Monoprice Delta PRO Review: Large & Luxurious

Size certainly matters with this massive 3D printer. The print area allows for an impressive build volume of 270 mm x 300 mm. The print bed itself is triangular in nature with an insulated round heat bed underneath. You’ll want to be sure the print bed is properly fastened to the base of the printer before you begin operating it.

Once the machine is plugged up and ready to go, the auto-leveling feature is best used prior to your first build. The 3.5″ touchscreen allows users to navigate the settings of the printer somewhat easily, but a few of the symbols and menu features have presented some with issues. It appears to be cumbersome and not as straightforward as you’d expect from a printer at this price point.

There’s another option to connect with the printer over Wi-Fi. An important thing to note is that once the printer is synced to your network, it will create a second unprotected one of its own. Another option to connect is via the app, but without a built-in camera, there’s only a progress bar to be seen from the phone.

The accompanying KISSlicer software needs a bit of tinkering as it’s the beta version. However, Cura and Simplify3D have been used successfully even though the Delta Pro profiles aren’t yet available to those programs.

It’s safe to say this printer may not be for a beginning hobbyist, but once you get it up and running it’s a dynamic machine. The glass bed heats up fairly quickly along with the single extruder. The hot end is managed below the extruder itself with magnetic arms that you have to snap into place after removing the printer from the box. The hot end is brass and the extruder can be swapped out by loosening the screws unplugging it and changing it out for smaller hot ends.

The single extruder can be changed as well, but you might have some kinks with the Bowden tube depending on the filament you’re using. As far as filaments go, PLA works the best resulting in smoothly finished surfaces with barely visible layer lines. Monoprice boasts layer heights as narrow as 50 microns, which is the average with of a human hair. Should you decide to build with other exotic materials, the extruder has a tendency to get clogged but you have the option to swap it for an all-metal nozzle rather than the Teflon-lined extruder it comes assembled with.

The bonus here is that you can use third-party filaments with the Monoprice 3D printer instead of sticking to their proprietary brand. There’s also a filament sensor to alert you once it’s running low. Once you run a few builds and find the right settings per material, the builds should be fairly flawless.

Once you’ve followed the instructions to power up the printer, feed the filament through the sensor and into the extruder, it’s time to run the auto-leveling. The extruder and print bed temperatures can both be controlled through the touchscreen. Ensure the Z-carriages are tightened and adjusted to move at the same height and speed so your builds won’t experience any shifting in the layers.

The layer lines are practically nonexistent. It can handle geometries that are complex, tall, and intricate. Many of the builds can even be constructed without the assistance of support structures. Watching the hot end move around the diameter of the job is cool to watch and it doesn’t have to rely so heavily on the precision of the stepper motors like you would in a typical Cartesian printer. It’s also fairly quiet.

There isn’t much to assemble with this Monoprice juggernaut. The printer arrives in a large box. All you have to do is pull back the packaging. It stands at a healthy three feet tall and about a foot and a half wide. The sturdy aluminum structure is solidly built and sandblasted to feel soft to the touch.

The only minor assembly you have is to snap the magnetic connector arms into place from the hot end to the frame. You’ll also have to ensure the extruder is in place, but for the most part there isn’t much for you to do other than plug it in, load the filament, run the auto-leveling and go.

There are a wide variety of sources to assist you from the beginning of your 3D printer purchase through to operation, repairs, and exchanges. There’s a customer support number available, as well as reaching out to tech support via email.

The website provides some materials to help get you started and even troubleshoot some issues that may come up. You can also find the following support files available for the Delta Pro:

With a machine at this price point, it’s good to know there’s a 30-day moneyback guarantee. Expect that process to take anywhere from 7 to 10 business days. Beyond that, there’s a repair warranty that covers manufacturer defects for up to a year. Consumable items are not covered.

The responsiveness from customer service and tech support can use some work, but overall, the service is praised by the community of Monoprice owners.