5 notable open source 3D printers

Open source hardware and 3D printers go together like, well, open source hardware and 3D printers. Not only are 3D printers used to create all sorts of open source hardware—there are also a huge number of 3D printers that have been certified as open source by the Open Source Hardware Association. That fact means that they are freely available to improve and build upon.

There are plenty of open source 3D printers out there, with more being certified on a regular basis. Here’s a look at some of the latest.

BigFDM

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^{The BigFDM 3D printer by Daniele Ingrassia.}

German-designed and UAE-built, the Big FDM is both the second-newest and the biggest certified open 3D printer. It was certified on July 14, and has a massive 800x800x900mm printing area, making it possibly big enough to print a full replica of many of the other printers on this list.

Creatable 3D

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^{The Creatable 3D printer by Creatable Labs.}

Certified on July 30, the Creatable 3D is the most recently certified printer on this list. It is the only delta-style 3D printer, which is a design that makes it faster. It is also the first piece of certified open source hardware from South Korea, sporting the certification UID SK000001.

Ender CR-10

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^{The Ender CR-10 3D printer by Creality3d.}

Ender’s CR-10 is a well-known certified as open source 3D printer. That means that this Chinese 3D printer is fully documented and licensed to allow others to build upon it. Ender also certified its Ender 3 printer as open source hardware.

LulzBot TAZ Workhorse

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^{The LulzBot TAZ Workhorse by Aleph Objects.}

Colorado-based Aleph Objects—creators of the LulzBot line of 3D printers—is the most prolific certifier of open source 3D printers and printer components. Their TAZ Workhorse was just certified in June, making it the latest in a long line of printers and printer elements that LulzBot has certified as open source hardware. If you are in the market for a hot end, extruder, board, or pretty much any other 3D printer component, and want to make sure that it is certified open source hardware, you will likely find something from Aleph Objects in their certification directory.

Nautilus

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^{The Nautilus 3D printer by Hydra Research.}

Hydra Research’s Nautilus was just certified on July 10, making it the third-most recently certified printer of the bunch. It features removable build plates and a fully enclosed build area and hails from Oregon.

IC3D open source filament

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^{The IC3D Open Source Filament.}

What will you put in your open source 3D printer? Open source 3D printing filament, of course. Ohio’s IC3D certified a full line of open source 3D printing filament for all of your open source 3D printing needs, including their:

• ABS 3D Printing Filament
• PETG 3D Printing Filament
• PLA 3D Printing Filament