3D打印行业reviews the LulzBot TAZ SideKick 289 3D printer.
Designed by US-based 3D printer OEM FAME 3D, the SideKick is the latest addition to theLulzBot TAZ line of FDM 3D printers。
单个挤压插件系统适合从业余爱好者和专业设计师和教育机构的任何人，可以以低于1,000美元的价格实现开箱即用的功能原型制作。符合Lulzbot的开源硬件历史，超过50％的搭档零件是3D打印的，可以被发现为在公司的gitlab上下载的STL文件。该系统还可以在开源马林鱼固件上运行，这对于那些有工作坊修补的诀窍的人非常有用。
One of the most noteworthy features of the SideKick is its extensive configurability, as LulzBot allows customers to select its color, build volume, default tool head, build surface, and electronics. This makes for a level of reconfigurability you really don’t see all that often in the desktop FDM market, which is exciting in and of itself.
The smaller version of the system is called theSideKick 289(162 x 162 x 181mm build volume), while the larger variation is theSideKick 747(231 x 231 x 248mm build volume). For the purposes of this review, we’ll be working with the TAZ SideKick 289.
A LulzBot staple
Despite its name, the SideKick is certainly not a ‘side item’ in the LulzBot range. The system offers much of the same functionality as its predecessors, albeit in a more compact (but more affordable) package.
Much like the rest of LulzBot’s 3D printers, the SideKick features a completely open frame made of sturdy powder-coated metal. Since there’s no built-in enclosure, for higher temperature filaments like ABS, it may be necessary to carefully control the ambient temperature of the room itself to avoid warping and delamination issues. That aside, the smooth steel rods, self-lubricating linear bushings, angled extrusions, and Delrin V-wheels make the system feel unmistakably robust, as is expected of LulzBot printers.
The machine is based on the cartesian axis system, a configuration known for its rigidity and accuracy, whereby the bed travels in the Y-axis and the printhead is belt-driven in the X- and Z- axes. The SideKick also offers a maximum bed temperature of 110°C and features automated bed leveling using aBLTouch sensor。We found the automated leveling, in particular, to work like a charm – no complaints here.
Looking at the SideKick’s material capabilities, we have a maximum nozzle temperature of 290°C and direct drive extrusion, enabling the system to print with over 10 high-performance polymer filaments. This includes ABS, PETG, PA, PC, TPU, and more, all in either a 1.75mm or 2.85mm filament size.
On the electronics side, we have a 3.2” LCD user interface for previewing prints, starting builds, loading the filament, and calibrating the Z-axis. Much like all Marlin firmware printers, the UI is intuitive and easy to navigate, although we thought the implementation of a touchscreen would’ve been nice. As far as connectivity options go, users can pick between a USB cable and an SD card.
无数可配置的硬件
So just how configurable is the LulzBot TAZ SideKick? As it turns out: very. The first of the choices is a cosmetic one, with customers being able to choose between Stealth Black and LulzBot Green for the color of the printer.
接下来，我们可以选择构建音量大小。较小的搭档289具有4.75L，而较大的Sidekick 747拥有丰盛的13.23L，但请注意，后者的成本更高，因此根据您的需求选择。
LulzBot also provides a choice between two different build surfaces: a PEI-coated borosilicate glass surface or an OctoGrab removable magnetic flex bed. The borosilicate glass is not magnetic so part removal will require a little more elbow grease. Again, decide if you’d like to pay for the convenience.
下一个配置性选项是在工具头中。该辅助物再次以Lulzbot的签名通用安装系统为特色，这意味着用户可以在公司的9个模块化通用安装系统工具头之间进行选择。专有的拇指螺旋设计还可以轻松更换工具头的变化，这意味着不需要Allen Keys或其他手动工具。我们的评论系统使用E3DTitan Aero extruder adapted for 2.85mm filaments. Its external structure is largely 3D printed, reducing the weight of the printhead for more fluid movement.
最终的可配置选项与电子产品有关。首先，客户可以选择添加或删除打印机正面安装的GLCD控制器 - 我们建议您继续使用，因为您需要一台专用的计算机来控制打印机。还可以选择添加细丝跳线传感器，该传感器将在检测线轴末端时暂停打印。一旦加载了新的线轴，构建将恢复其关闭的位置。我们还建议添加此功能，因为它确实可以在较大的隔夜打印上节省您的隐藏。
Cura slicer – LulzBot Edition
Lulzbot提供了自己的切片软件，可与所有3D打印机一起使用。雷电竞app下载命名Cura LulzBot Edition, the software is both free and easy-to-use, offering all of the functionality one would expect of a high-performance FDM slicer.
Much like the original Cura, the LulzBot Edition has basic translation, rotation, and resizing functions, all wrapped up in the company’s green-grey color scheme. Since the motion system is very similar to most other slicers on the market, it’s simple enough to pick up with a few minutes of experimenting with the mouse. The UI is also sleek with minimal clutter, and all of the menus are intuitive enough to traverse without a hiccup.
Lulzbot以其“开放材料” 3D打印机的投资组合而自豪，并且可以看到这会溢出到公司的切片机中。雷电竞app下载该软件配有几个最常见的3D打印丝的现成打印配置文件。当然，Cura Lulzbot Edition还为那些宁愿将其构建方式调整为喜欢的人提供了广泛的可自定义参数列表。这包括温度，打印速度，填充物，层，甚至是树状的支撑。
Ultimately, the slicer is about what you’d expect from a Cura clone – it works and it works well.
基准测试Lulzbot Taz搭档：55/100
Now comes time to benchmark the TAZ SideKick 289. This portion of the review is where we evaluate the printing performance of the system, starting off with 3D Printing Industry’s own benchmarking model, which consolidates many of our smaller print tests into one comprehensive part. We usually print this test in PLA to compare results between printers, but we also often try a PETG or ABS variant to see how the machine handles higher temperature filaments.
This time around, we printed two PETG benchmarking models: one with the default 0.5mm nozzle and one more with a higher precision 0.25mm nozzle (LulzBot SL Tool Head). We assign each of the individual sections a weighted score based on factors such as dimensional precision, surface quality, and structural integrity. The SideKick earned an overall 3D Printing Industry score of55/100（专业级3D打印机的可观分数）。
We start off with the overhang portion of the benchmarking models, which is designed to showcase the angles at which the system can print without support structures. The LulzBot managed to print overhangs up to 60° in both cases, which is a great result for a high-temperature filament like PETG (especially considering the open-frame nature of the machine). We’ve found most printers in this price range to average around the 55° mark.
Moving on, we have the bridging test, which determines how well a system can print horizontally into the void. Again, both print runs achieved identical results and managed to reach the 25mm bridge length before the structures started curving and morphing. This is an average result for a professional-grade 3D printer.
Unfortunately, the retraction test is really where the SideKick stumbled, which is surprising given the fact that it’s fitted with an E3D extruder. Both benchmarking models delivered artifacts on the spikes with an abundance of stringing, which we attributed to a poor filament cooling system. The artifacts are due to the fact that the filament does not have enough time to cool down before the nozzle moves onto the next spike, leaving a molten trail. While the result does look messy, it can be fixed by slowing the print speed down somewhat.
We also wanted to see how the SideKick’s 0.25mm nozzle would handle small-scale artistic parts, so we 3D printed a couple of tabletop models from the Warhammer series: Marauder Ugo and a WHM-IIC battlemech.
With the 0.25mm nozzle, we managed to get the layer height down to just 0.05mm, resulting in two extremely clean prints. The Ugo model, in particular, featured very smooth surfaces with virtually invisible layer lines. Looking closely, we can see tiny surface details like the vasculature on the chest and the patterning on the armor. On the other hand, the battlemech had a few rough surfaces but it was the smaller of the two, and certainly a difficult part to print using FDM technology. Overall, the SideKick produced some very impressive results here, almost matching the surface quality of a resin-based system.
Finally, we tried our hand at a few functional mechanical tests with a planetary gear system and a screw assembly. Dynamic assemblies like these allow us to determine how dimensionally precise a printer is, since the fluidity of the parts’ movements and the overall ease of assembly are entirely dependent on how tight the tolerances are.
Both sets of prints came out beautifully. The gear system required absolutely no post-processing, and there was very little resistance between the gears – it could certainly be used as part of a larger functional prototype. Similarly, the 28mm screw assemblies had no defects on the threads and were precise enough to assemble without a hitch. A huge success for the SideKick.
The verdict
经过所有的试验和磨难，我们可以说TAZ搭档是Lulzbot投资组合中更具成本效益的3D打印机之一。雷电竞app下载该系统像它们一样坚固，自动级别提供，令人难以置信的可配置选项允许具有高度个性化的3D打印体验 - 所有这些都不会破坏银行。此外，可以选择下载和3D打印机器的许多较小组件确实可以延长其服务寿命，这在计划过时的时代非常感谢。
As far as shortcomings go, the system could use some of the more advanced features that come as standard on professional 3D printers these days, including Wi-Fi connectivity and a touchscreen interface. The modest build volume is also nothing to write home about, but the importance of this will depend on your specific needs.
If you’re on a budget and need a reliable 3D printer for small part prototyping, the LulzBot TAZ SideKick will see you right.
Technical specifications and pricing
| Build volume | 162 x 162 x 181mm (4.75L) |
| XYZ resolution | 10, 10, 5 microns |
| Nozzle temperature | 290°C |
| 床层温度 | 120°C |
| 层厚度 | Up to 0.4mm (printhead dependent) |
| Nozzle diameter | 0.25 - 1.2毫米(印字头依赖) |
| 细丝直径 | 1.75mm/2.85mm |
| Connectivity | SD, USB |
在此处购买Lulzbot Taz Sidekick 289 3D打印机。该系统现在可以订购，从$ 795起。
Subscribe to the3D打印行业newsletter有关增材制造中的最新消息。雷电竞充值您也可以通过关注我们来保持联系Twitter，喜欢我们Facebook，然后调查3D打印行业YouTube频道。
寻找添加剂制造业的职业？雷电竞充值访问3D Printing Jobsfor a selection of roles in the industry.
Featured image shows the LulzBot TAZ SideKick 289 3D printer. Photo by 3D Printing Industry.
