The LulzBot Mini 2 ($1,500) bears a strong resemblance to its predecessor, the LulzBot Mini—our first Editors' Choice mid-priced 3D printer—while increasing its print volume, and adding three key things: an improved extruder head, an LCD, and quieter motors.
While it doesn't quite unseat the Dremel DigiLab 3D45, our current Editors' Choice, it gets kudos for its easy setup process, smooth user experience, and wide range of supported filament flavors.
This makes it a good choice for schools and hobbyists, as well as consumers willing to invest in a more powerful and versatile machine than entry-level models like the XYZprinting da Vinci Mini.
Sizing Up the Lulzbot Mini 2
The Mini 2 and other LulzBot printers are made by Aleph Objects, a Colorado-based company that is committed to Libre Innovation, which means the hardware and software it creates is free to be copied, modified, and converted by all users.
The black, steel-framed LulzBot Mini 2 measures 24 by 18 by 13 inches (HWD) with a 1kg filament spool attached, and it weighs 26.5 pounds.
It has an open frame, meaning that it has no front door, sides, or top.
Its build area is 7.1 by 6.3 by 6.3 inches, 20 percent larger than that of the LulzBot Mini but smaller than the area on the Dremel DigiLab 3D45.
Setting up the LulzBot Mini is simple enough.
You unpack it, and remove some foam-rubber blocks inserted between components (to prevent them from shifting during shipping).
You then download and install the software (Cura LulzBot Edition) to your computer, and connect the included USB cable and power cord.
When you open the software, a 3D test file, Rocktopus (an octopus with an upraised front tentacle ending in fingers making the classic "rock on!" hand-horns), is visible on the screen.
The next step is to remove old filament from the extruder.
(There should be a few inches of filament, left over from when Aleph Objects printed a test object, protruding from the top of the print head assembly.) Removing it, and adding a spool of fresh filament, is easily done once you've installed the Cura software by following the instructions in the quick-start guide.
The hardest part of the process is squeezing hard enough on a clamp to let you remove or insert the filament.
Like other LulzBot (and also Ultimaker) printers, the LulzBot Mini 2 uses 2.85mm (commonly referred to as 3mm) filament, the thicker of the two most common filament diameters.
(Most 3D printers use thinner 1.75mm filament.) The printer can work with a range of filaments that goes far beyond the acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polylactic acid (PLA) typically used in 3D printing.
We printed using PolyLite PLA by Polymaker, supplied to us by Aleph Objects; it is one of a large number of 3mm filaments—of different compositions and from various manufacturers—that the company sells on its website.
The Mini 2 has a spool holder on an arm that extends above the printer.
It can fit most any size of filament spool.
This is a strong point, as many 3D printers only fit their company's proprietary spools.
Here, you can use third-party filament, as well.
The only filament included with the LulzBot Mini 2 is a 1-meter test length of the PolyLite PLA.
Cura: Powerful Open-Source Software
The LulzBot Mini 2 uses the latest version of the Cura LulzBot Edition, a version of the open-source Cura 3D-printing software that's been optimized for use with LulzBot printers.
Cura is powerful and versatile.
When you open the program, the left side of the screen is taken up by a graphic representing the print bed, with any objects you have loaded appearing to scale on the bed.
At the top of the screen you'll see two tabs: Prepare, and Monitor.
From the Prepare tab, you can pick an object file to print, display it on the screen, resize it, set the type of filament, designate the resolution (and a number of other print settings), slice the object file into layers, and finally launch the print.
Once you've hit the print command, the screen changes to the Monitor view.
There, the view of the print bed is grayed out, and you can see temperatures for the extruder and print bed, as well as view the print's progress.
The progress feature shows the percent that has been printed and the time until the print is complete, although first you have to hit a second Start Print button before the print will commence.
Among the parameters you can set from the Prepare tab are Material, Category, and Profile.
Under Material, from a pull-down menu, you can choose from some three dozen filament types and brands, while under Category, you can choose your 3D-printing experience level (from expert to beginner), which will determine the choices you are presented with.
Finally, Profile presents three presets for High Detail (180 microns), Standard (250 microns), and High Speed (380 microns), with Standard as the default.
Print Setup lets you tweak a huge number of settings to fine-tune your printing.
No Alignment Required
Like most recent 3D printers, the Lulzbot Mini 2 automatically sets the extruder height and makes sure the print bed is leveled before each print.
The extruder moves to nine points on the print bed in turn, and it descends until it touches the bed at each point.
Like the original LulzBot Mini, the LulzBot Mini 2 supports direct USB connection with a computer.
It also adds SD-card connectivity with the help of a monochrome LCD screen with an SD-card slot.
But although it's a step up from the original, these choices are relatively sparse when compared with many current 3D printers.
With the Dremel 3D45, for instance, you can print from a computer over USB, Ethernet, or Wi-Fi connections, as well as from a USB thumb drive.
Easy Object Removal (Sometimes Too Easy)
All too frequently with today's 3D printers, objects adhere to the print bed so stubbornly that it's an onerous task to remove them.
Not so with the Lulzbot Mini 2, which presented the opposite issue, in that objects would occasionally pull off the print bed with the job in progress.
This happened in my first two attempts to print one relatively tall and thin test object.
About halfway through the job, the base would pull free of the bed, the object would topple, and the printer would continue to extrude a spaghetti-like tangle of filament.
The second time, I applied glue to the build platform with a glue stick, which often helps objects to adhere to print beds while printing.
It was able to print nearly an inch higher than my original test print, but the base eventually pulled free on that attempt, too.
The troubleshooting section in the Lulzbot Mini 2 user guide suggests changing the settings to add material to the base, in the form of either a brim (a thin mat of plastic) or a raft (a larger and thicker mat).
The idea is to increase adhesion.
So I added a brim, and this time the object printed successfully.
Some 3D printers add supports such as rafts or brims automatically in their software when preparing a file for printing.
Not all of the test prints of that same object that I've made using other printers needed a brim or a raft to print successfully.
But based on my experience, it should be easy enough to add appropriate support, should an object you're trying to print pull free prematurely.
Firing Up Some Test Prints...
I printed 10 test objects with the Lulzbot Mini 2, one at the High Detail quality setting, the rest at Standard quality.
The difference between the object I printed at High Detail and the same object printed at Standard was subtle enough that I'd be disinclined to use High Quality, which takes considerably longer, unless there was a compelling reason.
Overall output quality was decent, though not extraordinary.
One test print I use, in which text and geometric shapes are raised out of a nearly vertical surface, was a mixed bag.
Although most of the shapes were reasonably well formed, some thin vertical surfaces were lost altogether, and the quality of text printing was below average.
(That was the same print that had twice failed, but the issues were constant even in the successful print.)
The Mini 2 has an open frame, giving you an unobstructed view of the printing process, as well as easy reach-in access to the print bed.
Open frames have downsides, though.
There exists the potential for someone to reach in, touch the extruder's hot end, and sustain a burn.
Fortunately, the nozzle extends only a short distance beneath the extruder assembly, so it's unlikely that anyone would remain in contact with it for more than an instant.
Also, some filaments can emit unpleasant odors when melted—that's a common complaint about ABS—and this is particularly apparent with open-frame printers that do not have a surrounding structure to contain the odor.
I noticed a faint, but not unpleasant, smell with the PolyLite PLA that Aleph Objects supplied for our test printing.
One area in which I see (or rather, hear) distinct improvement with the Lulzbot Mini 2 versus the original is in noise: There's a lot less of it.
Aleph Objects credits improved electronics and quieter motors for this.
This Mini Goes (Almost!) to the Max
More than three years have passed since we named the original LulzBot Mini ( at Amazon) our first Editors' Choice for midprice 3D printers.
While the LulzBot Mini 2 could easily be mistaken for the original at a glance, much has changed—including the addition of an LCD with an SD-card slot, the redesigned extruder, the 20 percent larger build area, and the quieter motors, which are all welcome improvements.
Still, the LulzBot Mini 2 couldn't quite shape up to our current Editors' Choice, the Dremel DigiLab 3D45, in print quality or consistency.
The DigiLab 3D45, which also has a larger build area and more connection choices, retains our Editors' Choice, but the LulzBot Mini 2 proves itself to be not far behind it, and a very capable midrange 3D printer for hobbyists and schools.
Pros
Easy to set up and use.
Powerful software.
Quiet operation.
Supports a variety of filament types.
LCD with SD-card slot.
Self-leveling print bed.
Easy to remove finished objects from print bed.
Works with Windows, macOS X, and Linux.
View More
Cons
Print quality inconsistent at times.
No bundled filament.
Open frame increases risk of burns from a hot extruder.
Relatively sparse connectivity options.
View More
The Bottom Line
The LulzBot Mini 2 is easy to use and works with a variety of filament types.
It's a good choice for schools and hobbyists, and anyone willing to invest in a powerful and versatile 3D printer.
The LulzBot Mini 2 ($1,500) bears a strong resemblance to its predecessor, the LulzBot Mini—our first Editors' Choice mid-priced 3D printer—while increasing its print volume, and adding three key things: an improved extruder head, an LCD, and quieter motors.
While it doesn't quite unseat the Dremel DigiLab 3D45, our current Editors' Choice, it gets kudos for its easy setup process, smooth user experience, and wide range of supported filament flavors.
This makes it a good choice for schools and hobbyists, as well as consumers willing to invest in a more powerful and versatile machine than entry-level models like the XYZprinting da Vinci Mini.
Sizing Up the Lulzbot Mini 2
The Mini 2 and other LulzBot printers are made by Aleph Objects, a Colorado-based company that is committed to Libre Innovation, which means the hardware and software it creates is free to be copied, modified, and converted by all users.
The black, steel-framed LulzBot Mini 2 measures 24 by 18 by 13 inches (HWD) with a 1kg filament spool attached, and it weighs 26.5 pounds.
It has an open frame, meaning that it has no front door, sides, or top.
Its build area is 7.1 by 6.3 by 6.3 inches, 20 percent larger than that of the LulzBot Mini but smaller than the area on the Dremel DigiLab 3D45.
Setting up the LulzBot Mini is simple enough.
You unpack it, and remove some foam-rubber blocks inserted between components (to prevent them from shifting during shipping).
You then download and install the software (Cura LulzBot Edition) to your computer, and connect the included USB cable and power cord.
When you open the software, a 3D test file, Rocktopus (an octopus with an upraised front tentacle ending in fingers making the classic "rock on!" hand-horns), is visible on the screen.
The next step is to remove old filament from the extruder.
(There should be a few inches of filament, left over from when Aleph Objects printed a test object, protruding from the top of the print head assembly.) Removing it, and adding a spool of fresh filament, is easily done once you've installed the Cura software by following the instructions in the quick-start guide.
The hardest part of the process is squeezing hard enough on a clamp to let you remove or insert the filament.
Like other LulzBot (and also Ultimaker) printers, the LulzBot Mini 2 uses 2.85mm (commonly referred to as 3mm) filament, the thicker of the two most common filament diameters.
(Most 3D printers use thinner 1.75mm filament.) The printer can work with a range of filaments that goes far beyond the acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polylactic acid (PLA) typically used in 3D printing.
We printed using PolyLite PLA by Polymaker, supplied to us by Aleph Objects; it is one of a large number of 3mm filaments—of different compositions and from various manufacturers—that the company sells on its website.
The Mini 2 has a spool holder on an arm that extends above the printer.
It can fit most any size of filament spool.
This is a strong point, as many 3D printers only fit their company's proprietary spools.
Here, you can use third-party filament, as well.
The only filament included with the LulzBot Mini 2 is a 1-meter test length of the PolyLite PLA.
Cura: Powerful Open-Source Software
The LulzBot Mini 2 uses the latest version of the Cura LulzBot Edition, a version of the open-source Cura 3D-printing software that's been optimized for use with LulzBot printers.
Cura is powerful and versatile.
When you open the program, the left side of the screen is taken up by a graphic representing the print bed, with any objects you have loaded appearing to scale on the bed.
At the top of the screen you'll see two tabs: Prepare, and Monitor.
From the Prepare tab, you can pick an object file to print, display it on the screen, resize it, set the type of filament, designate the resolution (and a number of other print settings), slice the object file into layers, and finally launch the print.
Once you've hit the print command, the screen changes to the Monitor view.
There, the view of the print bed is grayed out, and you can see temperatures for the extruder and print bed, as well as view the print's progress.
The progress feature shows the percent that has been printed and the time until the print is complete, although first you have to hit a second Start Print button before the print will commence.
Among the parameters you can set from the Prepare tab are Material, Category, and Profile.
Under Material, from a pull-down menu, you can choose from some three dozen filament types and brands, while under Category, you can choose your 3D-printing experience level (from expert to beginner), which will determine the choices you are presented with.
Finally, Profile presents three presets for High Detail (180 microns), Standard (250 microns), and High Speed (380 microns), with Standard as the default.
Print Setup lets you tweak a huge number of settings to fine-tune your printing.
No Alignment Required
Like most recent 3D printers, the Lulzbot Mini 2 automatically sets the extruder height and makes sure the print bed is leveled before each print.
The extruder moves to nine points on the print bed in turn, and it descends until it touches the bed at each point.
Like the original LulzBot Mini, the LulzBot Mini 2 supports direct USB connection with a computer.
It also adds SD-card connectivity with the help of a monochrome LCD screen with an SD-card slot.
But although it's a step up from the original, these choices are relatively sparse when compared with many current 3D printers.
With the Dremel 3D45, for instance, you can print from a computer over USB, Ethernet, or Wi-Fi connections, as well as from a USB thumb drive.
Easy Object Removal (Sometimes Too Easy)
All too frequently with today's 3D printers, objects adhere to the print bed so stubbornly that it's an onerous task to remove them.
Not so with the Lulzbot Mini 2, which presented the opposite issue, in that objects would occasionally pull off the print bed with the job in progress.
This happened in my first two attempts to print one relatively tall and thin test object.
About halfway through the job, the base would pull free of the bed, the object would topple, and the printer would continue to extrude a spaghetti-like tangle of filament.
The second time, I applied glue to the build platform with a glue stick, which often helps objects to adhere to print beds while printing.
It was able to print nearly an inch higher than my original test print, but the base eventually pulled free on that attempt, too.
The troubleshooting section in the Lulzbot Mini 2 user guide suggests changing the settings to add material to the base, in the form of either a brim (a thin mat of plastic) or a raft (a larger and thicker mat).
The idea is to increase adhesion.
So I added a brim, and this time the object printed successfully.
Some 3D printers add supports such as rafts or brims automatically in their software when preparing a file for printing.
Not all of the test prints of that same object that I've made using other printers needed a brim or a raft to print successfully.
But based on my experience, it should be easy enough to add appropriate support, should an object you're trying to print pull free prematurely.
Firing Up Some Test Prints...
I printed 10 test objects with the Lulzbot Mini 2, one at the High Detail quality setting, the rest at Standard quality.
The difference between the object I printed at High Detail and the same object printed at Standard was subtle enough that I'd be disinclined to use High Quality, which takes considerably longer, unless there was a compelling reason.
Overall output quality was decent, though not extraordinary.
One test print I use, in which text and geometric shapes are raised out of a nearly vertical surface, was a mixed bag.
Although most of the shapes were reasonably well formed, some thin vertical surfaces were lost altogether, and the quality of text printing was below average.
(That was the same print that had twice failed, but the issues were constant even in the successful print.)
The Mini 2 has an open frame, giving you an unobstructed view of the printing process, as well as easy reach-in access to the print bed.
Open frames have downsides, though.
There exists the potential for someone to reach in, touch the extruder's hot end, and sustain a burn.
Fortunately, the nozzle extends only a short distance beneath the extruder assembly, so it's unlikely that anyone would remain in contact with it for more than an instant.
Also, some filaments can emit unpleasant odors when melted—that's a common complaint about ABS—and this is particularly apparent with open-frame printers that do not have a surrounding structure to contain the odor.
I noticed a faint, but not unpleasant, smell with the PolyLite PLA that Aleph Objects supplied for our test printing.
One area in which I see (or rather, hear) distinct improvement with the Lulzbot Mini 2 versus the original is in noise: There's a lot less of it.
Aleph Objects credits improved electronics and quieter motors for this.
This Mini Goes (Almost!) to the Max
More than three years have passed since we named the original LulzBot Mini ( at Amazon) our first Editors' Choice for midprice 3D printers.
While the LulzBot Mini 2 could easily be mistaken for the original at a glance, much has changed—including the addition of an LCD with an SD-card slot, the redesigned extruder, the 20 percent larger build area, and the quieter motors, which are all welcome improvements.
Still, the LulzBot Mini 2 couldn't quite shape up to our current Editors' Choice, the Dremel DigiLab 3D45, in print quality or consistency.
The DigiLab 3D45, which also has a larger build area and more connection choices, retains our Editors' Choice, but the LulzBot Mini 2 proves itself to be not far behind it, and a very capable midrange 3D printer for hobbyists and schools.
Pros
Easy to set up and use.
Powerful software.
Quiet operation.
Supports a variety of filament types.
LCD with SD-card slot.
Self-leveling print bed.
Easy to remove finished objects from print bed.
Works with Windows, macOS X, and Linux.
View More
Cons
Print quality inconsistent at times.
No bundled filament.
Open frame increases risk of burns from a hot extruder.
Relatively sparse connectivity options.
View More
The Bottom Line
The LulzBot Mini 2 is easy to use and works with a variety of filament types.
It's a good choice for schools and hobbyists, and anyone willing to invest in a powerful and versatile 3D printer.
