Ever wanted to dive into the world of 3D printing, but felt a little intimidated or unsure of where to begin? This new user-friendly 3D printer from AnkerMake (Anker Innovations) might be a solution. The company has designed the M5C 3D printer to take the stress out of creation, and will hopefully have us printing our own plant pots in no time.
The AnkerMake M5C has been described as a younger sibling to the more advanced AnkerMake M5 model, and has a very affordable price tag too, at just $399 / £399 / €449 from Amazon, or can be purchased directly from AnkerMake's website for the same price with free shipping.
As someone who only understands the bare minimum when it comes to 3D printing, having only used a 3D pen, this new product has definitely piqued my interest. The gimmick is that the AnkerMake M5C will allow you to create fun and fast prints in one click, ideal for newcomers to 3D printing and those just starting out, as well as professionals in the craft who might need to speedily fulfil stock.
AnkerMake promises that the M5C can be easily set up and installed straight out of the box, and the printer's convenient one-piece design boasts a 49-point automatic bed levelling system, which is intended to simplify the calibration process for newbies – ensuring precise prints every time with no fuss.
There's also a power and filament outage recovery function that aims to save both time and materials if a print were to ever go wrong. During the learning process of using a 3D printer, you're bound to make plenty of mistakes. And filament is expensive, so this is a great feature to keep the cost of materials down.
General Manager at AnkerMake, Frank Zhu, has commented that "AnkerMake is dedicated to empowering artists, inventors, hobbyists, and DIY enthusiasts with a practical and seamless tool to breathe life into their brilliant ideas and make it real."
With a focus on user-friendliness, the AnkerMake M5C combines exceptional printing speed with outstanding print quality for simple accessibility at all levels of skill and experience."
Frank Zhu, General Manager of AnkerMake
But what if I don't have the right software or any print files? Don't worry, they say. AnkerMake ensures that it has made this process easy by allowing users to print from a smartphone using the AnkerMake app. Printing can be initiated by selecting files from your phone's cloud storage and sending them to the printer. Easy enough.
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Additionally, you can use the app to control and choose which files to print from a USB drive connected to the M5C, and there's also a free AnkerMake Slicer software which can be used to directly send files to the printer from the slicer, and allows for monitoring progress and checking for any abnormalities during a print by keeping an eye on it through the app and slicer software.
It's worth noting that this 3D printer does not have a display screen, which most of us won't need, but if you rely on one for temperature display and printing precision then you can always purchase one separately for this model through AnkerMake's official website.
There's also the option for real-time video monitoring if you purchase a separate network camera, or you could consider opting for the AnkerMake M5 model instead, which has one integrated as well as various AI error detection capabilities.
Other key features of this new M5C 3D printer that will hopefully make it great for complete beginners include Fast Mode for slicing and printing, and a convenient one-click printing option through the "operation button", which will start printing once pressed without the need for any additional complicated steps.
Plus you can configure the button functions to reprint the last printed file for duplicate prints using single-click, double-click, and long-press actions for a truly personalized printing experience at your own pace.
The M5C is equipped with a TMC2209 silent motor driver (which would be great for keeping the noise down in shared Uni rooms) and it has a maximum print volume of 220×220×250 mm. It leverages AnkerMake's PowerBoost 2.0 technology for rapid printing speeds of up to 500 mm/s and acceleration of up to 5000 mm/s².
I'll be honest, I'm not super sure what that means, but most of the best 3D printers we've reviewed have a range between 40mm/s to 100mm/s.
There are plenty of how-to videos on AnkerMake's website if you get stuck, but it seems like the company has thought of everything here to make the M5C possibly the most user-friendly 3D printer ever.
