Print-Rite LMD127X print-rite-europe CoLiDo Compact 3D Printer - Excellent for Confined Spaces!

I have used this printer pretty everyday since I received it about 1 week ago and as there is a serious lack of information on the internet about this particular printer I thought I better write a review (in fact it is even my first ever review).Firstly the tag line "Excellent for confined spaces" is extremely true. One thing I do not have is much space so for me this was important. This printer fits well into my office space and it certainly looks impressive to. Obviously the small size also comes with a draw back and that is the smaller print area. I know they say it can print 130mm x 130mm x 130mm but so far I have not had much luck beyond 100mm x 100mm footprint (I havent maxed out the height yet). I am new to the printer and 3D printing in general so it may be user error but I wanted to mention it anyway.I did have a lot of failures when I first got started which were mostly:1. THE PRINT BED MOVING MID PRINTobviously this would cause a ball of printed string to occur unless you were there to witness it fail and stop the print. The print bed has a silicon base which is meant to stick to the glass platform underneath. However, there are only brackets on 2 sides of the platform so if the silicon does happen to slip then the print is ruined. The idea was the print bed was easy to remove so you can retrieve the print when its finished. Its a good idea but flawed. Simple solution is to use a little tape to stick the bed to the platform better.2. RANDOM PRINT PLATFORM DROPSthis one worried me the most and basically it would appear that the extruder nozzle temperature would spike or become unstable which would cause the print to kind of abort. I say kind of because the printer still tries to print in mid-air so its another ball of string unless you are there to stop it. Now I don't know why but although this happened a few times when I first started I haven't seen it in a while.3. PRINTS LIFTING OF THE BEDI honestly think this is more settings and prep errors than a printer problem. The printer does not have a heated bed so you must make sure you do what you can to make sure the first few layers stick nicely. Hairspray seems to really help with this and I have been told glue sticks also help a lot, Also the tape on the print bed needs to be replaced ever so often so if you find that you are losing adhesion although its been ok and your settings have not changed then this may be causing it.4. NO LCD SCREENThis can be an issue as you either have to use an SD card with a file named a specific way to ensure it reads and prints or you have to tether your printer to a PC via USB. Doesn't sound like a problem but software crash or unexpected PC restart will mess up your print. As these prints take some time it can be slightly annoying. So to summarise! SD Card means interrupted print but no adjustments during the print or updates via push messages. PC means greater control but risks of extra failures.5. NO PART COOLING FANThe printer will handle simple geometry fine but as soon as you introduce over hangs you will find your final print will not look very nice from underneath. This is basically because the PLA isn't cooling fast enough and drops a little. Really easy remedy is to get a USB fan and have that pointed in the front door way. Its not perfect but your prints will look so much better,I was concerned at first with this printer as I did have difficulties and thought I had made the wrong choice but the more I learn the more successful I am getting the prints I want. I have used the Thingiverse website as well as designed my own objects in Cinema4D and both worked nicely. If you are looking to make small figures or maybe little fixes around the home then this is a fine printer to choose, If you are getting it to teach or to print with little children then it is another good choice for that as it is all enclosed nicely and really is easy to set up out of the box.However, if you really want to get into printing then there are better options with bigger print spaces and mod-able units (there isn't any mods for this one)It came with 250g of white Colido filament and I am surprised on how much printing you get out of this. I have done a lot and have only just changed to a new reel of filament. Unfortunately I had to do this mid print and it didn't go so well and the filament didn't load properly. Again this is user error but it was about 2 hours of printing and a lot of wasted filament.I do really like the printer but I am giving it 3 stars just due to the fact it has a few limitations and a part cooling fan would have made it so much better. If you really are an enthusiast then there is a few better options in the price ranger some of which are cheaper.I plan to make the most of this little machine but do expect I will get frustrated with the limitations in the next year. I hope this helps anyone like me who is just starting out in 3d printing and cannot find enough information,18th March 2018 - several months on.ok, so like most if not all 3d printers you will need to be a tinkerer and not be afraid to void the warranty (unless you want to send it off for every issue). I have replaced nozzles and thermistors and still have a consistent error where the software is reading a higher temperature than it actually is. However, as the problem is consistent the solution is easy. Turn up the temp and find the sweet spot!! For a few weeks now it has been working better than ever where the above problems are mostly a non-issue. For the past 1 week its been an absolute work horse and been very consistent with little failures.The build plate size is still restricting but there is always a way around that and for the toys and small designs I do it is fine. I have used PLA on the most part but also found TPU works great on the printer.I use Cura 3.1.x rather than the built in software and run it via Octoprint on a Raspberry Pi 3 so that it is WiFi compatible and I can monitor prints anywhere. I removed he front door so I could mount a camera to the build platform ( I had to drill some extra holes to the plate) I also added an extra brace to the let side of the platform to stop the bed slipping.In truth although I am not sure I can recommend the printer to others as there is better value out there without the same issues but at the same price or cheaper but I honestly love this little printer for what it is and what I can still do with it.

OK latest update and not sure how on earth Colido expect a 70 year old woman to be able to run through the printer head replacement especially as apparently we have the older version of the compact and the replacement procedure is much more complex and looks to invalidate the warranty by doing the below. This has taken my hobby crafting from enjoyable to being at a stand still due to complexity of replacing printer head with my dexterity/age/eye sight blah blah blah. What the instructions do not note is that cabling has to be removed from the frame and underneath at the mainboard and the cable tidy thingy will need to come off but thats no big deal, the rest of it though not as straight forward as the instructions below seem to indicate.Joe from Print-Rite please do not take offence if you are reading this, this is more to do with the company not you as a person ;-)1. Remove the 2 screws that attach the fan to the metal block, the motor at the back will also be unattached.2. There is a white plastic thing (can't remember the name for it!) which the filament goes through. This will need to be unscrewed, you might need to use some pliers to loosen it.3. There is a small black grub screw in the metal block (above the carriage), unscrew it using the long thin Allen key but not fully as you don't want to lose this.4. The nozzle should then come free and be able to be removed. Try and take note of the position of the nozzle when it is in place so you can put it back at the right place.5. There are 4 screws which attach the board underneath the printer, unscrew these so you can remove the board. Unplug theHope this helps!*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************Had printer now for 3 months but only had two months use from it before the printer head packed up.Was advised that although only brought three months ago that we have a older model.Was also informed that the printer head is only guaranteed for three months, its in the small print!To my mind it is not fit for purpose if it going to have to replace printer head every three months roughly and as this is a older model the printer head is NOT a easy install. Support sent wrong procedure to replace print head which seemed easy but that was for the updated version of the Compact so when sending correct details on changing print head i nearly had a fit as i have to remove screws where the warranty seal is so if i go ahead it is now no longer under guarantee as i have to break the seal to disconnect wires/plugs from the mainboard then on in the nightmare carries on. And besides if this is a known issue hence only 3 months on the printer head they should be replacing the whole unit for the updated version or at the very least they should be removing and installing the new old style print head. 3 months is disgusting when forking out £349.00. I have also looked to see if i can find the older style print head that we require but unable to locate any where online to buy one and to be honest if it needs replacing roughly every three months then it is not fit for purpose. CoLiDo is sending out a replacement print head but have to install myself. not impressed!

I found several missing bits of info- like what are the files called. Also nothing would stick to the mat so I had to use re-position-able glue.Also I am having a horrendous job trying to down-load files (which might just be me) Some prints come out very roughly and one looked more like unraveled knitting !

This is my 2nd 3D Printer purchase, the previous one being the InkbeThink one, this one is light years ahead of my previous one.So much easier to setup, once you've run the test print a few times and adjusted the bed in between (took me 4 prints to get it 100% set) then your ready to print.Great not to have to set the bed everytime you print an object.Stl files are easily converted in the software supplied (took 4mins to convert a 40mb file)Overall, really impressed so far.

Works fine Had issues but contacted UK service line what a brilliant chap certainly knows the product and even sent me a replacement part FOC

It was a present for my husband and he was overjoyed with it it's met all expectations