There is so much information about 3D printers out there. It is overwhelming especially for educators who don’t have a technical background. Also, 3D printing in a classroom with 25+ students is very different than 3D printing for a small company or as a hobby. Below are our top 3 3D printers for the classroom with reasons and information that teachers care about.

Tips for buying a 3D Printer for your classroom:

 

Want help planning a 3D printing project or figuring out logistics or confused about what to purchase or how to get started? Check out our workshop on 3D printing.

Need to understand some 3D printing vocabulary words, check this out 3D Printing Glossary

Want more information on general 3D printing? Check out this great article on all the details of 3D printing.

Dremel DigiLab 3D45 - $1,799

• User friendly and powerful software, prints accurately
• Can print and monitor from Dremel Print Cloud
• Wifi, USB, Ethernet connectivity
• Uses Dremel DigiLab 3D Slicer (So easy to use)
• Heated, glass, semi-auto leveling print bed
• Fully enclosed with air cleaning filters
• Single extruder to print only 1 color
• Nozzle is .4mm big and fits 1.75mm filament
• Compatible with these filaments: Nylon, Eco-ABS, PLA, PETG
• Amount of space the machine takes up: 20.25” x 16” x 15.9”
• Print area/Build Volume: 10” x 6” x 6.7”in
• Weight: 47.5 lb / 21.5 kg
• Internal Storage: 8GB
• Mac Requirements: Mac OS X Version 10.9+
• Windows Requirements: Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10

 

Lesson Plans for 3D printing projects and great support videos

 

Prusa 3 Multi-Material Upgrade 2.0 - $299

• Completely redesigned body
• True workhorse of 3D printers
• Very reliable, great prints every time
• Easy to set up and use
• Self leveling metal print bed
• Easy to remove projects
• Quiet machine
• Fast print
• Auto adjusts for temperature in the room
• Open frame
• Uses SLICE3R Software
• Power loss detection and recovery
• Nozzle is .4 mm big and fits 1.75 mm filament
• Compatible with various filament types

• Affordable filament specifically for Prusa printers (however, any brand filaments can be used).
• Comes with 2lbs of filament

• Upgrade to print 5 colors in one print
• Can print using SD Card or Wifi
• Amount of space the machine takes up: 17¾” x 17¾” x 19¾”
• Print area: 9.84” x 8.3” x 8.3”

Robust new user guide, knowledge base, troubleshooting guides and forums

LulzBot Mini 2 - $2,300

• High Performance Printer
• Easy to set up and use
• Self leveling glass print bed
• Quiet machine
• Open frame
• Uses Cura LulzBot Software
• Nozzle is .5mm big and fits 2.85mm filament
• Compatible with various filaments

• Comes with a ‘small’ amount of filament

• 1 extruder to print only 1 color
• Amount of space the machine takes up: 24” x 18” x 13”
• Print area: 6.30” x 6.30” x 7.09”
• Print Volume: 281.4in
• Prints from an SD card (comes with SD card), not directly from a USB cord from a printer, it does not connect to wifi.
• Works with different computer platforms.

Monoprice MP Mini Pro - $169.99

Image a school where every student has a 3D printer instead of textbooks? It is possible with this Monoprice!

• Quality at a Fair Price
• Heated, aluminum, removable auto leveling print bed
• Open frame
• Wi-Fi, microSD card, USB connectivity
• Works with a variety of slicer softwares
• Nozzle fits 1.75mm filament
• Single extruder to print only 1 color
• Compatible with a variety of filaments types
• Can simply navigate through the easy to use touch screen
• Amount of space the machine takes up: 16.9” x 14.1” x 10.7”
• Print area: 4.7" x 4.7" x 4.7"

User curated forum for questions and answers.

Want some extra resources for your 3D printing units? Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers Page for more resources.

Confused about 3D printing with students? Message us to discuss a 3D printing workshop in your school.

Have some basic questions or need some guidance on the logistics? Want to brainstorm ideas for projects? Schedule virtual coaching office hours and our team will help you out.

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