AnkerMake M5 3D printer

Features

Overview: The AnkerMake M5 3D Printer (V8111) lets you create and print three-dimensional items up to 9-1/4" x 9-3/4" x 9-1/4" (W x H x D). It has a single extruder design with a 0.4mm nozzle, and is compatible with 1.75mm diameter filaments made of PLA, PETG, TPU, or ABS. The printer features a sturdy Aluminum Alloy frame with an auto-leveling heated build plate. The built-in 4.3" touchscreen display gives you fingertip control of your printer and print jobs. The M5 requires some assembly, and comes with the required hardware and tools you need, plus a sample spool of PLA+ filament to get you started. The printer is compact enough to fit on your desk with a footprint of only 16-13/16" x 17-1/4."

Speeds: The M5 offers two printing speeds: Normal Mode and Fast Mode. Normal Mode speed is 250mm per second (mm/s), with an acceleration rate of 2500mm/s². Fast Mode speed is 500mm/s with a 5000mm/s². To enable Fast Mode printing, you must upgrade the printer's firmware to version 2.0.93_2.0.72 or above. The AnkerMake Slicer software must be at version V0.9.22_3 or above, and the AnkerMake mobile app (iOS or Android) at version V1.0.7 or above.

Compatible Filaments: The M5 3D printer is an FDM (fused deposition modeling) printer that can use a variety of filament types:

• PLA (including PLA+): The included sample and the AnkerMake accessory filaments are made of PLA+, which is 1.5x stronger than standard PLA (Polylactic acid). AnkerMake PLA+ filament is made of earth-friendly, non-toxic biomaterials extracted from corn.
• PETG: PETG is Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) plus glycol, a thermoplastic polyester that is a tough, durable, and flexible material for 3D printing.
• TPU: TPU (ThermoPlastic Polyurethane) is a soft, flexible material for making stretchy 3D models.
• ABS: ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is likely the earliest commonly-used filament for 3D printers. It is tough and durable, and has great mechanical properties.

PowerBoost™ 2.0: The M5 3D Printer features PowerBoost 2.0, an upgraded motion-control system that enables fast printing speeds. A powerful stepper motor and a double-belted driveshaft gradually increase the printing speed and acceleration without sacrificing print quality. The S-smoothing algorithm in the firmware reduces inertia and jerking for better accuracy, and suppresses vibrations during high-speed printing. The algorithm adjusts the pulse frequency of the stepper motor in real time based on motion planning to increase the power release by 30%, compared to PowerBoost 1.0.

Magnetic Flexible Heatplate: The printer's removable soft magnetic heatplate is made of flexible, scratch-resistant PEI. After your print project cools down, you can easily remove the heatplate and give it a slight bend to remove your model. The magnetic design of the heatplate lets you remove and replace the print sheet with ease.

Auto-Leveling: Calibrating the heatbed is essential for producing successful 3D prints. The distance between the nozzle and the heatbed must be constant, or else your prints will be misshapen or warped, or will fail altogether. The heatbed on the M5 features 49 leveling points in a 7x7 grid for proper leveling. Using the touchscreen, you can properly calibrate the heatbed before beginning your print job.

Extruder: The AnkerMake M5 is equipped with a new, redesigned Ultra-Direct Extruder, which melts the filament and forces it through the nozzle onto the print bed at 0.1mm precision. The distance from the extruder gear to the top of the melting chamber has been reduced to just 58mm (2.28"), compared to 400mm (15.75") on other distal extrusion 3D printers. This much shorter distance between the extruder and the nozzle reduces errors and enhances control. The extruder has a multi-stage gear system that has a reduction ratio of 9.37 results in 3.1x faster extrusion. (Regular 3D printers have extruders with reduction ratios of 3.0 to 3.5.) The strong 0.8 Nm of torque puts twisting pressure on the melting chamber to make extrusion faster. The extruder has a larger heating block and a nozzle temperature of 392°F to melt the filament 1.5x faster than other printers. Dual fans push out 1.3x the air output volume of other single-fan printers for faster cooling and reduced stringing.

Processing: The M5 features two processors: the Dual XBurst™ 1.2GHz + XBurst 0 240MHz CPU for intelligent 3D printing, and the Marlin CPU for routine processing. The XBurst processor is specialized for image recognition, so it can keep track of your prints so your model comes out exactly like your design.

Resume Printing: The printer supports Resume Printing, allowing you to continue printing your model instead of having to start over. If the power goes off, or some other interruption occurs, the printer saves the current layer and resumes the print when you're ready to continue.

Monitoring Camera: The M5 has a built-in 1080p/30 fps camera that not only provides real-time monitoring of your printing job, but allows you to create time-lapse videos that you can save and share with others. Using the AnkerMake app, you can check the progress of your 3D print on your smartphone or tablet at any time, even in the dark (with the built-in infrared and white light LEDs). The AI camera, with the help of the software and CPU, continually checks your 3D model and compares it to the design file, and can detect when errors occur, such as failing to stick to the print bed, extruder jams, broken filaments, and "spaghetti" issues. You'll be notified when errors occur and the printer auto-pauses the print job to save you time and prevents wasting of filament. Time lapse videos are recorded at 1080p, while live monitoring is done at 720p resolution.

Assembly: The 3D printer comes in two main parts that need to be assembled prior to printing. The base provides a solid foundation for the printer, and contains the heatbed which moves forward-and-backward. The gantry frame holds the extruder and print nozzle which moves left-to-right as well as up-and-down. The legs of the extruder fit into the holes provided in the base and bolts down with the included screws. The included filament holder can be attached to the gantry frame either at the top or to the left side. There are some motor cables and USB cables that should be plugged in after the gantry frame is installed. The filament spool hangs from the holder with the filament entering the extruder from the left side. When you have downloaded and installed the software, you are ready to print. Assembly takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.

Wireless Connections: You can connect to the Anker M5 3D printer wirelessly via Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz) or Bluetooth. The printer can be controlled remotely from your smartphone (AnkerMake app for iOS/Android) or computer (AnkerMake Slicer software for Windows/Mac). The printer can also be controlled via Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant using voice commands.

Importing Files: The M5 3D printer will accept STL and OBJ file formats. There are three options for importing files to be printed:

• USB Flash Drive: A USB-C flash drive with printing files can be plugged into the printer's USB-C port (on the top of the LCD screen housing). The printer display will show you the available files for you to select.
• AnkerMake App: The Gcode printing file can be transferred through the AnkerMake app on your smartphone.
• AnkerMake Slicer: The Gcode printing file can be transferred through the AnkerMake Slicer software on your PC or Mac.

Software/Apps: The AnkerMake M5 3D printer can be controlled and monitored with your smartphone running the AnkerMake mobile app. The app lets you monitor live video of your prints in real time in HD quality (720p), while capturing timelapse video that you can share on social media. The app also gives you real-time AI-generated alerts when printing errors occur. The AnkerMake mobile app works with iPhone and iPod touch running iOS 11.0 or later and with Android devices running Android 6.0 and up. AnkerMake Slicer is the official 3D Printing software and gives you full control of your 3D printing. It is compatible with Windows 7 and up (with 64-bit processors) and for macOS Big Sur 11.0 or later. The M5 is also compatible with Ultimaker Cura and PrusaSlicer software.

Specifications:

• Maximum Print Volume (WxHxD): 235 x 250 x 235 mm³ (9-1/4" x 9-3/4" x 9-1/4")
• Speeds:
  • Normal Mode: 250mm/s, 2500mm/s² (acceleration)
  • Fast Mode: 500mm/s, 5000mm/s² (acceleration)
• Print Precision: +/- 0.1mm (based on 50x50x50mm box)
• Nozzle Diameter: 0.4mm (also compatible with 0.2mm, 0.6mm, and 0.8mm)
• Filament Diameter: 1.75mm
• Compatible Filament Materials: PLA (incl. PLA+), PETG, TPU, and ABS
• Extruder: Ultra Direct Extruder
• Extruder Temperature: Maximum 500°F (260°C)
• Heat Plate: PEI Soft Magnetic Steel
• Heat Plate Temperature: Maximum 212°F (100°C)
• Heat Plate Leveling: Auto-leveling 49 points (7 x 7)
• Operation Noise Level: 50dB
• Dimensions: Width 16.8125", Height 18.6875", Depth 17.25"
• Weight: 27.8 pounds