover the plate with blue painter’s tape—I’ve had better results with the 3M brand than with generics.
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Source : XYZprinting da Vinci Nano: A 3D Printer for Beginners
