The Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus is the center little one of the brand new Neptune 3 line of printers, falling between the Neptune 3 Professional and the Neptune 3 Max. The Neptune 3 Plus affords a formidable 320mm x 320mm x 400mm construct quantity and options the identical direct drive extruder and automated leveling probe because the smaller Neptune 3 Professional, a printer that impressed us throughout testing. The Neptune 3 Plus lives as much as this repute, and we had been impressed with the standard and options of the printer in addition to how simple it was to arrange.
The options of the Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus are spectacular on their very own, however when weighed in opposition to its $350 retail worth, it deserves a spot among the many finest 3D printers. The Neptune 3 Plus handles notoriously difficult-to-print versatile TPU filament simply as simply because it handles PLA, and the included Elegoo Cura slicer app makes it simple for learners to arrange their first prints.
Specs of Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus
| Machine Footprint | 20.98 x 20.35 x 25.19 inches (533mm x 517mm x 638mm) |
| Construct Quantity | 12.6 x 12.6 x 15.78 inches (320mm x 320mm x 400mm) |
| Materials | 1.75mm PLA, PLA+, TPU, PETG |
| Energy Provide | 480W |
| Mattress Leveling | 49-Level Automated Mesh Leveling |
| Nozzle | .4mm |
| Max. Nozzle Temperature | 260°C / 500°F |
| Max. Mattress Temperature | 100°C / 212°F |
| Printing Velocity | 30-180mm/s |
| Construct Platform | Magnetic Versatile Detachable PEI Platform |
| Connectivity | USB, microSD |
| Interface | 4.3-inch Colour Touchscreen LCD |
Unpacking and Assembling the Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus
The Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus ships virtually fully assembled, with the one actual meeting consisting of attaching the Z-axis body to the bottom of the printer. This course of requires solely 4 bolts, however the massive measurement of the Neptune 3 Plus means a second set of fingers shall be useful when aligning and attaching the body. The included printed handbook consists of well-written directions and must be simple for even novice customers to observe.
The Neptune 3 Plus is designed in a approach that enables most customers to go from unboxing to first print in nicely below half-hour. Allen keys, flush cutters, screwdrivers, and quite a lot of different instruments are included however will doubtless solely be used as soon as throughout the preliminary meeting of the printer. The Neptune 3 Plus even features a scraper for eradicating components from the platform, which you in all probability gained’t want because of the glorious adhesion and straightforward half elimination supplied by the textured PEI construct platform.
Design of Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus
The Neptune 3 Plus seems to be like an outsized Creality Ender 3 Professional or every other variety of bed-slinger model i3 3D printers. Twin rails on the Y-axis present stability for the massive shifting construct platform, and the detachable LCD touchscreen interface is situated on the suitable facet of the printer. The spool holder is mounted to the middle of the highest bar, and the peg that the spool sits on could be mounted on both facet.
Total, the Neptune 3 Plus has a cultured really feel with molded plastic elements and a usually high-quality look. Nevertheless, the “CREATE THE FUTURE” textual content that’s printed on each side of the Z axis body is not obligatory and barely cheapens the look of this premium printer.
The Neptune 3 plus consists of an built-in LED mild bar on the highest of the Z-axis body, a welcome characteristic for anybody who has hassle seeing their prints throughout printing. Some printers embody a single LED mounted to the new finish module that may illuminate components throughout printing, however this could additionally make it tough to see or {photograph} light-colored filament or skinny components. The highest-mounted LED mild bar illuminates your complete construct quantity, and makes it simple to see components throughout printing.
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The Neptune 3 Plus consists of tensioning knobs on each the X and Y axis, which make adjusting the belt pressure very simple. The twin threaded rods on the Z axis body are related by a timing belt situated on the prime of the printer, which prevents the threaded rods from falling out of sync with one another throughout printing.
The 480 Watt energy provide is mounted beneath the construct platform and lacking the 115/220V change sometimes seen on related energy provides. Elegoo designed the Neptune 3 Plus to just accept both voltage, one thing that may save customers a step throughout the preliminary setup of the printer. The 480 Watt energy provide supplies sufficient juice to rapidly deliver the mattress as much as printing temperature, regardless of the massive space that must be heated.
Person Interface on Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus
The 4.3-inch touchscreen LCD on the Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus has a vibrant, easy-to-read display screen and intuitive menus. Options resembling filament run-out and energy loss restoration are simply accessible throughout printing. The settings and instruments are specified by an intuitive style, and I used to be impressed with the UI / UX on the Neptune 3 Plus.
The touchscreen module is related to the printer with a curly wire that enables the person to take away it and make changes throughout a print with out disconnecting it. The touchscreen module has a magnet embedded behind the case, which aligns it with the printer base and holds it in place. Having the ability to take away the display screen and use it with out disconnecting it from the printer is a helpful addition to the Neptune 3 Plus, and this characteristic can also be current on the Neptune 3 Professional and the Neptune 3 Max.
Calibrating and Leveling Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus
The Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus is marketed as that includes 49-point Auto Mesh Leveling, which allows exact calibration throughout your complete construct platform. The Neptune 3 Professional has a probe mounted on the new finish module which is used to detect the gap between the platform and the probe at 49 discrete factors.
The automated construct platform leveling is accessed by means of the printer UI, and the method is extremely automated with minimal person enter required. After initiating the leveling course of, the new finish and mattress will warmth as much as a set temperature earlier than detecting the peak at 49 totally different factors throughout the platform. As soon as the offset detection is full, the printer UI will present a map of all of the totally different factors and the offset quantity at every level. This intuitive structure makes it simple to visualise the place the platform is excessive or low relative to the remainder of the platform.
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Not like the smaller Elegoo Neptune 3 Professional, the Neptune 3 Plus has adjustable wheels on the corners of the platform for making small changes. The Neptune 3 Plus is exclusive in that it has six adjustable offsets versus 4, one thing I’ve by no means seen on a 3D printer earlier than. Most printers use 4 adjustable factors (one at every nook) mixed with a worldwide Z peak to create a flat floor for printing. Some printers (just like the Makerbot Replicator+) use a 3 level leveling setup for making a flat place, however these are a lot much less widespread.
In concept, you solely want three factors to outline a airplane. Nevertheless, most printers use a 4 level leveling system, which could be trickier to visualise when adjusting the corners. The six factors on the Neptune 3 Plus are more likely to be a highly-debated characteristic, as six factors is technically double the required quantity. It’s value remembering that the three level airplane exists solely in concept: in apply, the massive platforms used on 3D printers can have excessive or low spots attributable to manufacturing points, warping throughout heating, or harm to the construct platform from earlier prints.
The six level leveling on the Neptune 3 Plus permits customers to make minor changes to compensate for these defects whereas nonetheless mechanically detecting the offsets utilizing the built-in sensor. I wasn’t certain how helpful the six level leveling setup can be after I first began utilizing the Neptune 3 Plus, however after some use, I discovered it useful.
Construct Platform on Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus
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The Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus makes use of a textured PEI sheet that may be simply faraway from the magnetic floor that holds it down. This sheet is skinny and versatile, and could be bent to simply pop components off after printing.
Whereas the platform is heated throughout printing, components have glorious adhesion and aren’t simply eliminated. As soon as the print is completed and the platform has cooled, the half will simply detach with minimal effort. Extra advanced or delicate components could be eliminated by flexing the platform and permitting the half to organically delaminate.
The gritty texture on the platform additionally interprets over to the printed components, and leaves a texture on any platform-facing floor. This texture isn’t essentially a foul factor, and it seems to be extra constant than the mirror-like end on printers that use glass construct platforms. For natural components with excessive ranges of element and texture, this gritty texture offers the half a extra intentional look.
Printing on the Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus
The Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus features a pair of demo fashions: a small Buddah statue and a instrument holder that attaches to the body of the printer. The Buddah statue has been ready and is included in a print-ready .gcode format, whereas the instrument holder is included solely as an .STL file. The Buddah file is an effective demonstration of textured surfaces and natural shapes, and the ensuing print seemed very sharp printed in Prusament Azure Blue PLA, which is one our listing of the finest filaments for 3D printing.
The instrument holder is a superb instance of what printer producers ought to aspire to incorporate with their machines. The print within reason lengthy (about 2 and a half hours at commonplace settings), and consists of precisely-sized cutouts for the included Allen keys, screwdrivers, and different instruments. This reveals each the accuracy of the printer in addition to the repeatability throughout every particular person slot. This is a superb take a look at print, in contrast to the difficult-to-remove rook take a look at print that Elegoo consists of on the Saturn and Mars resin 3D printers.
Elegoo features a copy of Elegoo Cura 4.8.0 on the microSD card, a skinned model of the favored Ultimaker Cura slicer app. Elegoo Cura consists of profiles for the Elegoo Neptune 3, Neptune 3 Professional, Neptune 3 Plus, and several other older Elegoo 3D printers. Whereas this model of Cura doesn’t embody a number of the newer options or structure of the newest model of Ultimaker Cura (5.2.1 as of the writing of this text), it’s nonetheless an inexpensive alternative for a primary slicer app.
The default profile for the Neptune 3 Plus is a conservative start line for a printer of this measurement, with a 60mm/s print velocity, a 200°C nozzle temperature, and 15% grid infill. Elegoo Cura permits for a line-by-line preview of the toolpath, which could be helpful when planning a posh print that requires particular toolpathing or pauses.
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The Shrodinky cat mannequin by Loubie3D printed completely on the primary try, and the clear and constant toolpathing from the Neptune 3 Plus resulted in a easy and even mannequin. Printed with Amolen Tri-Colour Silk PLA (opens in new tab) utilizing the default .2mm profile, the natural curves of the mannequin look clear and the decision is excessive sufficient to see the tessellation of the mesh .STL file.
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Simply in time for the vacations, the Vase Mode Christmas Tree by Kazi Toad printed in simply over an hour utilizing a single spiralized toolpath. Vase mode prints could be difficult to take away from a glass platform as they are typically skinny and delicate. Having the ability to bend the platform and pop the mannequin off reduces the probabilities of damaging the vase mode print whereas additionally permitting the operator to rapidly put together the printer for one more print.
The beneficiant construct quantity of the Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus makes it preferrred for printing massive fashions in a single piece, just like the sculpt of a frog on a lilypad by Loubie 3D. This mannequin was printed with Sliceworx Robitobi Inexperienced PLA and took about 19 hours to print in a single piece and highlights a number of the strengths of the Neptune 3 Plus. The huge space of the bottom could be a problem to print with out warping because of the massive cross-sectional space, however the textured PEI sheet on the Neptune 3 Plus stored it locked down throughout printing.
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The mannequin has superb particulars current all through, together with particular person buttons on the vest and a small bow tie that printed with none points. The mannequin has an natural texture utilized to it, which each hides the layer traces and highlights the superb element that the Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus is able to printing with a .4mm nozzle.
Printing TPU on Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus
The twin-gear direct drive extruder on the Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus affords a brief and constrained filament path, each of which are perfect for printing TPU filament. Versatile and stretchy, TPU is notoriously tough to print on low-cost printers with Bowden extruders that should push the rope-like filament by means of an extended tube earlier than heating and extruding. The extruder on the Neptune 3 Plus excels as printing TPU, and is able to printing the fabric with out a lot problem.
TPU is a naturally resilient materials and could be stretched, bent, and deformed repeatedly with out everlasting harm. TPU filament on a spool feels a bit like a moist noodle, and could be simply stretched or compressed. The filament path from the spool to the dual-gear extruder is virtually a straight line, so the filament doesn’t have a convoluted path to journey earlier than reaching the nozzle.
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Utilizing the default TPU profile and a .2mm layer peak, the Low Poly Snorlax by Flowalistik highlighted the power of the Neptune 3 Plus to print this difficult materials with out concern. Decreasing the infill to eight% and scaling the mannequin to 150% resulted in a largely hole mannequin that’s simply deformed and could be squeezed like a stress ball.
Printed with Overture TPU in House Gray (opens in new tab), the layers all adhere nicely to one another and the mannequin is versatile and malleable with out breaking. A number of the overhangs confirmed drooping, which might sometimes be addressed by tuning the print velocity, toolpath width, and different parameters.
Backside Line
The Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus represents a significant milestone within the client 3D printing market: a big format direct drive extruder 3D printer that may be bought new for below $400. Sometimes printers below this worth level lack directions, slicer setups, or produce other compromises that preserve them from reaching widespread adoption. The bundled slicer app, intuitive touchscreen LCD, and quick meeting all give the Neptune 3 Plus a severe edge in an in any other case saturated market.
Whereas different printers just like the AnkerMake M5 provide sooner print speeds and different options, they sometimes come at a better worth level and are much less accessible to shoppers on a finances. Elegoo posted an announcement on Twitter that indicated they’d listened to buyer suggestions and built-in it into the brand new Neptune 3 line, and the ensuing printers (Neptune 3 Professional, Neptune 3 Plus, and Neptune 3 Max) will all doubtless be main hits for Elegoo.
With a retail worth of $350, the Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus is a direct competitor to different massive format FDM 3D printers just like the Anycubic Kobra Plus. The direct drive extruder, versatile PEI sheet, and low-cost of this machine all come collectively to make it the most effective 3D printers that you may purchase in 2022. If you happen to’re fascinated with an analogous printer with an analogous spec sheet however smaller construct quantity, the Elegoo Neptune 3 Professional and Anycubic Kobra Neo are printers value investigating.
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