14 DAY TRIAL // There are plenty of consumer electronics devices and even PCs that don't need any assembly once they're out of the box, but plug-and-play functionality isn't something often found on 3D printers, which is why Afinia's new product will earn its attention.
The new 3D printer from Afinia is called H480 and does not need you to spend an hour screwing or slotting parts together.
Instead, you just need to open the shipping box and voila! One 3D printer is up and ready to go. The extruder, plastic wire, is twined on a spool that goes on the side of the product.
The company says that the build volume is of 5 cubic inches / 81935 cubic mm, which isn't all that big but should be enough for most home projects.
Because that's what the Afinia H480 is, a home 3D printer, although the price of $1,599 / €1,599 isn't the smallest we've ever seen.
Then again, the cheaper ones were usually limited to a region or two, and they weren't plug-and-play-ready, so they might put some people off.
Truth be told, the new Afinia 3D printer isn't the first of the company's plug-and-play items. The predecessor was the H479.
The H480 has the same build volume as it does, but two important advantages: automatic bed level capability, and nozzle height detection.
Bed leveling shortcomings tend to affect the accuracy of the final shapes. To remove the problem, Afinia installed a magnetic attachment, a Platform Calibration Probe, on the printer extruder head.
The attachment connects via data cable (in about 2 minutes) and measures the height of the build platform at nine points.
This is what makes up for an uneven print surface, while the nozzle height detection feature makes it unnecessary to manually adjust the nozzle from now on.
Plug-and-play capabilities are all well and good, but they kind of defeat the purpose of user-friendliness when you can have issues because you happen to lack technological and/or engineering/mechanical know-how.
Anyway, the nozzle of the Afinia H480 3D printer can automatically calibrate, to achieve the right distance from the bed. This takes 20 seconds, because the printer takes its time to make sure the prints stick to the surface well enough to avoid toppling over before completion.
Finally, Afinia H480 3D printer ships with software for personal computers and Mac systems, so no one can complain about compatibility (or lack thereof, depending on your view).