The award-winning, revolutionary design of the Polar 3D desktop printer typically produces 4 times the build volume at 25 percent cost of competitors. Sleek, quiet, Wi-Fi enabled, and with an open-view that allows you to Watch your 3D print objects being created. It's not only a radical improvement in 3D desktop printing, but also fun! in addition, the time-lapse camera will leave you mesmerized as you Watch your 3D creation come to life via the polar cloud. The free polar cloud allows any Polar 3D owner to load files, print, and view the process from anywhere in the world with a web browser. And, If you really want to take it on the go, it's so lightweight and durable you could take it to a friends house or to work. Its reliability and ease-of-use are perfect for the classroom or makerspace lab.
What's in the box
Includes Printer, Power Supply, USB Cable and one 250g spool of blue filament
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I purchased this printer literally based on the tutorial video that showed an easy set-up and even easier tutorial on clearing a clog. Once I saw how easy it was to get to the nozzle and clear a jam (which will happen no matter what) I was convinced this would be a good purchase. The packaging for the box is outstanding, and the printer itself is amazing to look at and has a great design- Set up to print is very straight-forward. I could not connect via wifi but this could be issues with my computer so I can't say that this is a feature issue of the printer itself... anyway, I have a cable and was able to connect easily in this way. The first confusion is in the cloud page you go to- the video discusses set up that doesn't identify the fact that your printer page you see and the overall cloud page are different- this is confusing because in the video you see models loaded into Polar's cloud software for slicing g-code etc. however when you first are on your printer page, this is not what you will see you are on your personal printer page which is different- So if you send a file to print, you have no idea that your on a completely different page as it were- This is not discussed or identified in the one-page documentation or in the video. This isn't a major deal, but it is a confusion that could be easily addressed by Polar3d. Initial test print was ok, the Printer is very quiet when printing however a couple of times there was loud grinding noises during initialization that I could not identify, but didn't hinder printing. Also, the build glass wobbles and does so even during printing- I don't think it contributed to the bad prints but this could be a problem that they could fix if they had magnets to hold the plate down. I used simpliy3d for the files, but the next print did not do well. The printer prints slowly which isn't a major concern, however the print quality wasn't that high either- I do feel i could still make adjustments in simplify and get better results so that didn't cause me concerns- but my issue is that not long after these 2-3 print attempts, I had several fails- 2 using Polar3d software and one with simplify3d. the nozzle then clogged, and this is where the fun began... First of all, the video shows the top plate covering the print-head off already in the video... but on my unit, this plate does not come off- if it does, there is no video to illustrate how to do this- so, I unscrewed the screws to get inside to clear the jam and found that without the motor/nozzle part being attached to the black chassis, the whole thing dangles by the wires- this is a major problem because there is no way to deal with a clog if you need to heat the nozzle to do so- the example video is completely different than the actual steps that you experience. There is no simple way to deal with holding a dangling jumble of parts, holding an allen wrench and screws and try to deal with where the jam is. also- this means it would be insane to heat up the nozzle (which is sometimes required in a jam) because the nozzle is loose and the risk of a burn from a dangling piece like this is not advisable. I looked to see if there was some other way to remove the chassis while having the nozzle stay attached but did not see it. In the video, it is attached and the black chassis is off at the half way point of the chassis, but my chassis has no seam and is one long metal piece. again, if there was a video explaining this step I would be able to deal with this issue, but there isn't one. also, the front fan is held in place by a metal front plate- well, that means that the fan dangles because it cant attach to the motor when re-screwing the motor on- it has to attach to this front plate- the fan wire isn't long enough to do this while the front plate is off, and as you go to put the front plate closer, you can't get your fingers in there to do so to thread a screw... so the front plate going on means the fan is loose inside- you literally have to hope you can push it into line with the front face plate and there is barely any room to do this as it is going back on. This printer has potential but in it's current configuration, more design work is needed.
Although the documentation is sparse, they have excellent YouTube videos. I highly suggest you watch the setup one BEFORE you set your own up. It gives you a great idea of what to expect. The prints are great and the cloud approach is wonderful. I use a Chromebook exclusively and the combination of tinkercad and the polar3d other works great.
This is the first 3D printer I have ever owned. I am very happy with the purchase.
Pros: Literally pull it out of the box, plug it in, and start printing! When compared to the size of other printers and how large their build platform is, the Polar3D is very small. It can reasonably be placed on a desk. They claim it is quieter than other printers. I tend to agree with this statement.
Cons: --- update 10/20/15 ------ They addressed this issue a while back now. You can now print with any software you'd like via USB.
I'd also like to add that printing objects directly in the center causes issues. Because the print head slows down while crossing the center it is not as accurate. Most of the time this is note a problem, just place your object to the side of the center or if your object has a hole, put that directly in the center. -------------------------------- Currently you either have to use a web browser to print. Either locally or using their cloud service. I'd rather just use some type of open-source program to print. This will eventually be fixed, but the cloud software is experiencing the growing pains of a new product. They are working on a cartesian to polar coordinate converter. Once that is done, we should be able to use any software we choose.
Concerns: I'm not sure if the polar coordinate system is as accurate as the cartesian system. For curved objects it is probably better. But I tend to print project enclosures (things with straight edges), not models. Sometimes there is a slight, very slight, wave in a straight edge that seems to be an artifact caused by the build plate rotating. Maybe my printer isn't calibrated quite right?
Final Thoughts: Definitely a good buy if you just want a printer that will work straight out of the box. I highly recommend it, especially if this is your first printer. It's a relatively new company and the software is experiencing growing pains, but that seems to come with the hobby. Don't forget to use your student discount if you can ;)
I purchased a Polar 3D printer for my school, almost a year ago. Both the teachers and students love seeing creations come to life. Being the principal of an elementary school, I was hesitant about the setup and maintenance of a 3D printer, however the Polar 3D printer was very simple to set up due to its cloud based interface.
In regards to the Polar Cloud, I think that this is what separates Polar from the other comparable 3D printers. My students are able to check up on, watch and create prints, all after school from their own home. It is very easy for teachers to manage print jobs and fit multiple objects on the build plate at once.
Last but not least is the customer service, Any time we have a question or concern with our printer. We are able to call in and receive help right away. They made the process very easy and answered all of our questions no matter how simple or complex they were.
