by Andre Tiemann | May 9, 2012
While Mixshop has been selling low-cost Prusa Mendel kits for nearly a year now, they are now ready to bring their own printer into the mix (pun intended). The MixG1 Printer - renamed after realizing what their first choice, Mist 3D, means in German - is a Printrbot variant and they’re currently taking orders (1-2 week lead time).
After seeing an early version of their printer at a RepRap meetup in April, I decided to visit Mixshop at their workshop in Toronto. Upon arrival, they had three MixG1s printing parts and more filament than I’d ever seen waiting in the hallway nearby. Also, the lasercut filament-holder included with the kits was a welcome sight for the RepRapper in me.
The machines appeared to run quieter than the Prusa Mendels I have at home—much more so than my Makerbot Replicator—and were printing cleanly during my visit. In regards to print quality, I’m told they are equal to the Prusa Mendel. It runs using an Arduino Mega 2560/RAMPS combo and NEMA 17 stepper motors. With this information, 0.1mm layer height is probably as low as you can realistically expect to achieve on a consistent basis.
And unlike previous printer kits offered by Mixshop, the MixG1 ships partially assembled with printed parts and an already constructed hot-end (3mm filament, and .34mm or .5mm nozzle diameter). I was also told that a fully assembled and calibrated printer option will be available for two to three hundred dollars more (rough price given to me by Mixshop). These are important features for any printer kit maker wanting to expand into to broader market.
For comparison purposes, while the MixG1 has a larger print size than the original Printrbot, it is smaller than the similarly priced Printrbot PLUS:
- Printrbot: 152x152x152 mm ($534.00)
- MixG1: 170x150x170 mm ($640.00)
- Printrbot PLUS: 203x203x203 mm ($649.00)
This said, production delays at Printrbot seem to make the comparison between the printers less important. Printrbot has stopped accepting new requests on all their kits while they scramble to fulfill the Kickstarter orders. (recent update and HQ live video stream of Printrbot for more on this)
In conclusion, while MixG1 won’t revolutionize the consumer level 3D printer market, it is an attractive addition to the low-cost 3D printer puzzle—and the included spool holder is a nice touch!
Posted in 3D Printers
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