Aldi 3d printer
Basics
Aldi's new 'mini' 3D printer
Cocoon Create Model Maker: A rebrand of the 'Wanhao i3 Duplicator Mini'
Advantages
$299 when in stock. Less on clearance. About $350-380 from under the original brand from other online stores:
-
-
Works out of the box with no assembly Simple setup, well packaged.
Good manual for hardware setup and test. Comes with enough filament to get started.
Bed leveling wizard built in and paper to help.
Quiet printing.
Metal construction, descent seeming parts
E3D clone print head! (But with caviet below) So replacement tips and heatbreaks might make a nice upgrade.
Disadvantage
Minimial software instructions beond a very few 'getting started' pages.
NO HEATED BED. So can't print ABS. PLA or PETG will be your main materials.
No dedicated cooling fan, so fine detail can be tricky.
Due to being a clone, hotend is PTFE lined rather than all metal so print temperature is limited to 140 continuous and 160 for limited times.
Example prints
Software
Instead of using cura/slic3r and an SD card, we are trying Matterhacker's 'Matter control' 3d printing software that works over USB.
Settings
Settings and Controls → Settings → Printer
Switch to 'Basic' to 'Advanced'
Connection:
Print area:
Bed Size: 120×135
Print center: 60×65
Build Height: 100
Features:
Extruder:
Upgrades
Easy
Replace 0.4 with 0.3mm for finer printing.
Requires no modification or parts, uses existing fan but gives no controllable cooling.
Requires minor wiring changes and new parts but allows for a proper controlled cooling fan.
Hard