Monoprice Voxel 3D Printer - Fully Enclosed with Removable Heated Build Plate (150 x 150 x 150 mm) Touch Screen, 8GB And Wi-Fi, Black/Gray, Large

TL;DR: Great printerPros: Great value. Super easy to use. Compact. Excellent print quality. Little to no leveling required.Cons: Small-ish print area. Crappy camera. Needs external spool holder if you want to use standard 1 kg filament. Uses non-standard .gx format.UPDATE 3 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE:I still think this is a great machine. I have used it now for PETG, and it did fine. Bought a few replacement nozzles when they became available. I saw occasional clogging of the nozzle, more frequently than on my Wanhao DI3 with an all metal hotend, but somehow with the new nozzles this seems to occur much less frequently. Need to relevel bed every 10 prints or so. I went back from glass to the original bed because I really like how easy it is to remove the prints. The external I gave up completely on the inbuilt camera and use a Wyze camera instead to monitor prints. PolarCloud is garbage. My main issues are1) The MAC address for Wifi changes every time you start the Voxel, so you have to look for the IP address to enter into the FlashForge software. Better to stick with Ethernet or set the Voxel up as a hotspot.2) I wish it could read standard .gcode files. I actually like the FlashForge slicer. Loads so much faster than Cura and in Windows actually changes the .gx file icons to display the actual model. It's super easy to use and from a UI perspective much cleaner than Cura. But it doesn't offer the range of options that Cura does. E.g., there are only very few types of infill to choose from. But overall it does an excellent job.3) Small print surface. Wish it was at least 20 x 20.I'm really happy I bought this machine. It has almost immediately become my go-to printer for any smaller-sized projects. The print quality is amazing -- after a few adjustments. It's a compact machine, not heavy, with full enclosure. Can print a wide range of filaments but I have only used it for PLA so far. I read reports of clogging when you change filaments so I'm waiting for the exchangeable print nozzles to become available again before I try PETG. This is actually one of the negatives. Very surprised that Monoprice doesn't have those exchangeable nozzles in store as this is one of the positive features of the system.Anyway. Initial setup was easy, included quick start guide had me up and running in no time. Unfortunately, the initial build quality didn't impress me. Lots of strings produced when the nozzle moved across internal areas. This was particularly visible with the included semi-translucent red filament, but also happened with other filament I tried. However, this was fixed easily by changing the retraction parameter in the included Flashprint software from 5 to 6 mm and by slightly lowing the print speed. Haven't seen any of these artifacts since. While I actually liked the included bendable print bed, I immediately replaced it with a glass plate (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BHG37PX) attached by placing a thermal pad (https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-400mm-Silicone-Thermal-Heatsink/dp/B007PPEW52) between the plate and the heated bed. Using glue stick, models stick perfectly.Highly impressed with the quality of prints using the default parameters of the included FlashForge software (with the above mentioned modifications). The simplicity of getting a print going should make this a total gateway drug for anyone new to 3D printing. Where my other printers require endless fiddling to level the bed, here you just select Print and you're on your way. With the glass plate, I had to relevel but it's very easy to do and doesn't require any tools. Leveling is done in the middle of the plate. This was one of my concerns about this printer as there is no way to level the bed along the x or y axis but I have not seen any issues at all. This is probably due to the somewhat small size of the print bed, which is one of the only knocks I have on this system. I wish it had a 20x20 print bed, as I frequently print models that exceed the size of the Voxel's bed. I have printed models across the whole bed, using a raft, and have not seen any warping.I was also intrigued by the camera that is built into the system but it actually turned out to be pretty awful. You can use it using the Polar Cloud software to watch your print, but the images are generally dark and lo-res, and it only works over local network. I ended up using a cheap webcam mounted on a small stand next to the printer and Youtube streaming to monitor prints when I'm on the road. Another problem is -- and that's just a stupid engineering decision -- you can only use the USB port or the camera. Huh? The "automatic" setting that should turn the camera on when a print job is active and the USB port on when not doesn't work in my hands. If I want to use the camera, I turn it on manually. A pity, because I found using a USB stick to be my preferred way of transferring files to the machine.The system uses .gx files, which are a variant of .gcode. I was initially concerned I couldn't use Cura to slice, but I'm now actually very happy with the included Flashprint software (which I understand is built on top of Cura). By and large it does what Cura does but feels more limited in what you can do with supports. But then again, for most of what I do, no problems. You can also use Polar Cloud as a web-based solution. I was at first very excited about it because I was hoping I could use a cheap chromebook I have lying around to control the machine but a) the cloud software is very convoluted, with lots of features that may be useful for schools that need to manage several printers and print queues in their print shop but only get in the way if all you want is slice and control your one Voxel, and b) I found the print quality produced by its slicer to be inferior to what comes out of Flashprint. Flashprint allows you to connect to your printer and shows you the print status but doesn't connect to the printer's camera.Be aware that this printer is not designed for tinkerers who want to mod their machine. It's for those of us who just want to get the job done. You can replace the print nozzle but that's pretty much it, and then again looks like nozzles are actually out of stock.Couple more observations:Loading and unloading filament is super-easy. However, the system is designed to mount small 0.5 kg spools on its side. So if you're like me sitting on 1 kg spools used in other printers, you will have to print either some spool adapters or use an external spool holder (which works fine). I guess this was a necessary design decision to keep a compact profile. I did at times notice some stuttering and knocking sounds when the filament is pulled in but I didn't see any impact on print quality.The system is easy to operate with the built-in touch panel. It's easy to read, with a logical menu system, but occasionally it takes a bit to register your touch.Plenty of internal storage so you can keep .gx files around on-board for repeat prints.All in all, I am very surprised by how much I like this system. I bought it as a backup system but ended up using it as my primary printer for anything smaller than 15 x 15 cm.

I had been interested in getting into 3D printing for quite a while, but kept putting it off due to cost and fear of kids being around an open air printer. I found the Voxel on sale one day which fit well into my price range and, best of all, was enclosed and ready to go out of the box. It took some time to get used to 3D printing in general, but it wasn't too long before I was successfully printing all kinds of things. Unfortunately, a couple weeks in, my extruder's X-axis locked up and stopped working. I contacted Monoprice tech support who immediately helped with some recommendations and ultimately decided to replace the unit for me. Their tech support was fantastic, and despite the problem, I highly recommend this printer (which is why I'm giving it 5 stars).PROS:- Ready to go out of the box- Enclosed, so it is a *bit* safer around little kids- Wifi connected- Quality is good. Better than I expected at the price- Works well with both PLA and ABS (though best results with PLA)- The Flashpoint software is easy to use (this coming from a first time printer)- Touch screen works well- Great price point- Great customer service from the manufacturerCONS:- Extruder broke on first unit (immediately replaced by tech support)- Wifi range seems poor- The quick start guide should recommend doing a calibration. Their online docs cover this, so be sure to read through those and not just the guide that comes with it. My first unit was not calibrated well and prints kept coming loose from the bed.Other Advice:- If you are a first time 3D printer like I was, do some research online and watch a few videos. Be sure to understand what rafts and supports are and how to use them. I have had the best success with bed adhesion when using rafts on this printer.- The included spool holder only holds the Monoprice 0.5 kg spools. Be sure to get (or print) a full size spool holder if you want to take advantage of larger spools.- Prints did not stick well to the bed at first. Be sure to calibrate it before printing. I would also recommend putting some blue painter's tape on the bed for better adhesion.- If you are going to use wifi, this probably need to be close to a router or repeater. Mine could not connect from a room about 50' from a router but was fine from about 25' away.- The bed is on the smaller side. I haven't found too many models that don't fit, but if you want to print larger objects, you may want to consider a bigger printer.Overall, I'm very happy I got this printer. My experience with Monoprice's support has also reassured me that my investment was well placed and I will happily buy from them again. If you are looking to get in to 3D printing without breaking the bank, this is a great place to start. Happy printing!