Late last year, the popular Aquila line of 3D printers received an upgrade when Voxelab, a FlashForge subsidiary, introduced the Aquila S2. The S2 model, which offers many improvements over the previous generation, now has a direct-drive extruder with an all-metal hotend capable of reaching 300C, which is the printer’s standout feature. Here is our in-depth review of the Voxelab Aquila S2 3D printer, along with our assessment of whether this is the best 3D printer for beginners to start with or if you should look elsewhere. also you will learn our article on Voxelab Aquila review.
Design
The Creality Ender 3 Pro and Creality Ender V2, two wildly popular 3D printers that have inspired dozens of copies, have a lot in common with the Voxelab Aquila X2 in terms of design. The Aquila X2 uses a heated Carborundum glass bed and a build volume of 220 x 220 x 250mm, and it costs about $60 less than the Creality Ender 3 V2. These kinds of clones are fairly common, and the effectiveness of them is typically determined by how well the business manages the entire user experience. In order to remotely feed material to the hot end during printing, the Aquila X2 uses a Bowden extruder. In-line with the extruder module, a filament run-out sensor by Voxelab may detect disruptions and halt the print. With the help of this sensor, users may print with the assurance that the printer will pause just before it breaks, allowing them time to insert a fresh spool of material. A surprising useful addition, the little PTFE tube prevents the filament from curling and from feeding improperly into the extruder, which might frustrate a novice user. It runs from the run-out sensor to the extruder module. A tensioning knob is present on both the X and Y axes, and it is found at the tip of each extrusion. When generating prints without ringing or muting detail on sharp corners, these knobs add or reduce tension from the X and Y belts. The more expensive Ender 3 V2 has this feature, but the Ender 3 Pro does not. Voxelab is clearly positioning the Aquila X2 as a competitor to the more expensive Ender 3 V2 rather than the similarly priced Ender 3 Pro by including these tensioning knobs on this printer. A component cooling fan installed on the right that blows cool air over the printed module and a heat break cooling fan mounted over the hot end are both parts of the hot end module. This is by far the least appealing aspect of the Aquila X2 due to the distractingly loud noise these fans produce. This printer’s silent stepper drivers offer a mechanical movement system that is almost soundless, but when the fans are operating, they make a hair dryer-like noise.
Voxelab Aquila review: Display
The Voxelab Aquila S2 will switch on and display four tabs along with the hotbed and nozzle temperatures as soon as the power is turned on. You may access the models that are stored on the microSD card under the first option, Print. The second tab, Control, allows you to load or unload filament, preheat the extruder for ABS or PLA, change the extruder’s position, and cool it down. Setting the Nozzle, Hotbed, Fan Speed, Parameters for PLA and ABS, Motion Settings, Language, Read, and Configuration Reset options are all available on the Settings tab, which is the third tab. The fourth tab, which will display some general information about the device, is the last one. Although pressing the knob (for the Enter function) causes the entire display to move, and we are not particularly fond of the high-pitched noise it makes when an action is being registered, the knob is very satisfying to use.
Software
The provided compiling programme is straightforward yet effective. The options on the left side can be used to alter a 3D file after it has been loaded. The software can assist with prints that have a significant overhang by adding supports. The supports come in two varieties: linear or tree. An illustration of a tree support is shown above. The supports will break off after the print is finished, helping to keep the print from sagging. also you will check our article on Voxelab Aquila review. Simple and expert printing modes are available. Beginners will benefit greatly from the basic mode, which simplifies the available options to eliminate confusion. The user can change almost any printer setting they want using the expert mode. All you have to do to begin printing is connect the printer to a computer or save the configuration to a micro SD card.
Voxelab Aquila review: Performance
The SD card contains the necessary settings and profiles in addition to the slicing programs Cura and Voxelmaker. To build models layer by layer, 3D models are converted into instructions that the printer can understand using slicing software. Since Cura is essentially the industry standard for 3D printer slicing software, we chose to use it. It was an earlier version of Cura, as is typical, therefore for this review we got the most recent version. To configure a new printer in Cura, some basic setup is necessary, but following the given instructions, this process only took a few minutes. As is customary, the first model we tried to print was a 3DBenchy, an entertaining torture test created to aid in calibrating 3D printers. Without using a raft or brim, the Aquila S2 was able to print the part successfully the first time. The outcome was astonishingly flawless, free of obvious flaws like stringing. Many settings, including z-offset and print speed, can be changed instantly from the control interface while a print is running. This can be helpful for experimenting, but for consistency, these parameters should be entered more permanently in Cura once they have been found. We tried printing a wide range of models, including many with articulated print-in-place joints, to thoroughly test its accuracy. The outcomes were also excellent. The S2 allegedly generates 50dB of noise when operating normally, according to Voxelab. We couldn’t measure this, however we routinely worked with the printer on our desk while doing calls via video conferencing without any issues. The S2 has silent stepper drives, so the cooling fans make up the majority of the noise, which can be easily muffled by Teams and Zoom’s noise-cancelling features, making it ideal for long-running prints. However, we don’t advise sleeping in the same room as a running printer!
Calibrating and Leveling
With the Voxelab Aquila X2, you can manually adjust the height between the build platform and the nozzle by turning four thumbscrews. To calibrate the printer properly, each of the thumbscrews on each corner of the bed must be turned manually while trimming the nozzle over the bed. On less expensive 3D printers, this manual procedure is typical, and the Aquila X2 is no exception. It seems like Voxelab missed an opportunity to give the Aquila X2 a competitive edge by incorporating an automated process because advances in 3D printing technology have made semi-automated (or fully automated) levelling more prevalent. In contrast to the fully automated Anycubic Vyper, the Flashforge Adventurer 3 Lite employs a manual process that directs users. These printers are only marginally more expensive, and the Aquila X2 would have distinguished itself from the competition rather than blending in.
Voxelab Aquila review: Safety
Due to the original Voxelab Aquila’s failure of the precautionary power off feature when a temperature error occurred, it caused significant ripples in the 3D printing community. The Nation N32G455 and Aquila 6.1.1 firmware on our test device do not exhibit this fire-hazardous behaviour. The heating elements safely shut off when the thermistors are shorted out as well as when the heating process is altered using cold rags or soldering irons. However, we advise verifying the protective shutdown. For instance, the brass nozzle can be heated to 60 °C (140 °F) while being held at that temperature with a damp cloth. A warning tone should sound after a brief period, and the nozzle should then cool.
Print quality
Several pre-sliced.gcode files are already loaded onto the accompanying microSD card so you can test the Voxelab Aquila X2 right away. The ‘TestHook-pla.gcode’ model was the first one we printed, and it took Prusa Silver PLA roughly 40 minutes to complete. A text editor check of the.gcode file reveals that it was created in September of 2020 with the help of “ffslicer 1.27.0.” This model was cut with a base print speed of 50mm/sec, a layer height of.2mm, and a density of 15% hexagonal infill. The test print was of the highest calibre, and the model’s vertical sidewalls particularly won us over. The vertical walls felt smooth and even, and the hook was band-free. Using a shiny material (like this Prusa Silver PLA) has the tendency to draw attention to flaws, making the even layers on this hook even more obvious. However, there were gaps between the toolpaths and it appeared that the top layer had been slightly under extruded. you will read our article on Voxelab Aquila review. Several geometrical shapes that print on a plate are included in the “Aquila Test model.gcode” file and can be used to highlight different calibration-related elements. The hollow cylinder confirms lamination on concentric contours, the arc shows the ability to print a large overhang, the pyramid shape confirms that the cooling fan is cooling the layers properly and not melting small features, and the plate itself demonstrates a smooth top layer.
Price and availability
You can still get the original Aquila basic model online for about £160. Only the high-temperature hotend and PEI build plate—which can be upgraded to match for a less expensive overall price—distinguish this from the S2 model. However, the S2 is worth the extra cost for the convenience it provides for those who are new to 3D printing or who lack the confidence to carry out these upgrades, install custom firmwares, and calibrate steps.
Voxelab Aquila review: Conclusion
If this is your first 3D printer, you’re going to have a really terrific time once you’ve finished assembling it. Although its relatively easy assembly could be challenging if you’re unfamiliar with 3D printing and 3D printers, it’s a long cry from the nuts-and-bolts complexity of being a kit. However, once it has been put together and calibrated, expect to see some great prints, especially in PLA. Despite not being everyone’s cup of tea, the VoxelMaker software has a place as a straightforward, user-friendly slicer for those just getting started with 3D printing. 3D printers shouldn’t be bound to a single exclusive slicer unless that slicer has something unique up its sleeve.
