Afinia’s H479 3D printer has made a big impact on the consumer 3D printer market, namely because of the printer’s hassle-free plug-n-play capabilities. The H-Series 3D printer has just been given an upgrade with the new H480 model. From the looks of it, the new Afinia is similar to the old, in that it still has a build volume of 5 cubic inches and works straight out of the box with easy-to-use and install software for Mac and PC. What’s new with this model, however, is that it now has automatic bed leveling and nozzle height detection.
As the desktop 3D printer industry starts to mature, manufacturers are becoming well aware of the problems that users face. The Afinia H480 attempts to ease the problem of bed leveling with the magnetic attachment of a Platform Calibration Probe to the printer’s extruder head, which connects to the printer by data cable. In a process that only takes about two minutes, the probe measures the height of the build platform at nine points to make up for an uneven print surface. On top of that, the company has incorporated a nozzle height detection feature that replaces previous manual height adjustment methods. The nozzle is automatically calibrated to achieve the correct distance from the bed, in a process that takes about 20 seconds, to make sure that prints stick to the surface adequately for printing.
The 3D printer’s new upgrades will make it an even more consumer-friendly device, perfect for those who may wander into a RadioShack, after seeing one of their Super Bowl ads, looking for a 3D printer that works straight out of the box.
