3D printers are known to be complicated and this may discourage some people to try one or take its benefit but, worry not because manufacturers can design their machines to be more user-friendly such as what Flashforge Adventurer 3 Vs Monoprice Voxel can offer. These may not be the cheapest FDM machines but they are going to be easier to use with lots of features and automation. If you are interested in trying one, let’s see what you can get from these machines.
In this comparison, we are going to talk about:
- What to Consider When Buying FDM Printer
- What are Flashforge Adventurer 3 and Monoprice Voxel
- How are the Design of Flashforge Adventurer 3 and Monoprice Voxel
- How are the Capacity of Flashforge Adventurer 3 and Monoprice Voxel
- How are the Bed Levelling in Flashforge Adventurer 3 and Monoprice Voxel
- What else Flashforge Adventurer 3 and Monoprice Voxel can offer
- Flashforge Adventurer 3 Vs Monoprice Voxel
FDM Printers
Our tech trend is probably all about smart devices nowadays from smartphone to smart home products. Among what the advance in technology has offered to us today is a 3D printer and yes, this is the machine that can create a physical model out of digital data or design. They seem like something out of sci-fi movies but the machine and mechanism itself have been around for quite some time already. What helps it become more mainstream is now they are made more affordable for a wider user base to purchase.
If you are interested in buying an FDM machine which is probably the most popular instead of MSLA options, there are plenty of them and starting from a very low price making this filament printer the choice of so many new enthusiasts or hobbyists. Here are some aspects you may want to know first before deciding to invest in one.
Print volume always comes first in our priority because this is mostly a fixed feature that we can’t bump up later with upgrades unless we change most of the machine’s build and parts. Make sure that the machine’s print capacity is enough for your type or application but, it doesn’t mean the bigger the better because not all of us are going to use them for the same purpose. Also consider the machine’s design such as Cartesian or Delta because the latter will prominently print a taller object in comparison.
Next is the material they can use which is related to the machine’s temperature especially on the print bed and on the extruder part. There are so many types of thermoplastic in the market that we can use with FDM machines but the tricky part is not all of them will come out the same. There are good quality or expensive filaments that can optimize the printing result while some materials like ABS require a proper heating and need enclosure to succeed due to the nature of the material itself.
Lastly is probably features because we are sure many of us want an easy to use machine just to save time and stress. Depending on the machine, there are options coming with automatic bed levelling, some type of sensors, as well as a better menu. In some high-end machines the printing room is installed with a camera while the unit can be connected with your smartphone thus, allowing us to monitor the process while away. Of course not all of us will need the same features but we can consider what we desire from them.
| Flashforge Adventurer 3 | Monoprice Voxel | |
|---|---|---|
  |   |
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| Product Dimensions | 15.28 x 14.96 x 15.94 inches | 19.6 x 16.9 x 20.2 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 22.05 Pounds | 28.4 pounds |
| Best offer | Check price | Check price |
About Flashforge Adventurer 3 and Monoprice Voxel
FDM machines in general are easier to work with because they are less messy unlike the liquid resin variants. You can find petite machines under $100 as well today which is a great present for someone who is interested in a 3D printer or just a cute collection in your line up of affordable printers. The part that sets printers apart is usually the capacity itself and some from the more expensive line mostly comes with a huge range of features to make the experience better.
If the budget is not very restricted but you still want an affordable-ish FDM printer, we recommend checking what Flashforge and Monoprice are offering in their collection. If budget is the highest concern then we will suggest getting something from Creality or Sunlu since these two are popular for their very affordable machines. The Flashforge and Monoprice on the other hand are the type who offer machines with tons of fancy features and their smaller units are still quite affordable too.
For those who will be printing at small capacity, we do think the Flashforge Adventurer 3 and Monoprice Voxel are two great options to consider. These machines are pretty interesting because the type of setup reminds us of the more industrial and professional, expensive machines instead of the beginner friendly bare machines such as Sunlu S8 Vs Ender 3. They look fancy and look like what 3D printers should be but our favorite part is they look neat and less cluttering unlike typical FDM printers.
If you also prefer a machine that is not taking too much space but also not cluttering the work space or if you plan on putting it in a place visible to many people, these two are very attractive indeed. The two have a fairly similar built quality, the same volume, as well as the set of features and print result wise, as long as we get the setup correct and using a decent filament, the model will come out nicely too. In comparison however, the latter seems to have some advantages.
Flashforge Adventurer 3 and Monoprice Voxel Design
Before checking what the Flashforge Adventurer 3 and Monoprice Voxel can offer, let’s see the overall unit first. These machines are very similar side by side and while they may look bulky on the picture above, we can carry them with both hands without issue. They are probably about twice the size of your paper printer or almost like a whole scanner with a higher height. The material for this housing is all plastic which is why they are light.
There is a swing door at the front, featured with a clear see through plastic and we can close or open it while printing. The print chamber itself is not spacious but should be able to work on very small models without issues. The small display at the top right of the machine is also very similar and they are touch-sensitive while the filament goes in the back of the machine for Adventurer while Voxel relocate it to the side for easy access.
Flashforge Adventurer 3 and Monoprice Voxel Capacity
As it has been mentioned above, printing capacity is crucial when deciding to buy a printer because we can’t increase them without upgrading many of its parts. Here both Flashforge Adventurer 3 and Monoprice Voxel are very small in capacity, smaller than typical affordable FDM like Ender 3 at only 150 by 150 by 150mm, ideal as a learning tool and working on small parts. Depending on what you will be printing on the machine, make sure that this dimension is enough to accommodate your application.
Flashforge Adventurer 3 and Monoprice Voxel Bed Levelling
Now for the bed, our main concern when setting up a new printer is always the levelling because this can be a tedious task and crucial in deciding how well the print will come out. What these printers are trying to do is simplify the process for users so they are all coming with an automatic bed levelling function that can be directly accessed from the printers’ menu. What’s not very good is they don’t have a levelling sensor itself and the way they level the bed is by calibrating the height.
This part has mixed reviews across users however and while many of us are able to get a decent levelling with the machines, some also complain about how the machine can’t level the bed properly. The bed temperature itself is claimed to be able to reach 100 and 140 degrees respectively, and should be fine when printing high-temp material as well. The layer above these beds are removable and flexible so we can easily take out the model after printing.
Flashforge Adventurer 3 and Monoprice Voxel Features
On the additional features side, the Flashforge Adventurer 3 and Monoprice Voxel are coming with Wi-Fi as the connectivity so it means we can wirelessly communicate with the machine, probably one of the most useful functions when you are not always present near the machine. They are also featured with a filament sensor or more of a spool sensor so instead of detecting a breakage, they detect the amount of filament on the spool rather than the filament string.
We did mention some printers can have cameras in their building room and this is what you can get from these options. Through this camera we can monitor the process while away and don’t have to be in close proximity all the time. In addition you will get an automatic filament feeding too for the overall convenience.
Flashforge Adventurer 3 vs Monoprice Voxel
These printers are very suitable in an educational setup or for casual users and hobbyists who want an easy to use while also neat machine that won’t take up much space on your table. They come with the same type of features and almost identical too. The prominent difference we see is only on design as the Voxel moves its spool housing to the side of the machine and while neither have bed levelling sensors, this printer is surprisingly more accurate when calibrating while we have to work more with Adventurer 3.
Conclusion
You can go well with any of them because there is no bad option between the two but we will recommend the Monoprice Voxel here because we like the spool housing and the calibration which seems to work better than Flashforge.