Choosing a 3D printer for your school can be a difficult decision. While many printers will be great for high school students or a hobbyist, some are less suited for regular use in a K-8 classroom or library environment.
At Makers Empire, we’ve helped thousands of K-8 teachers in Australia, America, Europe and Asia integrate 3D printing and design into the classroom so we understand what works and what doesn’t.
From countless conversations with teachers, we understand that their most important considerations when choosing a 3D printer are:
- Plug ‘n’ play – that is, ease of use;
- Affordability;
- Durability;
- Safety;
- Air Filters – learn why air filters are important;
- Reliability; and
- Customer support.
Additionally, the ability to print wirelessly or over the Cloud, thereby eliminating the need for USB memory sticks or even being in the same room as the 3D printer, is another useful feature to consider.
The 3D printer market is fast-changing – almost every new 3D printer brings some new feature that will soon be standard on all printers, but none of the current printers on the market has every single one of the current, must-have features.
With this in mind, here is our current list of recommended 3D printers. To come up with this list, we evaluated more than twenty 3D printers, reviewed teacher feedback and assessed recent reviews from independent sources. We’ve spent weeks, months and even years testing printers to model expected classroom and school conditions.
So without further ado, check out our 2018 roundup of the Best 3D Printers for Primary and Elementary Schools. We’ve created two versions of this roundup for America and Australia so prices and models are accurate for each region:
