Tronxy X1 Desktop 3D Printer

I saw this printer reviewed on YouTube and decided to get one. It's not my first 3d printer ( I have a scratch built delta and had a prusa i3 clone that I scavenged to make the delta). I decided to get this printer to see what modern kits were like.

it's really easy to assemble. I like V-rail. I use it in my workshop to make jigs and I have a CNC that I scratch-built from it.

The Tronxy kit works just like the YouTube videos say it does. it's cheap and easy (and fast) to build. There are a few shortcomings, but with a little work, you can get a reliable printer for a very nice price.

I have had very few failed prints (all while trying to print over USB), but I am experienced with printing. I've printed about 2kg of PLA with mine now...

Suggestion

There is a design flaw in the gantry plate that makes the gantry too loose. I fixed it with a metal file.
The Y carriage assembly was loose, but I was able to just tighten the wheels so it gripped the v-rail.

most importantly, I received a bad power supply that melted itself. I will try to attach pictures. I didn't like how hot the power brick was getting, so I never left the printer unattended... good thing, the connector melted into the acrylic and the brick itself started to melt. I've since replaced the brick with a larger 12v 360w power supply that I had left from my old i3 clone, and used some anderson powerpole connectors (rated to 20 amps) overkill, I know, but it's what I had.

the last con, though a small one, the print volume is... small... about a 6" cube. (14cm)... a little less actually. but if you just want to print some little PLA things and get into the world of 3d printing to see if it's for you, that's not a big deal.

Apr 05,2018

The printer arrived well packaged. The included SD-card contains a very good manual. No wiring of mains electricity is needed due to a closed PSU. The printer prints very nicely and accurate with no layer offset. The extruder and hot-end are very well-designed, already utilizing the Bowden-setup. Furthermore, the controller has outputs for both a heated bed as well as a part cooling fan, and the aluminum extrusions are of the European standard 2020 and 2040, allowing for possible future size upgrades (at least along the y- and z-axis). My printer arrived with 10m of black sample PLA.

Suggestion

The most negative point of the build is the incomplete set of screws. In my case, the package lacked 8 plastic spacers, some 8mm M3 screws as well as a T-nut. Luckily, I could substitute all the missing parts. Furthermore, the printer has a lot of play, especially on the y-axis, which can luckily be fixed with some upgrades. The SD-card is not easily reachable, with an SD-extension cable helping a lot.

May 07,2017

pros: kit build teaches newer users how it works. operation is easy to understand. size is perfect for beginners. cost is excellent for starting into 3d printing without breaking the bank.

cons: wobble in x axis was slightly difficult to overcome at first without access to 3d printed upgrades.. but with help of facebook community for tronxy x1, I was able to overcome in a few days. print the upgrades, it will teach you a lot about how it works.

Suggestion

the tronxy x1 is a great starter kit for a novice getting into 3d printing. building it from a kit allows you to physically see how things come together and work and helps you in trouble shooting any issues later. you will want to print upgrades to this machine, and each will be a lesson about functionality of the device. I've had my machine for 7 months now and love it, I've already ordered another larger printer to work along side this one.. my kids and wife like being able to print on this too. Facebook has a tronxy x1 group that is very knowledgeable and friendly when it comes to answering questions and helping fellow users.. I hope to see you there and help you as they helped me... would definitely buy this all over again.. a great introduction to 3d printing.

Aug 07,2018

This is a great little machine, I build it in 3 hours. Order of operations where sometimes “wrong” in the manual but still better than what I’ve heard of many other machines. This is my first 3D printer and it was very doable! One complaint that I do have is that the pla that came with it was in 100 very small pieces thus not useable! But you do have to order your own anyways. Great little machine overall it’s printing right as I speak!

Suggestion

Filament was broken

Aug 11,2018

Great value fro the price, if you are not afraid to spend time and have to tinker a little bit.
Nice first 3D printer, that may indeed be enough to fill your needs, or at least allow you to learn 3D printing at a budget before you get a bigger, more expensive printer.
I needed an afternoon to put it together, however I lost time because of some little hardware issues.
Assembly is not all, after it you need to do tests and settings tweaking, it will keep you busy for a few more hours !

Suggestion

All the thingsI notice and that could be improved:
The assembly instructions do not tell at all how to deal with the wire looms. There is not enough spiral cable sleeve provided, luckily I had some in stock (they should provide twice the amount, at least).
Some small hardware issues like a missing screw and a butterfly nut that was NOT THREADED. Nothing too terrible if you have a stock of random screws and hardware.
Pro tip: loose set screws on a belt pulley will give you a headache, make sure they are tight.
The quality of the filament sample provided was catastrophic, the first test print ended in a shapeless blob of plastic... luckily things went a lot better with an other filament, still some tests and tuning to do but I printed my first half decent calibration cube.

Jan 13,2018