Why I Chose the XYZprinting da Vinci Jr. 1.0 Pro for My Classroom: I have been using 3D printers in my classroom for several years. I began with a grant to get a MakerBot printer about 6 or 7 years ago for the high school where I was teaching. I have since moved (2,000 miles away) to a new school with almost no technology, and this year I was blessed with starting a new technology course. I am going to focus my attention on STEM / STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) and immediately knew we needed a 3D printer. Having dealt with various problems over the years, I wanted to some specific features that are more classroom/education driven.
Why the XYZprinting da Vinci Jr. 1.0 Pro met my needs:. First of all, to get it into the classroom it needs to be affordable.
The most I received for a classroom budget in the last 5 years is $200 — and that includes buying paper for the copier, pencils, notebook paper, chalk, whiteboard markers, print ink, etc. So when a grant comes through and you get $400 for the year you go looking! The da Vinci Jr.
1.0 Pro is less than $300.00 from a variety of places, including places like Walmart where at the time of writing this review lists the printer for or at Amazon Prime for or at Office Depot / Office Max for. In a classroom setting, equipment needs to be sturdy and hold up to lots of curious students. Even if it’s a “hands-off” / “teacher only” printer, you have to prepare for the inevitable. The da Vinci Jr. 1.0 Pro is cased in hard plastic, but it seems very sturdy and easily wipeable if something was wiped or written on the printer itself.
I needed a printer that could handle 3rd Party filaments because proprietary filaments are not cost effective in a school setting. The XYZprinting family of printers has a good track record of working with a variety of 1.75 PLA filament providers. They do this by having adjustable temperature settings for the extruder nozzle. We wanted a printer that could fit comfortably in a classroom setting — on a small table or desk. The da Vinci Jr.
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1.0 Pro is slightly larger than one of the classic Dell laser printers (16.54″ x 16.93″ x 14.96″), but it fits nicely on my desktop. That factor allows me to keep an eye on it during class. It should have an enclosed build area so little or big fingers don’t touch the build plate, hot parts, gears, wires, etc. This also keeps them from the dreaded, “is this hot?” touch that dislodges your build from the build plate.
I am a tinkerer so I don’t mind calibrating my printer, setting up leveling, fine-tuning tension, etc. — but the da Vinci Jr. Boasts auto-calibration which could be very handy if students are using the printer. I currently teach in a high school so this scenario is possible. They state that this printer, “uses an intuitive nine-point calibration detection system that accurately determines the distance between the extruder and the print bed.”.
An added advantage to this printer is that it will run with 3rd party slicers because it can handle 3rd party g-codes. I have my own love-hate relationship with various slicers, but being able to choose one or the other (depending on my build) seemed like a win-win to me. I have already experienced one printer discontinuing their slicer, so this way I can choose a strong slicer with a large user base and lots of support. I also wanted a printer that I could move and set up in a different location easily if the need should arise. In the past I have been bumped from my room for testing, asked to stop printing because of “fumes”, and during long breaks Thanksgiving or Christmas I would like to bring the printer home. The da Vinci Jr. Came out of the box practically ready to print.
After I removed the cardboard/packing materials, installed the feeder tube, plugged it all in, and added the supplied filament, we were ready to go. I have since moved it from one desk to another, and then another for video purposes for some tutorials I am working on. It was definitely an easy setup, but a fairly hefty 33lbs. As I mentioned, however, it feels sturdy so I am happy with that weight. I wanted something that I could tweak or upgrade without being a major undertaking. I found that improvements such as upgrading the.4mm nozzle to a.3mm nozzle which allows printing at a 50 micron resolution were doable without having to be some sort of super tech hacker and without blowing next year’s classroom budget. About the XYZprinting da Vinci 1.0 Pro: The printer is almost retro styled black and red box case; it reminds me of a 1970’s CPM style workstation but in a good way.
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With a build area of 5.9” x 5.9” x 5.9” (15 cm x 15 cm x 15 cm), models will be decent sized. A few years ago, this would have been a very large build area but now it’s on the smaller side — but this is the Jr. Honestly, my other printers have a smaller build volume, but I haven’t really needed to print objects larger than this. To give you some perspective, a standard Rubix Cube measures 2 ¼ inches on each side, so you could stack 4 of them on top of another 4 and have about an inch clearance on the sides and top.
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(Note: If the printer video is not there, I am attempting to correct some technical issues.) Full Disclosure: For the sake of openness and transparency, this printer was provided free of charge from XYZ Printing for review purposes. As I am sure you can see, I review things honestly — praising quality or critiquing where I see potential improvements. I am grateful for the opportunity to review this printer, and I am looking forward to continuing my series on using the da Vinci Jr. 1.0 Pro, adapting 3D printing methods for education, and helping new 3D printing enthusiasts find affordable options for getting into this world. I am also open to discussion, clarification, or correction on anything you have read or watched by me.