Monoprice Delta Mini V2 3D printer review: Great for beginners

Our Verdict

The Monoprice Delta Mini V2 is an excellent 3D printer for the cost, and a good way to get started in 3D press if y'all don't want to pay up for the Monoprice Voxel or Polaroid PlaySmart.

For

• Low cost, fully-featured 3D printer
• Prints PLA, ABS, PETG, and other materials
• Excellent print quality for the cost

Against

• The software has some rough edges
• Prints are limited to 4.3 inches in diameter
• Tin't work with flexible materials

Tom's Guide Verdict

The Monoprice Delta Mini V2 is an excellent 3D printer for the price, and a adept way to get started in 3D printing if y'all don't desire to pay upwardly for the Monoprice Voxel or Polaroid PlaySmart.

Pros

• +

  Low cost, fully-featured 3D printer

• +

  Prints PLA, ABS, PETG, and other materials

• +

  Fantabulous impress quality for the price

Cons

• -

  The software has some rough edges

• -

  Prints are express to iv.3 inches in diameter

• -

  Can't work with flexible materials

Monoprice Delta Mini V2 3D printer: Specs

Price: $199.99
Type: Delta Fused Filament Degradation (FFD) 3D printer
Filament Size: i.75mm
Filament Type: PLA, ABS, PETG, Other
Interfaces: USB, WiFi
Storage: Micro SD
Size: 9.75 10 eight.five ten 14.5 inches
Weight: 2.2 pounds

Even though it sports an unusual look for a 3D printer, there'southward something familiar about the Monoprice Delta Mini V2. That's because this is actually the 2nd version of this device — we reviewed the original Monoprice Mini Delta a while back when it was a low-cost if flawed way to become started in 3D printing.

Does the new version address those flaws, which included unreliable USB connections and press modes along with other bugs? Our Monoprice Delta Mini V2 3D printer review finds a much improved device, though software remains a weak spot.

Monoprice Delta Mini V2 3D printer review: Toll

You tin get the Monoprice Delta Mini V2 3D printer for $179, a very bonny price for entry-level printers. Consider that our top rated option for all-time 3d printer — the Monoprice Voxel — costs $449, that's quite a bargain.

The Monoprice Delta Mini V2 is available directly from Monoprice.

Monoprice Delta Mini V2 3D printer review: Design

The Monoprice Delta Mini V2 is a cute little printer, measuring just 14.5 inches high.  While virtually 3D printers utilize left-right and forrad-back rails that the print head slides forth, the Delta 2 uses three spider-like arms, with the print caput attached in the heart. Move ane of these legs up, and the print head moves in that direction. By coordinating all 3 legs, the Monoprice Delta Mini V2 tin can move the print caput anywhere in the print area.

(Image credit: Monoprice)

Information technology's a rather compelling movement to watch, merely information technology does take one limitation: the print area is circular and is smaller than a more standard printer of the same size. For the Mini Delta 2, the impress area has a diameter of only over 4.3 inches and a tiptop of just over four.seven inches. That's a full of about 81 cubic inches, which is somewhat smaller than the 107 cubic inches provided by the Polaroid Playsmart.

(Image credit: Monoprice)

The Delta Mini V2 features several ways to connect to the outside globe, including a micro SD card slot, a Micro USB port and a Wi-Fi interface. The latter choice is of limited utilise, though — you can't command the printer over a web interface or connect to it directly with a slicing app to send files. Instead, Wi-fi only works through a rather poor mobile app.

Monoprice Delta Mini V2 3D printer review: Controls

You lot've got several options for controlling the Delta Mini V2 — an on-device display, the PoloPrint Pro app, or through a slicer app such as Cura.

The small affect screen on the printer itself can be used with a fingertip or with an included plastic stylus. The latter is preferable, especially for precise jobs like entering a Wi-Fi password via the on-screen keyboard. Fingertips are fine for simpler jobs like pressing the start button, though.

(Image credit: Monoprice)

The pre-release version of the PoloPrint Pro app that I tried is available for both iOS and Android. It'due south a flake rough around the edges: I plant that it often crashed or failed to connect to the printer. When it did work, I was able to start a impress from the micro SD carte or from the online library and monitor the print progress, although there is no camera in this depression-cost printer that lets you lot run into the impress in progress. Another omission hither is the ability to load your own models and print them from the app; Monoprice told u.s.a. that this might be added at a after date.

The best way to fix upward a impress is with a slicing app such every bit Cura. A customized version of this open-source program for Windows and Mac is included on the micro SD card that comes with the Monoprice Delta Mini V2, and that is what we used to print in our tests. This doesn't support connecting to the printer over WiFi, only it does support USB or saving a print file to the micro SD card. And then, if you are using Cura to set prints, y'all have to use USB or micro SD to print.

Monoprice Delta Mini V2 3D printer review: Print process

The Delta Mini V2 is a pretty unproblematic printer to utilize. Once y'all've created your print file in Cura or another program and copied it onto the micro SD carte, you hitting the print button in the on-screen menu and select the file to showtime printing.

The beginning thing the Delta Mini does is automatically level the impress bed, touching the impress head to the bed in iii places to printing a switch underneath it. That lets the printer know exactly where the print bed is— an important stride for laying downward an even first layer. Once set, the Delta Mini lays downwardly the commencement print layer on the heated print bed, then moves upwards to practice subsequent layers.

I establish that prints worked well, with few errors and no major failures. If anything, prints stuck to the print bed a picayune *too* well, equally I usually had to pry the concluding print off the bed with a paint scraper.

The Delta Mini V2 can handle multiple filament types including PLA, ABS, and PETG. You're not restricted to filament from any one source, every bit the Monprice 3D printer can use one.75mm filament from any manufacturer. We tested the Delta Mini with both PLA and ABS cloth and found it produced excellent results with both.

Your biggest limitation will exist the maximum temperature of the print head and the print bed (250℃ and 100℃ respectively). The Delta Mini V2 also tin't handle flexible materials, as these require a different way of print head.

Monoprice Delta Mini V2 3D printer review: Impress speed

The Delta Mini V2 is a pretty fast printer in draft style: it cranked out a three.5-inch high Thinker effigy in a little more than than 3.5 hours in this way, which uses a 0.ii mm layer height. The 3D printer is a blit slower if yous run information technology in normal quality, equally my print took vii hours and 10 minutes. This mode halves the height of each individual layer to 0.1mm.

Monoprice Delta Mini V2 3D printer review: Impress quality

We use several test models to examination 3D printers, including a scan of Rodin's Thinker statue, a set of gears and a geometric sculpture. I was impressed with the quality of the prints that the Delta Mini ii produced, thanks to the splendid detail.

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(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Prototype ii of three

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Prototype 3 of three

(Prototype credit: Tom'southward Guide)

Our Thinker examination impress came out looking very overnice, with smooth, natural curves on his shoulders and adept detail on the confront. There was some noticeable layering, though in both the draft and normal modes.

Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

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(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

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(Epitome credit: Tom's Guide)

Our gears test model likewise came out well: All we had to practise to fit the gears together was to remove them from the raft that they were printed on. We didn't need to do any other trimming, cut, or tweaking to produce a set of gears that turned smoothly and evenly.

Image 1 of two

(Image credit: Tom'south Guide)

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(Prototype credit: Tom'southward Guide)

The geometric sculpture is a difficult print, which is why we use it in our 3D printer testing. Information technology involves printing a lot of sharp edges at angles, which taxes the ability of the printer to precisely control the flow of the molten filament. The Delta Mini V2 handled information technology without bug, producing a print that had abrupt, well-defined edges and points. Once we had trimmed off the support material that held the print in place during the printing process, we were left with a very well printed, spiky sculpture.

Monoprice Delta Mini V2 3D printer review: Verdict

The Monoprice Delta Mini V2 is a elementary printer that does an excellent job. Information technology prints quickly in loftier quality and can handle a wide range of dissimilar materials. The only limitation is the size of the print bed: with a diameter of four.iii inches, it tin can't print anything wider than that or more than 4.7 inches high. That is plenty big for well-nigh users, though, and at the cost, y'all can't shell the value the Delta Mini V2 offers.

The mobile software problems even so show to be frustrating, just it's hard to detect a better printer at this depression of a price. The da Vinci Nano from XYZprinting hovers effectually $200, simply it can be difficult to discover these days. For that reason, beginners would exist wise to give 3D press a endeavor on a low-cost pick similar the Monoprice Delta Mini V2.

Richard Baguley has been working as a applied science writer and journalist since 1993. Also every bit contributing to Tom's Guide, he writes for Cnet, T3, Wired and many other publications.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/monoprice-delta-mini-v2-3d-printer

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