Jump to:
- Price and availability
- What's good
- What needs work
- The competition
- Should you buy?
Anycubic is a mainstay of the hobbyist 3D printing world and has been making great quality printers for years. Not only does it make excellent resin printers like the Photon Mono X but it also has a line of inexpensive FDM printers.
The Anycubic Vyper is the company's latest foray into FDM printing and has received many upgrades from previous 3D printers. We took it for a spin and found it to be an excellent budget printer with some not-so-budget extras.
Anycubic Vyper
Bottom line: There is a lot to love about the Anycubic Vyper. It's well made, fast, and prints really well. I just wish Anycubic did more to support it on the software side.
For
- Well constructed
- Quality upgrades
- Feels very fast
Against
- Cooling could be better
- No proper slicer profiles
Anycubic Vyper: Price and availability
Because Anycubic has been around a long time, its logistics team is prepared to supply Vypers to its warehouses. Since the 3D printer was released, I haven't seen it leave Amazon, so if you are looking to buy one, you should be able to get it easily.
The Vyper retails at around $430, but I have seen it drop as low as $355 with select coupons. The Vyper is good enough to be added to our best 3D printers on a budget lineup, and the price is about perfect for the features and print quality.
Anycubic Vyper: What's good
The Anycubic Vyper, like so many others, is a clone of the Ender 3 from Creality. Often, the clones don't really add much value; a few tweaks here and there, maybe a better buildplate, but that's it. The Vyper, though, has taken the original Ender 3 blueprint and upgraded almost every part. It has a new 32-bit mainboard, an all-new double-gear extruder (it makes the filament more secure, less likely to clog, and more accurate as it feeds), and a set of injection-molded finishes that house tuning screws to help with belt tension.
All of these upgrades make the Vyper more than just a clone; they make it excellent in its own right.
And those are just the hardware upgrades. The Vyper also has some new smarts under the hood. Features like filament run-out detection, power interrupt detection, and auto bed leveling are usually reserved for the higher price tag printers, though that trend is changing for the better. The auto bed leveling system on the Vyper is excellent and not something that every company gets right. Bed adhesion is always the first cause of failure on any print, and I have yet to have one on the Anycubic. All of these upgrades make the Vyper more than just a clone — it's excellent in its own right. There is only one more upgrade it needs to make it truly great, though. More on that later.
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I was happy with the print quality of the Vyper. It is one of the best I've used in this price bracket, and I think it has more to give in this area. The prints out of the box are good, and I think they could be excellent with some fine-tuning. The upgraded extruder seems to have helped a lot more than I thought it would, and even printing at fairly high speeds, the prints were decent. While I did lose some of Scarlet Witch's mystic energy from Kijai Designs model, the printer corrected itself and managed to complete the print while still keeping the model looking good.
Vivi's hat — also by Kijai designs — had a little issue along the rim caused by insufficient cooling, but overall the print looks excellent, as does Mimir from God of War by Fotis Mint. The details on his horns and the runes on his head are very subtle, but the printer managed to capture them all with ease. Overall, I was happy with how everything turned out, but I think Anycubic could have done more to make the models even better out of the box.
Anycubic Vyper: What needs work
While the Vyper does print with a lot of speed and accuracy, it is let down by the part cooler. When you increase the print speed, you reduce the time each layer has to cool, which can cause the layers to curl over themselves as the next one settles into place. The cooling on the Vyper just doesn't seem to be enough for the speeds it wants to run.
An issue I see more often with budget printers is a lack of good slicer support. Oftentimes, 3D printers will come with their own bespoke slicers — normally based on the open-source software Cura — and while that isn't the most desirable way to do it, it's much better than nothing at all. The Elegoo Neptune 2 comes with one such slicer, and while it is frustrating to have a bunch of slicers on your desktop, it is even worse jury-rigging something to make it work.
A 3D printer that costs nearly $500 should come with a fully-fledged slicer profile at a minimum.
Anycubic's answer to a slicer profile is to use the preloaded profile from one of their previous printers, the Mega X, and just chang the z-height to accommodate the bigger printer. This means that none of the profile information like layer height, printing speeds, and other tweaks is available. You have just had to muddle through as best you can and experiment. Now, eventually, the community will come up with some amazing profiles, and the Vyper will be better than ever, but relying on your customers to make this kind of thing smacks at laziness from a company this big. A 3D printer that costs nearly $500 should come with a fully-fledged slicer profile at a minimum.
Anycubic Vyper: Competition
Because the Vyper is a clone of the Ender 3, there is a lot of competition that is almost as good. If you are looking for something cheaper with almost as good quality, then the Elegoo Neptune 2 is an excellent choice. It has a lot of the features of the Vyper, such as a filament runout sensor and power loss protection, but without auto-bed leveling.
If you have a few more hundred dollars and want the best hobbyist machine money can buy, then look no further than the Prusa Mk3. While it is over $250 more than the Vyper, it is one of the best 3D printers under $1,000 you can buy and contains a host of features that give you amazing prints every time.
Anycubic Vyper: Should you buy it?
You should buy this if ...
- You want an Ender 3 with high-end upgrades
- You want fast, reliable printing
- You like a punchy name
You shouldn't buy this if...
- You want perfect prints out of the box
The Anycubic Vyper is a good buy, there's no denying it. Sure it is an open-source clone, but that doesn't make it any less accessible or worthwhile. Compared to the Ender 3, the upgrades it has make it a great choice for someone just getting into 3D printing or for a small business to expand its print farm.
You should buy the Vyper if you want a well-constructed, well-equipped 3D printer and don't mind having to tinker with the slicer settings to get it to work properly. If this is your first printer and you are unsure about what settings to change, you will need to reach out to the community, who may help you tweak the profiles.
Anycubic needs to be more diligent about slicer profiles in the future. There are many ways a company can distinguish itself from competitors that don't require hardware upgrades, and software is one of them. If a company can offer a well-tuned machine that prints really well out of the box, it can get a jump on the competition.
Despite all the issues, I still enjoyed my time with the Vyper, and it has earned a spot in my standard rotation alongside the Prusa and Elegoo. I will be using it for a lot of prints for a long time to come.
Anycubic Vyper
Bottom line: While the lack of a solid slicer profile gives the Vyper a steeper learning curve than others, it is a solid machine for the price tag and a worthy addition to any workshop.
James Bricknell
James built his first PC when he was 13 and has never looked back. He can be found on Windows Central, usually in the corner where all the 3D printers are, or huddled around the Xbox playing the latest games.
FAQs
Anycubic Vyper 3D printer review: A strikingly good deal? ›
The Anycubic Vyper is a good buy, there's no denying it. Sure it is an open-source clone, but that doesn't make it any less accessible or worthwhile. Compared to the Ender 3, the upgrades it has make it a great choice for someone just getting into 3D printing or for a small business to expand its print farm.
Is Anycubic a good 3D printer? ›Overall, we were impressed with the ease of use and the quality this little printer delivered. After some initial woes (more below), we were able to get excellent prints from the Anycubic i3 Mega. Also, it handled PLA and PET filaments with ease.
What is the most affordable 3D printing technology? ›If you're looking to produce affordable 3D prints, you should consider one of the three technologies: Fused deposition modelling, selective laser sintering or HP Multi Jet Fusion. All these technologies provide great quality for an affordable price. Let's take this model as a reference and compare these 3 technologies.
What is the max bed temperature for vyper? ›ANYCUBIC Vyper specs at a glance:
Nozzle: Diameter: 0.4 mm; Max nozzle temperature: 260 degrees Celsius. Print bed: Removable magnetic flexible string steel top surface; Max hot bed temperature: 110 degrees Celsius.
ANYCUBIC 3D Printer Filament PLA 1.75mm, FDM Printer Filament 1kg Spool (2.2 lbs), Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.02 mm (1kg, Black)
Where is Anycubic 3D printer made? ›Anycubic is a China-based company operating out of Shenzhen. Founded in 2015, they produce a wide variety of 3D printers and are known as a world leader in desktop additive manufacturing. Anycubic is best known for its Photon range, the Photon D2 model is the next generation of the Photon Ultra.
What is the most commonly used 3D printing technology now? ›FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling)
It is also the most common type of 3D printing technology.
How much does a 3D printer cost? Low-cost 3D printer prices start from $100 to $400. Then hobbyist 3D printers will set you back by up to $1,000. The next level of enthusiast and professional 3D printer prices range between $1,000 to $10,000.
What is better filament or resin? ›Filament printers are superior for producing strong, larger parts, while resin printers excel at producing fine details and can print much more precisely on small parts.
What is better than a 3D printer? ›Surface Finish: With the right tools, CNC machines are capable of producing much smoother surfaces than 3D printers. 3D printers are capable of producing parts for fit and finish, but for parts that require exceptional smoothness for mating with other precision components, CNC machining may be preferable.
How do I choose a 3D printer? ›
- The business' application's 3D printing needs.
- The 3D printer's build volume.
- The filaments needed for the business' application.
- Dual extruder 3D printers.
- How a business should budget for a 3D printer.
- The cost to operate the printer.
Room temperature
The place where you install the printer is recommended that it be between 15ºC and 30ºC to avoid problems that affect print quality. In very hot environments, material flow or shrinkage can be affected, leaving threads or bubbles on the piece surface.
Over-adhesion: A heated bed can improve the first-layer adhesion of PLA parts. But setting the bed temperature too high can actually lead to the part sticking too well and requiring extensive scraping to remove it from the build surface.
How do I know if my 3D print bed is too hot? ›If you're printing too hot (with any filament, not just PLA) you're going to see stringing and blobs/oozing because the material is getting runny and exiting the nozzle in an uncontrolled manner. Because it's uncontrolled, you will also likely see artifacts showing up in your prints.
What is the most accurate 3D printing material? ›PLA. PLA is the go-to material for most users due to its ease-of-use, dimensional accuracy, and low cost.
Is the slower my 3D printer the higher the quality? ›In general, a slower 3D printer print speed results in higher quality. Nonetheless, printing too slowly can cause issues of its own. These issues generally relate to overheating: if the filament stays in the nozzle chamber too long, it can get too hot and cause deformations on the part.
What resolution does Anycubic print at? ›One of the primary benefits of DLP 3D printing is that it can produce highly detailed objects. The screen resolution is one of the most important aspects of any DLP 3D printer. The Anycubic Photon offers a 2K resolution, which is relatively good for the low price point.
Who is Anycubic owned by? ›“Lu Ouyang, Anycubic's Founder and CEO, is my childhood friend. He had a company before Anycubic providing electronic modules and 3D printer accessories for over 4 years.” “3D printer itself wasn't our first choice. We hadn't even had the confidence to rush in.
What kind of printer is Anycubic? ›ANYCUBIC Photon M3 Resin 3D Printer, 7.6'' LCD SLA UV 3D Resin Printer with 4K+ Monochrome Screen, Protective Film, Fast Printing, Max Printing Size 7.08'' x 6.45'' x 4.03''
What is the trend in 3D printing in 2023? ›In 2023, the trend goes towards more automated and integrated AM workflows. They combine production and supply chain and connect all 3D printing players on the market, such as software providers, print farms customers and post-processing and material specialists.
What do most people use 3D printers for? ›
What Can 3D Printers Make? Designers use 3D printers to quickly create product models and prototypes, but they're increasingly being used to make final products, as well. Among the items made with 3D printers are shoe designs, furniture, wax castings for making jewelry, tools, tripods, gift and novelty items, and toys.
Who uses 3D printers the most? ›- Aerospace. The aerospace industry was the first to embrace 3D printing, and now regards it as a standard part of their toolkit. ...
- Medical devices and dentistry. ...
- Mechanical Engineering. ...
- Automotive. ...
- Tool-making.
Most Entry Level and Hobbyist 3D printers are priced from $300 – $500, while some can be as expensive as $1500. The higher-end 3D printers, such as Enthusiast 3D printers and Professional 3D printers are priced anywhere from $1,500 – $20,000, depending on the printer's capabilities.
Are 3D printers expensive to maintain? ›As you might expect with industrial printers, they're less likely to break, but when they do, they're very expensive to fix due to their high-quality components. Businesses can spend anywhere from $100 to $3,000 on maintenance and replacement parts. Also, materials for these printers cost a lot too.
Is it profitable to buy a 3D printer? ›Is a 3D printing business profitable? Yes, 3D printing can be profitable because it is a quickly growing industry, with most businesses discovering opportunities for success. The technology is becoming popular, so there is a growing demand for 3D printing services.
What is the most popular 3D printed item? ›Miniatures have a huge following and are one of the most popular 3D items to print.
How much can you make a month with a 3D printer? ›| Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | |
|---|---|---|
| Top Earners | $78,500 | $6,541 |
| 75th Percentile | $55,000 | $4,583 |
| Average | $49,989 | $4,165 |
| 25th Percentile | $31,500 | $2,625 |
They're not only neat devices for crafting and other hobbies, but they can also be launchpads for a small business or side hustle selling 3D-printed items on platforms like Etsy and eBay, or at local craft shows and fairs. Here are eight smart ways to make money with a 3D printer.
What is the hardest filament to print with? ›Polycarbonate (PC) delivers high tensile strength along with high impact and heat resistance. It's widely seen as one of the strongest 3D printing filaments.
What are the pros and cons of a resin 3D printer? ›While resin 3D printers can produce better quality parts than filament printers, they fall short when it comes to part strength and durability. Resin parts are often weak and brittle, so they have relatively few end-use applications.
What is the strongest easiest to print filament? ›
Polylactic acid, or PLA, is the most common 3D printing filament and the easiest to use. Unlike most plastics, it's made from corn starches so it is non-toxic and, in theory, compostable, though it takes an industrial composter to do it.
What is the biggest disadvantage of 3D printing? ›- Limited Materials. While 3D Printing can create items in a selection of plastics and metals the available selection of raw materials is not exhaustive. ...
- Restricted Build Size. ...
- Post Processing. ...
- Large Volumes. ...
- Part Structure. ...
- Reduction in Manufacturing Jobs. ...
- Design Inaccuracies. ...
- Copyright Issues.
Some common hazards include: Breathing in harmful materials: 3D printing can release particulates and other harmful chemicals into the air. Skin contact with harmful materials: Users can get hazardous materials, such as metal powders, solvents and other chemicals, on their skin.
What is the smoothest 3D print process? ›Stereolithography 3D printing produces parts with the highest accuracy and smoothest surface finish among all 3D printing technologies. Although it is a layer-by-layer process, the raw material is usually in resin form and solidifies to give a smooth surface.
What is a decent size for a 3D printer? ›The sweet spot for most large 3D printers today is around 30 cm (11.8 in) in one of the dimensions and around 15-30 cm (5.9-11.8 in) in the remaining two.
Can I put my 3D printer in my garage? ›If you want to use your 3D printer in your garage, you need to make sure that the space is adequately insulated. Many 3D printers have difficulty operating in extreme conditions, so it's important to maintain a consistent temperature in your garage to prevent any issues.
Does AC affect 3D printing? ›It will have an affect/effect on higher temp material prints like abs or nylon. PLA should be fine and doesn't mind environment as much. Just make sure to vent the cold air away from the print beds. Generally blow the cold air upward to cycle warmer air down toward the printers.
Should I use a heated bed on my 3D printer? ›Why use a heat bed? Heat beds are used because they dramatically improve print quality by keeping the extruded plastic warm and thus preventing warping. Warping is a common condition caused by plastic on the edges of the part cooling down at an uneven rate when compared to the plastic inside of the part.
Why does my PLA not stick to the bed? ›The ideal range for PLA filaments is between 185-210 degrees Fahrenheit. If the bed is too cold, the PLA will not stick. You can also use a heated build platform to promote better adhesion. In addition to checking the temperature of your 3D printer and the bed, it's important to adjust the printing speed.
How do I stop PLA from warping? ›Applying adhesive glues to the build plate before printing is probably the easiest (and one of the best) methods of warping prevention. The type of adhesive largely depends on the material, but common adhesives include hairspray, a PVA glue stick, blue painter's tape, polymer adhesives, or proprietary build plate tape.
How do I stop my 3D printer from curling? ›
The best way to avoid warping is by using a heated build plate. This keeps the material at a temperature just below the point where it solidifies (the glass transition temperature), ensuring it stays flat and connected to the build plate. When you use a heated build plate it is important to use the right temperature.
Should I let the bed cool before removing 3D print? ›NOTE: Always let the print bed cool down to room temperature before removing the print. Otherwise you can damage the bed! NOTE: When you print a product with a brim, be aware of the danger of cutting yourself when removing the print from the build plate. A brim can be very sharp!
How do you get rid of elephant foot 3D printing? ›Lower the bed temperature: Incrementally lower the temperature of your bed by 5 °C until it successfully prints without any bulging. If you lower it by more than 20 °C outside the recommended temperature and the problem isn't getting better, the elephant's foot is likely to be caused by something else.
What happens if you 3D print too cold? ›When the bed is too cold, the foundation of your part will become too hard before laying flat. This creates warping, a lack of bed adhesion, and a failed print.
Is the Anycubic Kobra good for beginners? ›The AnyCubic Kobra Go is billed as an entry-level machine, and it meets that promise with gusto - this is an excellent choice for beginners (so long as you're not put off by building it yourself).
What are the pros and cons of a resin 3d printer? ›While resin 3D printers can produce better quality parts than filament printers, they fall short when it comes to part strength and durability. Resin parts are often weak and brittle, so they have relatively few end-use applications.
Does Anycubic work with Cura? ›Add a placeholder printer
Open Cura and navigate to Preferences > Printers > Add and select Add a non-networked printer. Then, select Anycubic > Anycubic i3 Mega. We'll use this as the base for the Anycubic Mega X since it's similar and then modify the profile from there.
- When you've just got your first 3D printer at home, you'll be excited to get started – the possibilities really are endless and you can print absolutely anything! ...
- Nerf gun parts.
- Lightsaber projects.
- The Infinity Gauntlet.
- Remote controlled cars.
- Toothpaste tube roller.
You can use PowerResins resins with all Anycubic 3D Printers such as the Photon, Photon S, or Photon Mono series. Please find below the recommended castable resins for jewelry lost wax casting. Beside jewelry castable resins, you may also use dental resins with Anycubic Photon 3d printers.
What is the best 3D printer material for beginners due to ease of printing and minimal warp? ›PLA (Polylactic Acid) is a stiff but brittle material. It is best used for low-stress applications, cosmetic prints, desk toys, and prototypes. It is the best material for beginners due to ease of printing and minimal warp.
What is the difference between a 3D printer and a resin printer? ›
Filament printers are superior for producing strong, larger parts, while resin printers excel at producing fine details and can print much more precisely on small parts.
How long does Anycubic take to print? ›| Shipped From | Item | Processing Time |
|---|---|---|
| US, EU, UK, CA, AU warehouses | FDM 3D Printers | 1 Business day |
| Resin 3D Printers | ||
| Wash & Cure Machine | ||
| Filament & UV Resin |
Designers use 3D printers to quickly create product models and prototypes, but they're increasingly being used to make final products, as well. Among the items made with 3D printers are shoe designs, furniture, wax castings for making jewelry, tools, tripods, gift and novelty items, and toys.
What are the downsides of resin printing? ›One of the major downsides of resin 3D printing is the cost. Resin printers tend to be more pricey than filament printers, and the resin material itself is generally more expensive than filament as well. This can make resin printing less accessible for those on a tight budget.
What are the dangers of resin printing? ›Liquid 3D printing resins give off fumes or vapors containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can be harmful to humans if inhaled into the throat or lungs. Short-term exposure to resin fumes can result in dizziness, headaches, and throat irritation.
Does Anycubic have a slicer? ›The Anycubic Photon Slicer is the slicer program that comes with the Anycubic Photon printer. We're here to show you how it works so you can maximize your output while minimizing your learning curve.
Is Cura just a slicer? ›Slicing features
At the heart of UltiMaker Cura is its powerful, open-source slicing engine, built through years of expert in-house development and user contributions.
Cura is a powerful and easy-to-use 3D printing slicing software that allows users to prepare and slice 3D models for printing as well as customise and optimise print settings for a variety of 3D printer and material combinations. It is a freely downloadable software developed and maintained by UltiMaker.