LulzBot TAZ 6 3D Printer Review Results
If you’ve been following 3D printing for a while, then you know that LulzBot has been building some of the best 3D printers on the market. Their LulzBot TAZ 5 was a great model in their line. However, the new LulzBot TAZ 6 3D Printer is a game changer and might just cement LulzBot’s reputation as the industry leader for consumer 3D printers.
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Printing Speed
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Build Size
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Precision
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Value
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Design
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User Experience
The LulzBot TAZ 6 3D printer is a high quality, “jack-of-all-trades” machine that will impress just about all users. It comes packed with some great innovations including automated features that were absent in previous versions. You’ll pay a premium price, bit this model is a perfect fit for anyone looking for quality, reliability, and versatility.
LulzBot TAZ 6 3D Printer Basics
The TAZ 6 has a large build volume, an advanced tool head, a dual part cooling fan, a hot end reaching up to 300°C, plug-and-play capabilities and supports more than 30 filament materials.
What sets the LulzBot TAZ 6 apart from the other previous versions, especially the TAZ 5, are the automated features. The bed-leveling process is fully automated while self-cleaning technology is also included.
LulzBot Taz 6 3D Printer Pros
Reliability
Reliability has been the biggest headache for many modern 3D printers. However, for LuzBot’s 3D printers, reliability has not been an issue. In fact, it’s been their biggest selling point. Of all the LulzBot’s 3D printers I’ve had an opportunity to play with, from the LulzBot Mini to Taz 5, the Taz 6 is probably the best when it comes to reliability.
With the TAZ 6, you can successfully print out 3D objects in a consistent manner and rarely experience a failed print. You can run the LulzBot TAZ 6 for a couple of days printing all sizes of objects, small and large, without rest and the printer should not hit any snags. At an MSRP of $2,500, we’d expect this sort of quality, and LulzBot definitely delivers.
Automated Features
The previous generations of the LuzBot’s 3D printers required occasional tinkering so as to ensure that the bed is well leveled. This meant that as a user, you had to have previously interacted with 3D printers. In other words, you had to be an experienced user and definitely not a novice.
However, with the introduction of the TAZ 6, the tinkering process is out of the picture thanks to the automated bed leveling process. What this means is that you no longer have to worry about leveling the print bed again. Also, the TAZ features a self-cleaning technology, another great feature that ensures each print job gets a clean start. These automated features make the printing process as easy as possible for beginners and experienced users alike.
The previous versions of LulzBot’s 3D printers may have sidelined beginners and less experienced users. Its improvements now make it accessible for home use, professional use, or conducting research in higher education and even industrial and commercial fabrication and prototyping.
Versatility
The LulzBot TAZ 6 uses an open filament format that gives the user the freedom to experiment with dozens of new materials. LulzBot has always been a pioneer of open source design, and all its 3D printers use both open source hardware and software. The TAZ 6 follows the same trend. It offers multiple options for tool head upgrades.
Source: LulzBot TAZ FlexyDually Tool Head v2, LulzBot
If you want reliability when printing flexible filaments you can utilize the Flexystruder tool head. If you wish to experiment with two-color or multi-filament 3D printing then you can employ the FlexyDualy and Dual Extruder tool heads.
Ultimately, the main benefit of the open source design in the LulzBot TAZ 6 is that you can adopt or experiment with the latest 3D printing technology developed across the market.
Multi-Software Compatibility
The TAZ 6 can work with various slicing programs, and again, this is attributed to the open source design. Therefore, if there is a particular 3D printing software that you are well conversant with and you don’t wish to change it, then you can probably stick with it. However, Cura’s dedicated LulzBot software (designed for LulzBot printers) is the recommended slicer.
Personally, we believe Cura is a more preferred option since it makes printing easy. Working with Cura is very simple, specifically because of the quick-print settings. In this mode all users need to do is load the model files, slice them for printing, and hit print on the control panel.
However, if you are an advanced user, Cura still has you covered. You can switch over to more advanced settings and play around with various intricate settings such as controlling the layer height, infill, the print speed and so on and so forth. Even more amazing, it’s free software and as such, you are entitled to free upgrades and access to the source code which is already available to all.
We would recommend sticking with the Cura LulzBot Edition software. It is user-friendly, efficient and serves the needs of both beginners who may just want to play around with the basic settings as well as advanced users looking to control every aspect of their print.
LulzBot TAZ 6 3D Printer Cons
Make Sure To Check It Out Of The Box
Reviewers we polled were overwhelmingly positive about their purchase. However, there were some customers who had problems with the LulzBot out of the box. These complaints were few and far between and didn’t seem to have a pattern. Most issues are common to 3D printers in general, such as broken parts (beds, fans, gantry’s) or problems with calibration. We don’t feel that this is much of an issue to be concerned about. LulzBot backs the TAZ 6 with an excellent 1 year warranty and tech support. We recommend you run the printer several times to put it through its paces when you first get it and if any problems do crop up, contact LulzBot’s support. Don’t try to repair anything on your own without reaching out to tech support so that you don’t void the warranty.
Connectivity
The LulzBot TAZ 6 supports printing through an SD Card or direct USB connection. This is a great feature; however, there should be more wireless connectivity options other than just the SD Card. To add more flexibility in terms of connectivity, LulzBot should consider including wi-fi connectivity to its 3D printers. The wi-fi connectivity can be an interesting feature, especially for those users who may want to print their models effortlessly from their smartphones or tablet.
LulzBot TAZ 6 3D Printer Final Verdict
There is no doubt that the LulzBot TAZ 6 is among the best 3D printers currently on the market. Its new innovative features like its automated bed leveling process, self-cleaning technology, and a modular tool head design make printing more reliable and consistent. It commands a premium price, but it has amazing versatility and all the features one would want in a top of the line 3D printer for both a novice or a professional looking for reliable, high-quality 3D printing.
