UP! Plus 3d Printer – Review

We recently negotiated a deal to sell  the UP! Plus 3D Printer on our online store. So I managed to get a printer for our workshop to play around with.

This is our findings…

Specifications and dimensions

• Build Platform : 140 x 140 x 135mm
• Printable Materials : ABS and PLA (1.75mm)
• Printable layers height : 0.2 – 0.4mm (Latest software increases it to 0.15mm)
• Printer Dimension : 245 x 260 x 350mm
• Weight : 5kg
• Windows and Mac compatible

What comes with it.

The printer comes with everything you need to print. (Excluding the computer you need to upload your designs to the printer)

• UP! Plus 3D Printer
• 1 x 700g of ABS Printing Filament
• 3 x Perforated Printing boards.(6 clamps included)
• Gloves to prevent burns and cuts.
• A VERY-VERY sharp scraper tool to remove parts from the printing plate.(Please wear you gloves when using this tool!!!)
• Tweezers
• Wire Cutters
• 3 Allen Keys
• Extruder Nozzle removing tool.
• Blades with a blade holder.
• Filament Roll holder.(The only real part you need to assemble
• A plastic tube to guide the filament to the printing head.
• USB Cable
• Power Supply
• Printed setup guide.

Setup and Printing

Setup is very simple. When you unpack the box you only need to attach the filament roll holder(Sits on the side) Then you need to remove a few printer clamps that kept he printing bed and extruder head in place while being shipped.

One thing that is a bit of a pain is that it does not come with an installation disk. The software needs to be download before you can start. Links to download the latest software is provided with the printed setup guide.

Powering up the printer is next. Plug in the power supply and USB cable. At the front of the printer there is an Initialize button. If you flip and hold it for a second or so ,the printer will make four beeps and start the initialization sequence.

The last bit you need to do is to set the height of the printer head. Basically you are telling the printer where to start printing. The reason you need to do this is because you have the option of printing with the perforated board or on the actual printer bed.(Some people also use a glass top for PLA printing.)

I would also advice that you level the printing bed before starting. This takes a bit of time but hugely improves printing results.

Now you are ready to print!!!

The software is really easy to work with. You simple download a STL file from Thingivers and open it up inside the UP! software. The Software has an option to auto-place the part in the center printing bed. Click on Print and the magic starts… 😉

Conclusion

We like it. We like it a lot!!! We decided on the UP! range of printers because we wanted a printer that you could use straight out of the box. This printer does just that.

3d Printing in it self can be challenging at times. The reason we say that is because when you are new to the printing materials and their characteristics. Starting your printing adventure with a DIY machine can add lots of complications.

So to conclude. We highly recommend this printer for people starting out.

What don’t we like?

• The building platform is on the small side compared with the DIY machines.
• The software is Closed-Source. So there are not tinkering. (The software it comes with however is rock solid)