My Wani: 3D printer for a small wallet and strong nerves
13.12.2018
Translation: machine translated
3D printers are getting cheaper and cheaper. The Duplicator i3 Mini from Wanhao is already available for less than 250 francs. It is therefore ideal for beginners, but can cause frustration.
I love Wani. That's what I call the 3D printer over the course of our relationship. Annoyed, frustrated and perplexed are adjectives that best describe my initial relationship with the printer. I spend weeks trying to create prints. Always without success. My prints just don't want to stick to the building board. Is less than 250 francs too cheap for a 3D printer after all?
What the printer can do
The fused filament fabrication printer comes with the following specs:
- 3D printing method: fused filament fabrication
- 3D printing resolution: 100 microns (0.1 mm)
- Diameter of the filament: 1.75 mm
- Diameter of nozzle opening: 0.40 mm
- Max. Print size (LxWxH): 120 x 135 x 100 mm
- Speed: 70 mm/s
- Supported print material: metal, nylon, carbon, ABS, wood, PLA, NinjaFlex, PVA, PET-G, HIPS
All beginnings are difficult
Levelling the building board? Check! Print a Skirt, Brim or Raft? Check! Reduce speed for the first layers? Check! Do the prints adhere? No and no again. Annoyed, I curse the Wanhao i3 Mini. What an unwieldy %"#eiss name. And as if it wasn't enough that the prints don't want to stick, the extruder smears a layer of PLA across the build plate at the start of printing.
What am I supposed to do? I watch videos about the cheap Chinese printer. Others don't seem to have any problems with adhesion to the build plate. On the contrary, most of them are almost unable to remove the prints. Frustrated, I keep looking for new tricks. Home remedies help: stick painter's tape to the board and apply glue stick. Lo and behold, my prints stick. At last. Now I can test the thing properly.
If your PLA prints don't stick either, I have summarised tips and tricks in the article below.
The problem with coming too early - hihi - still exists. But I can fix that by printing a brim and removing the messy application before the actual printing. Printing finally works. I have the impression that the Duplicator i3 Mini has introduced me to "real" 3D printing. With all the experimentation and failure, but also with the indescribably wonderful feeling when the print finally works. And how it works.
The ugly duckling
3D printers don't have to be beautiful, they have to print cleanly. Nevertheless, the massive, seven-kilo printer is no beauty. Compared to more expensive 3D printers, it looks a bit shabby. I like that. The i3 Mini is like the lovable underdog.
Since the print size is limited to 120 x 135 x 100 mm, I have to limit myself to small projects when test printing. Because I have a new keyboard, I print keycaps for some of my colleagues and myself. Ever since I had the idea of printing keycaps, I've always wanted Lego keys.
On Thingiverse I can't find a template that I like at first. I want real Lego bricks on my keyboard and not imitations. Via Reddit, I come across an adapter that makes it easy to place Lego bricks on the keyboard. They are very small. Perfect for testing how Wani handles small prints.
After a few minutes, the first adapter is ready. It fits perfectly on my switches and the Lego brick also fits like a glove. I print four adapters for the arrow keys. The Lego bricks are obviously not the same height as the other keycaps, which is why the arrow keys are the perfect place for them. That way it doesn't get in the way when I'm typing. Cool, Wani, as I now call him, has given me my first pleasure.
Jerky controls
Wani receives print commands via a microSD card. You plan your models on the computer with a print programme and then load the GCODE files onto the card, which you can insert into the front of the device.
Wani itself is controlled via a control wheel. To the right of this is a display. You can access the menu by pressing the wheel, which is also how you make your selections. The Print File, Level bed, Quick Settings and Advanced options are available in the menu. In the Quick Settings submenu, you can add or remove filament, preheat or cool down the extruder. Under Advanced Settings, you can set the temperature, save your settings or reset them to the default settings.
The operation is simple and the menu is clearly laid out. However, the control wheel is not really reliable. I accidentally turned the wheel when selecting a file and started printing the wrong file. Sometimes the wheel doesn't even respond to a turn and I have to try again.
An ugly but precise duckling
I like the new look of my keyboard. Now I really want more keycaps. I opt for one with a bender head. It goes perfectly with the Bessi I made for the last 3D printer review.
Since I'm interested in how detailed Wani can print, I set the layer thickness to 0.1 mm. Because the printer only has one extruder, I can't print any support structures. Bendercap, as I call my future escape button, will be a real challenge. The antenna in particular is a tricky nut to crack.
The result convinces me. Bendercap is cleanly printed and even the overhanging parts look great. However, Wani didn't get the aerial quite right. I'm still pleasantly surprised by the size of the print. With this print, I printed at 100 per cent speed throughout. So it could be that it would have come out cleaner with less speed. I always like Wani better.
Now I want to know what the quality looks like for the same print with a layer thickness of 0.2 mm. As I ran out of yellow PLA - I had to print keycaps for my colleagues in the meantime - I can only print Bendercap in black. Nevertheless, you can see the difference between the two layer thicknesses in the comparison picture. For such small models, a layer thickness of 0.1 mm is definitely recommended if you want the print to look good.
Of the other keycaps I've printed, I'm particularly blown away by the Voxel Cat. The quality of the print is simply brilliant in my eyes, for a 3D printer that costs less than 250 francs. Wani is really great.
How should I print ABS without a heated bed?
Wani supports many different filaments. Among them are those that require a heated build plate for adhesion. ABS is one of these materials. I use the painter's tape and glue stick trick for better adhesion. ABS warps a lot when it cools. That's why stable first layers are even more important than with PLA.
I could have guessed it. The ABS filament comes out of the extruder cleanly, but it warps so much that a clean print is not possible. I have heard of people who have sanded their build plate to make ABS adhere. However, as I only have one test device available, I don't want to ruin it. It may be possible to build a heated bed with a little DIY work.
Dancing Groot and biscuit moulds
Now I want to print even larger models. Although, big is relative at Wani. My colleague Luca Fontana is Groot. So I print him a dancing baby Groot for the desk. I make the print as high as possible. Wani convinces me here too. The "hair" in particular is printed very cleanly. For these, I reduced the speed to 50 per cent during printing.
As Christmas is coming up and Christmas biscuits are all the rage now, I'm printing nerd biscuit moulds. For these, I set the layer thickness to 0.2 millimetres so that the shapes are ready more quickly. Here, too, I'm impressed by the quality and Wani copes very well with the narrow edges. The part is really cool.
Great piece with flaws
I've learnt to love Wani over the last few weeks, even though it's a bit shabby. The print wheel is from hell and the extruder often comes too early - again: hihi. But these are things that don't bother me about a printer costing less than 250 francs. In the meantime, I even like these features. My Wani just has its quirks.
Once a print is running, however, everything works smoothly. I also think it's great that I can change the temperature and speed on the hardware side during printing. I enjoy getting my hands dirty myself - and one last time: hihi - and working on the build plate with painter's tape and glue stick.
I think it's a shame that Wani can print ABS and other materials that require a heated bed, but they don't adhere due to the lack of a heated bed. Nevertheless, you won't find such a great 3D printer for the price so quickly. Now 3D printing really is accessible to almost everyone, and that's the great achievement of Wani.
Kevin Hofer
Senior Editor
kevin.hofer@digitecgalaxus.chFrom big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.
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