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  • Author Author: ralphjy
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AnyCubic Mega-S - Prime Day

ralphjy

After a fair amount of frustration trying to fix the hotend/extruder on my Velleman K8200 3D printer I finally decided that I should just go ahead and buy a new printer.  I really like the K8200, it has a large build area (20 x 20 x 20 cm) and has worked reliably for 6 years.  But recently I've been having lots of problems with it.  I think it started with some bad filament.  I kept getting jams in the Delrin isolator in the extruder due to expanded filament.  I replaced the isolator but that only helped a little and then I ended up with a clogged nozzle that I couldn't manage to clear.  So, I bought a new nozzle assembly and when I tried to replace the old one I realized that filament had oozed out onto the heater and created quite a mess.  I debated whether or not to buy an upgraded extruder assembly and to fix my z-axis mechanism which was wearing out.  Decided that I should look for a new printer instead.

 

I was debating whether or not it was worth it to buy a fully enclosed unit with auto-leveling.  I found that units with an equivalent build area to the K8200 were quite expensive and some used proprietary filament and/or software.  Then along came Amazon Prime Day and I saw the AnyCubic Mega-S printer for under $300 with Prime delivery.   I was a little concerned about such a low cost Chinese printer but the reviews were generally good, so I went ahead and bought it.

 

Here's the new printer next to the K8200.  It actually has a slightly bigger build area (21 x 21 x 20.5 cm) but has a smaller footprint and is about 15 cm shorter.

image

 

 

The major complaint that I've seen about this printer is that it is very noisy.  It also has loud fans in the base for the electronics.  Here's a short clip showing how noisy it is.

 

 

Here's the test print of the owl pair.  I'm satisfied with the print quality.  One concern that I have is that I now have a new tool flow.  I used to use Repetier software with a Slic3r slicer.  The recommended tool for this printer is Cura which should be fine although I haven't used it so may have a learning curve.

image

 

One feature that I really like is the Ultrabase bed.  It has stippled glass with a special coating that improves print adhesion when it's hot and print release when it is cools down.  Seems to work really well.  The bed has a little warp (higher in the center), so I'm not sure how well it will do with maximum size prints.

image

 

I'm currently using the SD card interface to print.  I'll be testing the USB interface with my Mac Mini shortly.  I'd like to use a Raspberry Pi with Octoprint but I've seen some reports of problems on the forums.  I'll try it after verifying the USB interface is working reliably.

 

The good news and hopefully not the bad news is that this printer came with a lot of extra stuff.

  1. 1kg spool of white filament
  2. 5 x 10m of different color filament samples (red, blue, green, yellow, beige)
  3. Spare print head assembly with filament tube
  4. 5 spare nozzles (0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8 mm)
  5. Spare limit switch
  6. Filament cutter
  7. Tweezers
  8. Toolkit (hex wrenches, open end wrenches, screwdriver)
  9. Nozzle cleaning rods
  10. SD card (with test print and software)
  11. USB SD card reader
  12. USB cable
  13. Print removal spatula
  14. Pair of latex gloves

 

Just hope it doesn't imply a lot of repair image

Parents

  • Hi Ralph

     

    Just catching up in my progress towards committing to a 3D printer!!!

     

    How has this performed since July 2019 ?

     

    Neil

  • in reply to neilk

    Hi Neil,

     

    The Mega-S has been (still is) a great utility printer.  I use it on a weekly basis and it has held up well.  I mainly use it to print holders, cases or adapters for my projects, so nothing fancy like I've seen others do.  My prints are generally short (20 minutes - 2 hours), I rarely do overnight runs anymore.  I also haven't mastered the more capable design software like Fusion 360.  I mostly use OpenScad because for what I do I can generate STL files in 10-15 minutes.  Most of my print issues are due to measurement errors (i.e. adapting the measurements to what the Slicer and material will produce), so it helps to be able to iterate quickly.

     

    It is an inexpensive printer so you can't expect to achieve really high quality, but I've been very happy with it.  I really like the easy release bed, but you do have to wait for it to cool down and it does stipple the print surface.  The kit came with extra nozzles and a spare hot end, so I had visions of having to do replacements but haven't used them yet image.

     

    I think that and also use this printer or a variant of it, so they might want to comment.  I think it's a great value for the price.

     

    Ralph

  • in reply to ralphjy

    I have had my i3Mega for years and printed many hundreds of objects (all with PLA).

    I have never even had to level the bed.

    The bed surface is awesome at sticking when hot and releasing when it cools off - no tape, no glue, zero fuss.

    I think in my latest print there is some foreign particle in the nozzle which caused the print to be a bit uneven.

    Instead of trying to clear the nozzle, I will just replace the nozzle. This will be the first maintenance I have ever done on the machine.

Comment
  • in reply to ralphjy

    I have had my i3Mega for years and printed many hundreds of objects (all with PLA).

    I have never even had to level the bed.

    The bed surface is awesome at sticking when hot and releasing when it cools off - no tape, no glue, zero fuss.

    I think in my latest print there is some foreign particle in the nozzle which caused the print to be a bit uneven.

    Instead of trying to clear the nozzle, I will just replace the nozzle. This will be the first maintenance I have ever done on the machine.

Children