Flashforge Guider 3 - FDM 3D printer

Guider 3 is an FDM 3D printer from the Flashforge Guider family of printers (together with Guider 3 Plus), certified with the CE, FCC and RoHS certification. Its key features are its lightweight and compact size, a big build volume of 300 x 250 x 340 mm, quick nozzle replacement, a dual build plate, fast printing speeds (up to 250 mm/s), ease of use and integrated remote monitoring. 

Video 1: The key features of the Flashforge Guider 3 3D printer. Source: Flashforge.

These features make the Guider 3 printer perfect for many applications, e.g. in education, design, hobbyistic use, as well as affordable small batch production in various industries. As a matter of fact, the Guider 3 printer was designed with the latter in mind.

Upgraded hardware

Guider 3 has a compact structure, with the interior redesigned to maximize build volume and facilitate a more flexible layout of the parts. The chassis of Guider 3 is made of high grade aluminium and the enclosure is manufactured in light and durable ABS and acrylic sheets.

Image 1: The design of Guider 3 enables fast but smooth and stable printing. Source: Flashforge.

This sturdiness and durability goes hand in hand with excellent stability, ensured Guider 3 is equipped with a smoother Core XY structure that is specially adapted to rapid and quiet production.

Video 2: The quick-release mechanism allows for quick nozzle changes. Source: Flashforge.

Guider 3 also has an upgraded extruder structure with a double gear design and a quick-release mechanisms for convenient nozzle changing. The double gears increase the feeding force by 150 % and help reduce clogging. The Guider 3 can extrude at a maximum temperature of 320 ºC and is equipped by default with a 0.4 mm stainless steel nozzle.

Image 2: The extruder design of the Guider 3 printer. Source: Flashforge.

Thanks to this efficient extrusion system, Guider 3 can work with a wide variety of filaments, such as ABS, PLA, PC, PA, HIPS, ASA and PETG, and even fiber reinforced filaments such as PA CF, PLA CF, PETG CF or PETG GF (this will require an abrasion resistant nozzle with a >0.4 mm diameter). What's more, Guider 3 is an open material printer, which means that third party materials can be used. This makes the printer even more versatile, allowing the user to choose from the rich offer of 3D printing filaments available on the market.

Image 3: The dual build platform system of Guider 3. Source: Flashforge.

Another modernized feature employed in the Guide 3 printer is its dual-platform system. The printer comes with two different printing surfaces - a glass platform and a flexible steel platform. This allows the user to choose the printing surface that best suits the needs of the 3D printing material, ensuring optimal results with hoted bed temperatures of up to 110 ºC. Changing the build surface only takes 3 seconds.

Image 4: The automatic leveling of Guider 3. Source: Flashforge.

The bed leveling mechanism has also been upgraded in the Guider 3 printer. Both the auxuliary and the automatic leveling operate based on the high-sensitivity and inductive proximity sensor. It determines and remembers the initial flatness data of the build platform, and compensates the platform height via the Z-axis during printing to perform automatic leveling.

Smart and safe printing

Guider 3 has been given many features that make it an intelligent 3D printer that is easy to use, sustainable, and allows for a high level of control over the production process:

• Power loss recovery: in case of an unexpected power failure, Guider 3 will automatically save the printing progress, making it possible to continue printing once the printer has been restarted.
• The printer turns off automatically once the model is ready. This saves power consumption and guarantees safe operation.
• Sleep mode - when the printer remains idle for an extended period, it will automatically switch to sleep mode, causing the screen to go dark and the lights to turn off. This ensures minimal energy consumption during nighttime operations.
• The printer detects any abnormal filament behavior such as filament run-out or clogging, stops automatically and notifies the user. This prevents the part and nozzle from being damaged, and helps save material and energy.
• The dust, odor and particles generated during the printing process are effetively removed by the inbuilt HEPA air filtration system. Any harmful gases are discharged through pipes connected outside, thus ensuring an environment-friendly and safe working environment.

Remote control

The Guider 3 user interface is simple and intuitive but very powerful and highly sensitive. The 4.3-inch LCD touch screen and the integrated camera function allow the user to fully control, coordinate and monitor (time-lapse videos) the 3D printing process at all times.

This is also possible through remote multi-platform management of 3D printers via the FlashPrint laminating software. The intelligent maintenance assistant provides solutions to common printing problems, saves communication time and realizes efficient maintenance. This feature, in combination with the Guider 3 intelligent functions described above, is especially convenient on 3D printing farms as it allows for a stable and continuous 24/7 operation, with minimium user intervention.

Video 3: The FlashPrint 5 laminating software. Source: Flashforge.

The FlashPrint laminating software ensures highly successful slicing even for beginners, making available to the user default parameters for most common filaments. The accepted input formats are 3MF, STL, OBJ, FPP, BMP, PNG, JPG and JPEG, and the output formats are GX, G file and Gcode.

The Guider 3 offers many connectivity options through a USB cable, Ethernet or WiFi, and it is compatible with Windows XP, Vista 7/8/10, and Mac OS. Users who are used to working with the Slic3r or Cura laminating software can continue doing so as Guider 3 is also compatible with them (no set up required).

Multiple applications

By designing the Gudier 3 3D printer, Flashforge has created a powerful tool not only for domestic use but also for rapid prototyping and small-batch production. Including one or multiple Guider 3 printers in your 3D printing workflow can help with product development by shortening verification time, accelerating design optimization, and speeding up mass production while reducing costs.

Video 4: Small-batch manufacturing with Guider 3. Source: Flashforge.

The Guider 3 printer can also quickly produce jigs, fixtures and tools for assembly lines, thus aiding manufacturing or replacing damaged equipment parts. Furthermore, finished functional parts can be made with the help of Guider 3, for specific one-off applications or for temporary testing.

Image 5: A 3d printer farm built with Guider 3 printers. Source: Flashforge.

The possible applications of Guider 3 go beyond industrial and enginnering applications. The printer can be used in the academic environment to 3D print teaching aids or student's work, or in architecture, art and design for printing conceptual models or even art. All this is possible thanks to the ease of use, high printing speeds and temperatures, and wide range of processable materials.