Simple Dremel Digilab 3D20 Review – Worth Buying or Not?

Dremel’s Digilab 3D20 3D printer is one that isn’t talked about enough in the 3D printing community. People usually look at more popular, simpler 3D printers, but this machine definitely shouldn’t be overlooked.

When you look at the professionalism and reliability of the Digilab 3D20 (Amazon), you see why it’s such a great 3D printer for any level individual who is in the 3D printing field.

It’s especially amazing for beginners since it has very easy operation and high quality without doing too much.

Dremel is an established brand with over 85 years of reliable quality and service.

The customer service is definitely up there with the best, as well as giving an industry’s best 1-year warranty, so you can have peace of mind after adding this 3D printer to your arsenal.

This article will aim to give you a simplified review on the Dremel Digilab 3D20 machine, looking at features, benefits, downsides, specs and more.

Features of the Dremel Digilab 3D20

• Full-Color LCD Touch Screen
• Fully Enclosed
• UL safety certification to allow you to print overnight without anxiety
• Simple 3D Printer Design
• Simple & Easy to Maintain Extruder
• Established Brand With 85 Years of Reliable Quality
• Dremel Digilab 3D Slicer
• Build Volume: 230 x 150 x 140mm
• Plexiglass Build Platform

Full-Color LCD Touch Screen

The Digilab 3D20 has a nice responsive, full-color LCD touch screen which adds to its easy to use, and beginner-friendly features. This is a 3D printer widely used in education with younger students, so having a high-quality touch screen helps out a lot in that front.

Fully Enclosed

Following along with the last feature, it’s great for beginners because it’s nicely compact and fully enclosed, preventing dust, curious fingers, as well as noise from escaping this 3D printer.

3D printers with their own enclosures are usually seen as more premium, for good reason because it looks a lot better and stabilizes printing temperatures throughout a print.

UL Safety Certification

The Dremel Digilab 3D20 is specially certified with tests run that show it’s safe to print overnight without any worries. Since we are only printing with PLA on this 3D printer, we aren’t getting those pesky harmful particulates that you find with other higher temperature filaments.

Many people overlook safety with their 3D printers, but with this one you won’t have to worry much about safety.

Simple 3D Printer Design

In these times, simplicity is widely appreciated and the manufacturers of this 3D printer definitely took that into account. Any level of skill that you have as a 3D printer user doesn’t have too much bearing on the quality that you can create.

This is safe to use for children and easy to operate, using only PLA filament to make 3D prints. It was created especially for optimal printing, in order to create strong, stable objects with a smooth finish.

Simple & Easy to Maintain Extruder

The extruder is pre-installed, so you don’t need to tinker around with it. Having a simple extruder design makes a difference on how easy they are to maintain and this one does the trick.

Dremel DigiLab 3D Slicer

The Dremel Digilab 3D slicer is based on Cura and gives you a nice dedicated software for your 3D printer file preparation. It’s also open-sourced so you can use it with your preferred slicer.

Plexiglass Build Platform

The glass platform gives smooth print finishes at the bottom and has a build volume of 230 x 150 x 140mm. It’s a little on the small side, but gets the job done for most people, especially beginners.

You can use software to split up large prints, so they can be post-processed and stuck together to make one object.

Benefits of the Dremel Digilab 3D20

• No installation needed for an immediate start to printing
• Top-class, responsive customer service
• Very easy to operate, especially for first time users
• Designed specially to print PLA, so it works efficiently for that purpose
• Maximum printing success rate with stable, enclosed design
• Very safe machine that protect children and others sticking hands in printing area
• 1-year warranty
• Free cloud-based slicing software
• Low noise machine

Downsides of the Dremel Digilab 3D20

There isn’t a heated bed for the Dremel Digilab 3D20, but that isn’t too much of a problem because it’s designed to be used with just PLA. Most people exclusively print with PLA because it has good durability, safe printing standards, and is easy to print with.

The build volume isn’t the largest and there are definitely 3D printers with larger bed surfaces. If you know in the future you are looking to print large projects, you might want to opt-in for a larger machine, but if you are okay with normal-sized prints then it should be fine.

I think the price of the Dremel is relatively high for a 3D printer of these features, for the same price and lower you can easily get bigger build volumes and higher resolutions.

Dremel try to keep you using Dremel filament by using a specific spool holder that doesn’t nicely accommodate other filament. You can easily 3D print yourself a replacement spool holder that is compatible with all other filament out there, so this can be fixed easily.

Simply search Dremel 3D20 Spool Stand/Holder on Thingiverse, download, print and install it on your 3D printer.

Specifications of the Dremel Digilab 3D20

• Print technology: FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling)
• Extruder: Single Extrusion
• Layer thickness: 0.1mm / 100 microns
• Nozzle diameter: 0.4 mm
• Supported filament types: PLA / 1.75 mm thickness
• Max. build volume: 228 x 149 x 139 mm
• 3D Printer dimensions: 400 x 335 x 485 mm
• Leveling: Semi-Automated
• Export file: G3DREM, G-Code
• File type: STL, OBJ
• Extruder Temperature: 230°C
• Slicer Software: Dremel DigiLab 3D Slicer, Cura
• Connectivity: USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi
• Voltage: 120V, 60Hz, 1.2A
• Net weight: 9 kg

What Comes with the Dremel 3D20 3D Printer?

• Dremel 3D20 3D Printer
• 1 x Filament Spool
• Spool Lock
• Power Cable
• USB Cable
• SD Card
• 2 x Build Tape
• Object Removal Tool
• Unclog Tool
• Leveling Sheet
• Instruction Manual
• Quick Start Guide

Customer Reviews on the Dremel Digilab 3D20

Looking at the reviews for the Dremel Digilab 3D20, we really get mixed opinion and experiences. A majority of people had a pretty positive experience, explaining how things went smoothly from the start, with easy to follow instructions and nice print quality.

The other side of things comes with some complaints and problems,

One beginner who decided he wanted to get into 3D printing said how picking the Dremel brand was a great decision, and the 3D20 model being a worthy choice. It’s a great 3D printer for people who are just starting out, hobbyists and tinkerers.

The process of creation and 3D printing small general parts and accessories around the house is the perfect use for this 3D printer.

There are improvements that can come about in terms of precision and print quality, but for the most part, it’s a great 3D printer to get started with.

Instead of visualizing what you can create, it’s a possibility to actually print an object with a reliable 3D printer.

There is a whole host of 3D print designs on Thingiverse and other websites to create some useful and aesthetic items for yourself, your friends and family.

Some people have had problems with this 3D printer when ordering from unverified sellers and other resellers, so make sure you are getting it from a reputable seller who has good ratings.

Many of the negative reviews on this 3D printer are simply from not having the correct knowledge, or some blips in customer service which usually get corrected with some assistance.

One review complained of the software called Print Studio which was no longer supported or updated with the Dremel, and a following Windows 10 update interfered with the program’s compatibility.

He thought it wasn’t possible to use another slicer other than the costly Simplify3D slicer, but he could have simply used the open-source slicer Cura. Once you get the SD card, you can simply upload sliced software to it then print your desired models with ease.

If we could correct these simple negative reviews, the Dremel Digilab 3D20 would have a very high overall rating.

It currently has a rating of 4.4 / 5.0 at time of writing which is still very good. 88% of people rate this 3D printer 4 stars or higher, with the lower ratings being from mostly fixable issues.

Verdict

If you are looking for a reliable, trustworthy brand and product, the Dremel Digilab 3D20 is a choice that you can’t go wrong with. From the ease of use, beginner-friendliness and focus on top safety features, it’s an easy choice.

You’re getting a nice looking printer that doesn’t make too much noise, can be easily used by the rest of the family and produces some nice high quality prints. In terms of the price you’re paying for quality, durability and awesome customer service.

I would recommend this 3D printer for adding to a print farm or for a beginner looking to get into the 3D printing field.

There have been many instances where people purchase a 3D printer and have trouble putting it together or troubleshooting issues that arise.

You won’t get any of those issues when you purchase the Dremel Digilab 3D20, so purchase yours from Amazon today.