PICASO 3D Designer X Review: Specs, Features and more

PICASO 3D is a Russian-based company with more than 9 years of experience in the additive manufacturing market. At the end of 2016, the company announced the launch of the first 3D printer of the X family, the Designer X PRO. This outstanding dual nozzle machine has united all of the company’s hard-earned expertise as a 3D printer manufacturer. It includes a plethora of innovative and proprietary features that made it a state-of-the-art device in demand. 

Throughout this article, we’ll go over the features and specs of the X PRO’s later iteration, the PICASO DESIGNER X. In addition, we are going to highlight the pros and cons of having such a device, as well as present you with the most breathtaking use cases. Let’s dive right in.

 

PICASO 3D Designer X

Specifications

• Technology: FDM
• Frame: Steel, aluminum
• Slicing software: Polygon X
• Supported file formats: .stl, .plgx
• Extruder type: Single
• Build volume, mm: 200 х 200 х 210
• Min. layer height: 10 microns (0,01 mm)
• Filament diameter: 1,75±0,1
• Nozzle diameter, mm: 0,3 standard (0,2-0,8 optional)
• Max. heated bed temperature, °C: 150
• Heated bed material: Glass, aluminum
• Max. extruder temperature, °C: 410
• Max. print speed, cm³/h: 100
• Printable materials: ABS, PLA, HIPS, PVA, ULTRAN 630, ULTRAN 6130, ASA, ABS/PC, PET, PC, FRICTION, CAST, RELAX,ETERNAL, FLEX, RUBBER, SEALANT, PETG, AEROTEX, CERAMO, WAX, SBS, SBS PRO, PROTOTYPERSOFT, PRO-FLEX, TOTAL PRO, NYLON, PEEK
• Connectivity: Ethernet, USB
• Power supply: 220V±15% 50Hz (110V±15% 60Hz optional)
• Energy consumption, W: 400
• Package dimensions, mm: 690х500х470
• Dimensions, mm: 490х430х390
• Weight, kg: 15
• Price: $2,350.00   

 

3D Printer overview

The first 3D printer among the PICASO X lineup was the Designer X PRO, which was launched in the middle of 2016.

This professional desktop 3D printer offers everything that a potential customer can possibly dream of. Namely, a robust all-metal design, compatibility with most industrial-grade plastics including engineering ones, dual extrusion system, and a networking feature. 

For innovative features, there is the patented nozzle-switching technology called JetSwitch, which greatly decreases the time required to switch between the materials.

Making a single-extruder iteration was the right step to take, and just a year later, the company launched the PICASO 3D Designer X.

 

Features

Just like its predecessor, Designer X is a stylish and incredibly lightweight FFF/FDM 3D printer. Its neatly-looking appearance makes it a perfect addition for various interiors. The device will look great inside a garage, research lab, and industrial workshop.

The machine boasts its incredibly robust all-metal frame that eliminates vibrations during printing, resulting in increased reliability and much more precise outputs. Such steel construction makes the printer a bit heavier but is definitely worth the hassle.

The Designer X employs classic cartesian-style kinematics. Its heated bed moves up and down along the Z-axis and the guides, while the extruder moves along the X and Y axes.

The device’s print bed can be heated up to 150°C in the blink of an eye, making a printing session faster and more pleasant. Besides, it broadens the range of printable materials. 

 

Extruder

Being equipped with such a high-grade extruder is what truly makes this device a professional one.

First and foremost, it can be heated up to 410°C, making it compatible with a variety of filaments. Indeed, the PICASO Designer X can work with both easy-to-print materials such as the wax-based Filamentarno Wax, and engineering-grade plastics like PEEK.

There’s also a rumor that the extruder will soon receive an upgrade. The word is that you’ll be able to increase its maximum temperature even further — up to 450°C.

Secondly, the machine is equipped with a built-in Flow Control smart encoder. The encoder processes and corrects a lot of printing issues on the go. For instance, it deals with nozzle clogging, filament tangles, uneven filament diameter, and a variety of other related problems automatically.  

 

Setting Up the Printer

The device is really easy to set up and use. Place the filament spool into its dedicated place inside the build chamber, insert the filament into the extruder, heat it up, and print to your heart’s content.

 

Slicing Software

The printer is powered by Polygon X, a proprietary slicing software suite of a new generation.

This software has been designed to work with PICASO 3D machines. It offers a variety of advanced features and guarantees a smooth printing experience. 

The Polygon X allows you to effortlessly control even an entire PICASO 3D printing farm.

But the most significant advantage is a plethora of preset material profiles. You can create a new profile or select one of the premade ones.

Thus, the actual slicing and material choice can now be regarded as independent activities. If you already have the required G-code, all that’s left to do is to pick the material you want using the printer interface. There’s no need to go over the slicing again since print requests aren’t connected to the materials.

 

Illumination

The Designer X offers an Illumination feature that simplifies user interactions allowing to easily tell the current stage of the printing process. White illumination means that the printing is currently in progress, yellow that there is an error, and green indicates that the model has been successfully built. The Polygon X will also notify the user about the above-mentioned stages accordingly. 

 

Printing with High-Performance Plastics

Yes, it can print with PEEK! The Polyetheretherketone-based filaments melt at 400°C, making the Designer X compatible with this engineering-grade plastic. 

After running a 3-hour test print, we were glad to conclude that the Designer X is equipped with an incredibly powerful extruder which is perfect for printing with PEEK. Such compatibility allows for the professional production of durable parts with remarkable mechanical properties. 

 

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Optimal price-performance ratio
• Enclosed and robust all-metal design
• Ability to print with engineering-grade plastics 
• Preset profiles with the best material settings, first layer print control, advanced notifications
• Simultaneous production on several PICASO devices via the networking feature
• 2-year warranty

Cons

• Single extruder
• Average build volume

 

Use Cases

 

Bottom Line

The PICASO 3D is a Russian manufacturer of state-of-the-art 3D printers. Talking about functionality and features, the devices of PICASO 3D are on par with those of the international additive manufacturing market’s biggest players. Unlike many of the Chinese manufacturers that run their business by implementing a simple “copy-and-paste” strategy, the PICASO 3D team refines and improves the additive manufacturing world itself by creating game-changing proprietary solutions that simplify and accelerate the printing process.

You can purchase the PICASO 3D Designer X at Top 3D Shop. This professional multi-purpose device comes with the manufacturer’s warranty. In addition, our team will make sure to provide the best service possible, just like we always do.