When 3D printing corporations announce their newest machines, they don’t routinely drop final yr’s fashions – in actual fact, these older printers may grasp round for years, often at discounted costs. That’s the case with the Elegoo Neptune 2S, little printer launched through the summer time of 2021. The machine is – hopefully – the final of the DIY package printers that we’ll see right here at Tom’s {Hardware}.
Retailing at $228, the Neptune 2S is corresponding to equally geared up 3D printers. Its high quality and ease of use places it toe to toe with dearer machines – for those who can be taught to manually stage a printer, it’s an actual cut price.
Meeting can take nicely over an hour for those who’re not accustomed to the elements, however as soon as it’s put collectively, the Neptune 2S delivers a pleasant printing expertise. It produced some glorious prints with PLA, PETG and TPU. It has assisted handbook leveling, a Bowden fashion hotend and premium PEI textured metal flex plate that grabs fashions tight whereas printing and releases them with a easy flex.
Elegoo has a whole lot of assist on their web site for customers. You’ll find downloads of Elegoo Cura, useful printing tutorials, manuals and movies. There’s additionally a gallery of fashions (opens in new tab) particularly designed to mod your Neptune.
Specs: Elegoo Neptune 2S
Machine Footprint | 430 x 426 x 613 mm (16.9 x 16.7 x 24 inches) |
Construct Quantity | 220 x 220 x 250 mm (8.5 x 8.5 x 9.8 inches) |
Materials | PLA/PETG/TPU/ABS |
Extruder Kind | Bowden |
Nozzle | 4mm (Interchangeable) |
Construct Platform | PEI textured spring metal sheet, heated |
Filament Runout Sensor | Sure |
Mattress Leveling | Handbook |
Connectivity | microSD card, USB Wire |
Interface | Colour contact display screen |
Elegoo Neptune 2S: Included within the Field
The Neptune 2S comes with every part you have to get your printer arrange. You get instruments to construct and preserve the printer, aspect cutters, a steel scraper, a spare nozzle, and a microSD card with a USB adapter. There’s additionally a small pattern of white PLA to print your first mannequin.
The microSD card has a really useful brief video on assembling the printer. You additionally get a PDF copy of the handbook, a duplicate of Elegoo Cura and a pattern mannequin in each pre-sliced .gcode and .stl format.
Design of the Elegoo Neptune 2S
The Neptune 2S is what’s generally often called an “Ender Clone”, sharing the identical aesthetics and practically the identical construct quantity as the favored Creality line of printers just like the Ender 3 S1.
The printer has a clean black body and a slim footprint, with the facility provide mounted to the Z axis and the contact display screen immediately under the construct plate. Prints are simple to take away from its flex metal PEI textured construct floor – simply take away the plate from the magnet and bend the plate to pop them off.
It additionally has a excessive temperature Capricorn fashion tubing that may stand up to warmth up 260° levels. Inventory PTFE tubing begins to interrupt down at 240° levels which may result in clogging even at decrease temperatures over time.
The twin gear extruder works nice and is ready to deal with TPU, a notoriously tough filament resulting from its flexibility. The filament run out sensor is mounted a little bit too near the extruder, which may make loading filament a problem.
This machine solely has one Z rod, however because it additionally has a smaller construct plate, that shouldn’t be a noticeable drawback until you print one thing very skinny and really tall.
Assembling the Elegoo Neptune 2S
The Neptune 2S comes as a DIY package and takes a little bit of doing to assemble. Whereas the bottom of the printer is put collectively for you, the complete higher portion comes as a field of elements. You’ll need to connect the Z axis, construct the X gantry, mount the hotend and thread the belt.
Constructing this printer is extra of a Saturday afternoon venture, and it’s finest to put aside a few hours for those who’ve by no means constructed a 3D printer earlier than. The handbook offers first rate instructions, however there’s a whole lot of matching your elements to the drawings to seek out out what goes the place. The screws are additionally packages multi function bag – I had a pair occasions once I needed to backtrack as a result of I mistook a HM4 20 for an HM4 18.
The video included on the microSD card could be very useful and I discovered it simpler to observe than the pictograms. As soon as the items are all put collectively, there are 9 electrical connections to make. The wires are nicely labeled, however the plugs usually are not, making it too simple to plug a wire into the mistaken stepper motor.
Examine the voltage swap on the facility provide and ensure it matches your native energy provide. US customers common use 115V.
After meeting, test all of the V-slot wheels to verify they don’t seem to be free. These might be tightened by adjusting the eccentric nuts situated on every cluster of wheels.
Leveling the Elegoo Neptune 2S
The Neptune 2S requires handbook leveling, however it’s going to help you by shifting the print head from level to level. To stage (or tram) the print floor, first click on Instrument in the principle menu, then click on Leveling.
Place a bit of atypical paper below the nozzle and choose a nook to stage. The nozzle will transfer there. Now you possibly can elevate or decrease the nozzle utilizing the leveling nuts below the platform – clockwise elevating the nozzle up, counterclockwise will decrease. Regulate the knobs till the paper simply catches on the nozzle.
Regulate every nook not less than 3 occasions. Keep in mind that the platform is quite like a 4-person teeter totter, and every nook’s actions can have an effect on the opposite corners.
You’ll be able to advantageous tune the Z top from the print menu whereas working a pattern print.
For extra on handbook leveling, please learn our helpful information.
Loading Filament on the Elegoo Neptune 2S
The Neptune 2S is a Bowden fashion printer with its extruder mounted on the left aspect Z gantry. Insert the filament into the run out sensor, then the extruder. Squeeze the extruder lever to open it, and push the filament during. Subsequent, choose Instruments → Filchange on the contact display screen. Click on Load and the printer will warmth as much as 200° levels, then advance the filament.
Getting ready Recordsdata / Software program for Elegoo Neptune 2S
The Neptune 2S comes with a duplicate of Elegoo Cura, however there’s nothing particular about this model for those who already downloaded Cura or wish to use Prusa slicer. Each Cura and Prusa are free to obtain.
An ordinary model of Cura or PrusaSlicer don’t have a profile for the Neptune 2S, however you should utilize the profile for the Ender 3 Professional and regulate the construct top to 250.
To show thumbnails on the Neptune 2S contact display screen, you will want to make use of Elegoo Cura and save as a TFT file, or common Cura with an extension from the Cura Market. PrusaSlicer doesn’t have the flexibility so as to add extensions.
Go to Market within the higher proper nook of Cura. Click on Group Plugins. Choose MKS Wifi Plugin. Sadly, this doesn’t give your printer WiFi with out shopping for one other piece of {hardware}. Reboot Cura, then choose Handle Printers and allow the MKS plugin. Beneath preview, choose Allow Previews. Use “default” for the printer, set Simage to 100 and Gimage to 200.
Printing on the Elegoo Neptune 2S
The Neptune 2S I examined offered nice print high quality with out tuning. My first print was the pre-sliced Buddha Elegoo offered on the microSD card. I used the equipped pattern PLA and it turned out nice.
Subsequent up was Octo-Loki by McGybeer, which printed easily with out strings at a .2 layer top in Matterhackers Forest Inexperienced PLA.
I wished to present the printer an actual check, so I loaded up the Clockspring Torture Toaster. There was barely any stringing all through the print and the print in place toaster mechanism labored. Printed at .2mm layer top in Mika3d silk rainbow (opens in new tab).
This Good Kuchi Kopi was printed in Matterhacker’s translucent inexperienced PLA. The Bowden drive had no hassle printing this at a .2mm layer top, although I did sluggish it all the way down to 40mms. A really clear print.
That is firefly lantern is a 3 half print in Inland Copper Silk PLA. There’s just a few tiny blemishes within the flat panel, however, over all, it’s a beautiful print. Design by Dangerous Beetlez.
Lastly, I wished to check PETG. That is Abby Math’s Cup of Cubes, printed in Matterhackers Construct Collection Translucent Blue PETG. The design was stretched a little bit taller right into a vase and run in spiralize mode with a .64 line width and .28 layer top. The thicker strains permit for a stronger print and ensure there’s no gaps.
Backside Line
I can’t actually suggest the Neptune 2S for freshmen as a result of meeting course of when there are such a lot of reasonably priced machines transport 90% constructed. However for those who’re as much as the problem, it’s well worth the time. Retailing at $228, the Elegoo Neptune 2S provides an honest cut price – so long as you don’t thoughts the handbook leveling. It’s possibility for a 2nd printer or an entire print farm.
It produces nice prints with a straightforward to make use of textured PEI flex plate that makes print removing a breeze. The twin gears on the extruder actually controls the filament – even TPU prints nicely at a average velocity.
For those who’re thinking about newbie printer with auto mattress leveling that’s principally assembled, go for the direct drive Anycubic Kobra, retailing at $319 on Amazon. On the lookout for a fair greater cut price? Try the $169 Creality Ender 2 Professional, a high quality starter printer that comes principally assembled with an analogous hotend and handbook leveling. The DIY package Neptune 2 is one other price range alternative, if you will discover it. It’s offered out on the Elegoo web site, however you possibly can nonetheless seize one on Amazon for about $199.