Anker’s Ultra-Fast 3D Printer Completes Day-Long Projects In Just a Few Hours

Getting into the world of 3D printing often means buying a ton of replacement parts and add-on accessories. And even then, you may still wait a full day for projects to finish printing. Anker aims to solve these problems with its first 3D printer, the speedy and intuitive AnkerMake M5.

Available on Kickstarter at an early-bird price of $500, the AnkerMake M5 is “five times faster” than the competition. It features a default printing speed of 250mm/sec and an acceleration speed of 2,500 mm/s²—these speeds, which are over four times that of other consumer-grade printers, do not require any tinkering. And as noted in a preview video by Uncle Jessy, the AnkerMake M5’s self-calibration process takes just five minutes and doesn’t need to be done very often.

According to Anker, its 3D printer can complete day-long projects in just a few hours. Its speedy performance could solve one of the biggest frustrations with 3D printing, which is wait time. But the AnkerMake M5 also looks to be quite accurate—we’ll have to test it in person before we can say anything definitive, though.

One of the most exciting things about this printer, believe it or not, is the integrated 1080p camera. You can use the AnkerMaker app to stream a live video feed of your projects, or even film a neat time-lapse video. Anker plans to expand on this camera’s features using AI, which will notify you when projects are done or warn you if a print may have malfunctioned. (The camera also saves you from setting up a Raspberry Pi with OctoPrint, which is great, given that Raspberry Pis are impossible to find right now.)

Additionally, the app lets you change printer settings on the fly, or even remotely start print jobs. AnkerMake M5 even features onboard storage for common projects that you plan to re-print in the future.

I should also note that the AnkerMake M5 features a direct drive extruder, which should reduce malfunctions, as it makes the filament feeder a bit more reliable. And you can use a ton of different filaments with this printer—its hot end reaches temperatures up to 392 degrees Fahrenheit (200 Celsius), allowing for TPU, PLA, PETG, and maybe nylon or ABS filaments, given the specs.

If you want to take a risk on Anker’s first 3D printer, go join the Kickstarter for that early-bird discount. Bear in mind that some details about this printer are unknown. We don’t know which of its parts are interchangeable with other 3D printers, for example.

Source: Anker