Not everyone is familiar with 3D printers but they have been around for quite some time to reach the more mainstream market. There are also various types of machines to consider but the most popular is an FDM model such as Artillery Genius Vs Ender 3. These machines are easier to get used to as well as affordable for home application. For those who wonder which of them will be the better option, let’s see below about what they can offer.
In this article, we are going to give you information about:
- What Type of 3D Printers to Choose
- What are Artillery Genius and Ender 3
- How are the Design of Artillery Genius and Ender 3
- What are the Specs of Artillery Genius and Ender 3
- What else Artillery Genius and Ender 3 can offer
- How are the Performance of Artillery Genius and Ender 3
- Artillery Genius Vs Ender 3
3D Printer Types
There are so many fascinating machines today and they are getting widely available as well for the general users or mass produced for the mainstream market. One of them is 3D printers which used to be utilized in manufacturing facilities but now you can have one at home that will cost about the same as your dash camera. This printer may not be useful for all of us but for those who need them, they are not only interesting but also helpful in the process of creating various items.
The machine is not exactly new anymore but you can find more affordable options for beginners or just to save the budget. They are also not always the same because just like regular printing such as laser or inkjet, the most popular are FDM and SLA models that core difference is on the mechanism or parts which are working to print the object we desired. The easier way to set them apart is probably through the material being used because FDM uses a solid thermoplastic while the later uses photosensitive liquid.
Among the two FDM machines such as Anet ET4 Vs ET5 are the most popular since they are easier to start with as well as less messy in operation unlike when dealing with liquid material. FDM or Fused Deposition Modeling has an extruder that can move in certain way such as along the Z and X axis or in any direction such as in Delta model and this extruder has a nozzle tip to deposit the material layer per layer which usually is a PLA or ABS plastic.
The layer will be put one by one depending on how many extruders it has; some machines have two extruders to build two items at the same time. Since they are applying molten plastic layer by layer in case they do not fully adhere to each other, you will still see the lines or texture on the surface and naturally the resolution as well as nozzle size are what decide the end result while on the other hand SLA is cured rather than deposited.
| Artillery Genius | Ender 3 | |
|---|---|---|
  |   |
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| Product Dimensions | 16.93 x 15.35 x 20.08 inches | 20.75 x 15.1 x 7.8 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 25 pounds | 18.9 pounds |
| Best offer | Check price | Check price |
In SLA printers such as Photon S, the liquid is sensitive to UV LED light which is installed below the vat that contains the material. The process happens layer by layer as well but due to the mechanism, this is often better in terms of details and smooth surface. In a glance it sounds better than FDM but the drawback is they are slower to work with and messier for the material itself is liquid for example we need to clean and store them again after printing unlike a roll of PLA that we can just leave on the machine.
About Artillery Genius and Ender 3
Depending on which seems most ideal in your application, the machine option can vary so it is wise to go for the one that fits in your type of project the most. Besides the type of machine, you may want to consider their volume as in build volume as well because it is fixed so make sure to think about what to print on the machine to avoid getting the wrong sizing. For smaller applications, there are plenty of good options, even those around $100.
For beginners, the FDM printers are the most convenient and they are very fast as well but another advantage is many of them can print pretty large models too such as the ET5 from Anet or typical Delta machines like Predator. For users who are printing in modest sizes, most affordable FDM models such as those from Artillery and Creality are going to be amazing. These brands are well-known with their wide range of good and affordable 3D printers.
For a light application or on the small to medium printing, the Artillery Genius and Ender 3 are two ideal option for almost anyone who want to start their 3D printing at home, especially for new users because on the more experienced side we are sure you already have more than plenty in mind that can topple these machines. For models on entry level these machines should be working well and offering what most people are looking for in basic 3D printers.
The Genius is a new model of the X1 which was released quite some time ago and in comparison, Artillery as a company itself is still very new as well with their first product rolling out in 2018. It is said that Genius comes with some improvement including a patented Z-axis coupler to address bend. On the other hand Ender 3 is just basically the go-to of many people; it is robust, affordable, reliable, and you have many other users to ask around for troubleshooting due to the popularity.
Artillery Genius and Ender 3 Design
The Artillery Genius and Ender 3 are as you can see a Cartesian model and these FDM/FFF printers working with two pillars to support the extruder moving in both X and Z axis. The print bed itself stays at the same level but will move back and forward or in Y axis. Built quality wise all components are very robust and the prominent difference is probably the physical dimension of these machines itself since the Genius is at 430 by 390 by 510-590mm tall and Ender 3 at 440 by 410 by 465mm tall.
Another prominent difference is the build system since you can see that Ender 3 still placing the processor outside of a housing and it is installed vertically near one of the frame while the Genius is overall neater, all of the processing components are placed below the housing while the control panel is already in a form of touch-sensitive colored display instead of black/white display with a rotating knob to navigate and select a menu.
Artillery Genius and Ender 3 Specs
Moving to what Artillery Genius and Ender 3 can offer, let’s start from the bed and in Genius, instead of using glass such as the X1, this model is already using Ultrabase so you can expect to see the bed heat up faster and higher as well up to 100 Celsius in about 2 minutes. As for the Ender 3, this machine seems to come with a BuildTak-like print bed sticker and should be able to reach the same level of temperature to make sure the model will stay stuck to the base until finish printing.
On the build volume, the two are not too small for most users but decent enough for a wider application by offering a 220mm by 250mm tall model, the same as Ender 3. Similarly, they can handle the same type of material including PLA, ABS, and TPU plastic at the standard size or 1.75mm.
Artillery Genius and Ender 3 Features
Artillery Genius and Ender 3 also come with some interesting features and Genius do have a Z-axis coupler to prevent Z-banding which seems to be always an issue so if you see closely it comes with a proprietary nut coupler system. We want to mention the cable management of this machine is superb and much better than Ender while another interesting feature is it now can support bed leveling if you are ready to upgrade as there is the dedicated port here.
Additionally, the Genius is also featured with a resume function so when there is power loss your printing process will not lose and the machine will continue after getting the supply back; for this feature Ender 3 also has the function. To improve the convenience, Artillery gave filament runout sensors to Genius as well.
Artillery Genius and Ender 3 Performance
Now for the fun part, let’s see the performance of these machines and just like most affordable 3D printers out there, you will most likely need to tweak them before getting the most satisfying result since the first try is not anywhere near good enough. With Genius we see an uneven surface and under extrusion probably due to poor Z-alignment. With Ender 3 somehow the tip even shifts which makes the layers misaligned from those extruded earlier. The next test is working well but the texture is still not good.
After some adjustments both on the machine and on the software, you can definitely get a much better result with either of them. The main problem from Genius is the faster printing process and the print bed weight not considered while strangely somehow the Z axis bend is still an issue that causes some slight result problems. Similarly with Ender 3, once you get the perfect calibration, the result will be amazing.
Artillery Genius Vs Ender 3
Both machines are suitable for almost anyone who is getting into 3D printing but they are not actually beginner friendly since the printing result out of the box is not very satisfying so you will still need to tweak the machine and find the perfect setting on their software. You may need to add some parts to stabilize the machines too, depending on what issue occurs but they similarly have great potential to deliver amazing results. On the feature side however, Genius is ready for upgrades and comes with more capabilities.
Conclusion
There is no bad option between the two but you should go with the model that fits in your application the most. If those mentioned features don’t attract your attention then we highly recommend Ender 3 as it is cheaper and you can get better machines at the same price range as Genius.