FFF printing technology is the lowest cost 3D printing solution, as well as being reliable, accurate and easy to use, making it the ideal technology for professional, school and home use, and the most widely used 3D printing technology in use today.
Among the wide variety of FFF 3D printers on the market, we could say that the best valued by non-professional users are usually the Prusa, Creality, Flashforge or Anycubic 3D printers, due to their quality-price ratio, as well as their ease of use.
Most of these printers are typically found in two formats, Cartesian and delta printers, with the most notable difference being the method of extruder movement used by each when printing a design.
The Cartesian type are the most common on the market and are called this name due to the dimensional coordinate system used, X, Y and Z axis, i.e. the head moves along the three Cartesian axes: horizontal (X), long (Y), vertical (Z).
The delta type are less common but have been on the rise in recent years, and although they also use the X, Y, Z coordinate system, their operation is different and they owe their name to the Delta robots.
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Image 1. DeltiQ 2 3D printer: Trilab
Delta printers were created with the idea of increasing the printing speed, reaching 500-600mm/s. They are characterised by their circular print bed and by their extruder located on top with a triangular configuration capable of moving up and down. For this reason, as we have already mentioned, they are called "Delta", based on the Delta robots.
Unlike Cartesian printers, this type of printer is characterised by the ability to build taller objects, due to its vertical structure design. These printers are composed of an extruder and a hotend responsible for melting the filament and depositing it on the circular printing plate, which is always fixed, i.e. only the extruder moves, which makes it a stable and precise printer, providing high quality and definition in the final pieces.
In a Delta 3D printer, the printhead is mounted on three movable arms that push or pull the printhead to control its position. These articulated arms are driven by a stepper motor, so that the lightweight printhead can be moved quickly.
Compared to Cartesian printers, roughly speaking, delta printers beat Cartesian printers in printing speed, as Cartesian printers print at a fifth of the speed at which delta printers print; in height, as Cartesian printers do not have much verticality, so they are usually more suitable for smaller and wider parts; and greater precision and quality of the parts, as they have a fixed hot bed, these printers are more stable than Cartesian printers and are capable of depositing the filament layer by layer with greater accuracy, offering high quality parts.
The disadvantage we can find in delta printers compared to Cartesian printers is that they are machines that require assembly prior to operation by the user, while Cartesian printers usually come assembled and ready to use. This brings us to another disadvantage, the first calibration, a process that can be tedious, especially if you do not have much knowledge about 3D printing, since, in addition, there is not as much information about delta 3D printers in forums as there can be about other types of printers, although you can find videos on the web on how to calibrate them.
On our website, you can find several delta 3D printers, such as the 3D printers Trilab AzteQ, AzteQ Plus, DeltiQ 2 and DeltiQ, winner of the 3D Printer Challenge award at the 3D Expo, from the Czech manufacturer Trilab, an expert in delta 3D printers with great experience in the sector.
Image 2. DeltiQ printer. Source: Trilab.
These printers, stand out for their high quality standards, capable of printing different types of filaments and at a high speed. In addition, they are manufactured with quality components to ensure a perfect printing result. Some of them, such as the DeltiQ 2, are equipped with remote control via an Android smartphone, and are complemented by a direct extruder and a device for using four filaments at the same time.
In addition, it should be noted that all of them are available in different sizes to perfectly fit the needs of each user. They tend to be used mainly by professional profiles but also find their place in domestic environments.
Video 1: TRILAB DeltiQ. Source: TRILAB
In addition to the Trilab printers, there are some interesting options on the market, such as the FLSUN Delta QQ-S 3D printer, which stands out for being 90% assembled and with automatic calibration, which saves the user time and headaches; the Monoprice Mini Delta 3D, a compact, aluminium, self-levelling printer, ideal for home or office environments and, finally, the Delta WASP 2040 PRO, with a higher price than the previous two but with very good ratings in the market, stands out for its high quality and fast prints, between 50-600 mm/s, in addition to its large print volume of up to 40 cm.
Delta printers are becoming a highly demanded option in the market among FDM 3D printing users, due to their advantages in the more efficient use of printing space, they can print taller parts, and they are also resizable, without affecting quality, but, above all, due to their printing speed, which saves time and money for the user.
