I have this 3D printer. It's terrible. I really wish I spent twice the money and got a 10x better printer. The issues I have are: - terrible accuracy of the prints, especially fine details (fail to print 90% of the time) and straight walls (come out wavy) - the app is so sluggish! It hangs whenever I am trying to do anything. ANYTHING. And I do have a top of the line PC. Move/resize object? Hang. Change print settings? Hang (with every little change you make). Want to stop the print that is going wrong? Hang. - manual calibration is annoying, and the app hanging at every single subsequent step doesn't help - print size is very limited - depends on the PC running The only bright side I see is that it has a small, desk-friendly footprint and it's pretty cheap. But is it cheap really, when you could spend only twice more and get a printer from heaven basically compared to this?
I bought one of these at a Swiss Aldi a few years ago. The prints are brittle, and almost nothing I downloade3d from Thingyverse actually gave an acceptable print. The fan stopped working on the first day, and Alta refuses to send me a new one. They insist I bring it back to the Aldi, and it will get sent to the US for guarantee. I know i will never get it back. Even though I would get a refund. It would take a few months.
Not sure if it’s something I’m doing wrong. This is my first time printing anything 3D and it’s on the Alta+. What I get from this first print is NEVER print anything that needs detail! Comes out as mush. Perhaps, that’s why they advertise this printer with simple, kiddy shapes, for preschool. And, of course, if one is really determined to have detail, resin is a better way. Perhaps someone out there makes fine filament, for fine point printing, just like writing pens come in different standards. This is other than the fact that none of their versions of their 3D software allowed me to connect to connect to my MacPro Westmere. Like, as far as I knew, since I used to sell computers for Apple, software that doesn’t run, typically doesn’t install, in the first place. They really RUIN the experience. Even creating an account and downloading the software from their website? What are they doing over there!!!??? In some parts of the website, you wonder whether the Alta or Alta+ is even made by them. I finally got the software to connect and print, from a newer MacBook Pro, but again, we’re talking about some barely-there support. Perhaps, someone can explain to me, why it tells you how long the print will take - then it goes way after that. Like at least an 1-1/2 hours more. Then just says “printing”. Maybe I have to choose a different PLA, than what shipped. So, maybe, it’s a good printer, because it’ll fit on the edge of your desk, you can close and lock it, if you have pets, kids, or stupid adults in the house and, if you like quiet, it’s not terribly noisy. One of my cats can sit at the other end of the desk, unbothered. But, I wonder if some parts are like those motorized cat toys, where the idea was nice, but the motor is so cheap and noisy, there’s no chance of the cat playing with it. So, I would say it’s a decent printer, if you’re bored and you need to make a widget part, for around the house. I do like that, at least for me, using the PLA Silhouette sent, at least, I don’t smell anything. Not even the sweet smell some have spoken of, unless I press my nose to the print, once it’s done. While no odor does not equal no off gassing, I’d looked at videos of FDM printing of other materials and resin printing and, while I know that, in my youth, my mother had a darkroom with chemicals at home, I just felt that, at least for me, at this time, being cognizant of my and my pets’ health, I felt it best to put off anything like that. I do have an FLSun Speed Racer in storage and if/when I find the space, I will finally unbox it, unless something even faster comes along, that I can afford.
Another note is that, when I’ve seen videos on getting started with the printer, people seem to place the platform down with ease. That was not the case with mine. I needed to use some force, to get it locked down, between the risers that hold it in place. I also had not realized it wasn’t all the way down, when I began printing. Which caused the printhead to actually tear the protective label. Wasn’t a big deal as, this is my first print, it was a small addition to a small furniture part, I was using the sample PLA provided and the possibility of slight uneven depth wasn’t critical. I will also learn more about the settings within the software, to see if more detail can be gotten, still considering the width of the output, from the printhead. One of the things I think one has to get used to is mere patience. 3D printing, even for the prosumer, is in its infancy. I’m well aware that the 3-1/2 hours it took to make something small and flat, is going to take muuuuch much longer, when I print larger things, even in draft mode. Still, personally, it’s more productivity than is going on at my job right now.
I have this 3D printer. It's terrible. I really wish I spent twice the money and got a 10x better printer. The issues I have are:
- terrible accuracy of the prints, especially fine details (fail to print 90% of the time) and straight walls (come out wavy)
- the app is so sluggish! It hangs whenever I am trying to do anything. ANYTHING. And I do have a top of the line PC. Move/resize object? Hang. Change print settings? Hang (with every little change you make). Want to stop the print that is going wrong? Hang.
- manual calibration is annoying, and the app hanging at every single subsequent step doesn't help
- print size is very limited
- depends on the PC running
The only bright side I see is that it has a small, desk-friendly footprint and it's pretty cheap. But is it cheap really, when you could spend only twice more and get a printer from heaven basically compared to this?
What material is the build plate? Glass or acrylic? Also, how thick is it?
Hi - how do You get it done to eliminate the z-seam on the Alta+ ?
I bought one of these at a Swiss Aldi a few years ago. The prints are brittle, and almost nothing I downloade3d from Thingyverse actually gave an acceptable print. The fan stopped working on the first day, and Alta refuses to send me a new one. They insist I bring it back to the Aldi, and it will get sent to the US for guarantee. I know i will never get it back. Even though I would get a refund. It would take a few months.
Not sure why anyone would even consider a printer like this, especially at the price point. Don't waste you're money.
Not sure if it’s something I’m doing wrong. This is my first time printing anything 3D and it’s on the Alta+.
What I get from this first print is NEVER print anything that needs detail! Comes out as mush. Perhaps, that’s why they advertise this printer with simple, kiddy shapes, for preschool. And, of course, if one is really determined to have detail, resin is a better way. Perhaps someone out there makes fine filament, for fine point printing, just like writing pens come in different standards.
This is other than the fact that none of their versions of their 3D software allowed me to connect to connect to my MacPro Westmere. Like, as far as I knew, since I used to sell computers for Apple, software that doesn’t run, typically doesn’t install, in the first place. They really RUIN the experience. Even creating an account and downloading the software from their website? What are they doing over there!!!??? In some parts of the website, you wonder whether the Alta or Alta+ is even made by them.
I finally got the software to connect and print, from a newer MacBook Pro, but again, we’re talking about some barely-there support. Perhaps, someone can explain to me, why it tells you how long the print will take - then it goes way after that. Like at least an 1-1/2 hours more. Then just says “printing”. Maybe I have to choose a different PLA, than what shipped.
So, maybe, it’s a good printer, because it’ll fit on the edge of your desk, you can close and lock it, if you have pets, kids, or stupid adults in the house and, if you like quiet, it’s not terribly noisy. One of my cats can sit at the other end of the desk, unbothered. But, I wonder if some parts are like those motorized cat toys, where the idea was nice, but the motor is so cheap and noisy, there’s no chance of the cat playing with it. So, I would say it’s a decent printer, if you’re bored and you need to make a widget part, for around the house. I do like that, at least for me, using the PLA Silhouette sent, at least, I don’t smell anything. Not even the sweet smell some have spoken of, unless I press my nose to the print, once it’s done. While no odor does not equal no off gassing, I’d looked at videos of FDM printing of other materials and resin printing and, while I know that, in my youth, my mother had a darkroom with chemicals at home, I just felt that, at least for me, at this time, being cognizant of my and my pets’ health, I felt it best to put off anything like that.
I do have an FLSun Speed Racer in storage and if/when I find the space, I will finally unbox it, unless something even faster comes along, that I can afford.
Another note is that, when I’ve seen videos on getting started with the printer, people seem to place the platform down with ease. That was not the case with mine. I needed to use some force, to get it locked down, between the risers that hold it in place. I also had not realized it wasn’t all the way down, when I began printing. Which caused the printhead to actually tear the protective label. Wasn’t a big deal as, this is my first print, it was a small addition to a small furniture part, I was using the sample PLA provided and the possibility of slight uneven depth wasn’t critical.
I will also learn more about the settings within the software, to see if more detail can be gotten, still considering the width of the output, from the printhead.
One of the things I think one has to get used to is mere patience. 3D printing, even for the prosumer, is in its infancy. I’m well aware that the 3-1/2 hours it took to make something small and flat, is going to take muuuuch much longer, when I print larger things, even in draft mode. Still, personally, it’s more productivity than is going on at my job right now.