Mingda Magician X2 Review: New Style, Same Printer
I was looking forward to seeing Magician X’s Mingda sequel last year, a printer I dearly loved.of Magician X2 fixed some early flaws Additionally, a PEI-coated flex plate is included for easy print removal, enhanced part cooling, and easier maintenance.
It still has features that I really liked, like full-size SD cards and the option to use USB sticks for file transfers. Plus, it has a simple menu layout and dual extruders with amazing grip. The X2 gets a fashionable makeover with a sleek blue logo and a glowing LED light that doubles as a heat gauge.
One area where Mingda has miscalculated is the growing trend for faster printers. The Magician X2 prints great with the same majestic pace as last year’s machine. is it a flaw? Probably not, but magicians are far from magic if you’re into the new breed of speedsters. This is still a very good option for beginning tech learners, but it falls a little short compared to others. best 3d printer.
Specifications: Meidatsu Magician X2
build volume | 230 x 230 x 260 mm (9 x 9 x 10.25 inches) |
material | PLA/PETG/TPU (260 degrees) |
Extruder type | direct drive |
nozzle | .4mm V6 |
Building a platform | PEI spring steel, heated |
filament runout sensor | yes |
bed leveling | auto touch sensor |
Connectivity | SD card, USB stick, USB-C |
interface | Color LED touch screen |
machine footprint | 460 x 430 x 546mm (18.1 x 16.9 x 21.4 inches) |
machine weight | 7.4 kg (16.3 lbs) |
Minda Magician X2: Included in the Box
Magician X comes with the tools you need to set up your printer. Also included is an extra nozzle, an extra Teflon tube, a plastic toolbox and a full size SD card. I have a small sample of white PLA to print my first model.
The SD card contains a PDF copy of the manual, a copy of Cura, and a sliced .gcode test file.
The printer does not come with snips for cutting filament, but they are readily available at your local hardware store.
Meitatsu Magician X2 Design
Magician X2 looks even better than before with its slim footprint and clean lines. The hotend has a splash of blue from the logo and incorporates a glowing LED light inside that provides illumination that changes color depending on the temperature of the nozzle. The light is blue when cold and changes through the rainbow until it is almost white at the printing temperature.
The X2 has a slot for a full-size SD card, as well as a USB C input and a standard USB port for memory sticks.
It features well-made machine features such as dual Z-rods for stable printing and direct-drive double gears for smooth filament loading. The stepper motor is quiet and so is the fan. The cables are tidy and look like something you’d find in a household appliance rather than a science project put together.
An automatic leveling system physically taps the bed at 16 points. I didn’t need to adjust the Z-height of the PLA. PETG required a little less squashing, so baby steps were used to correct the material as needed.
A significant improvement over last year’s design is the PEI flex plate. I suspect the design team just added magnets to the machine’s previous glass-retaining tray, but I’m not complaining. A big problem has been solved, thank you very much.
The display screen is still easy to read and in fact looks almost the same. The pictogram-like menu icons are arranged rationally and are easy to use.
Assemble the Mage X2
The Mingda Magician X2 follows the current trend of 90% pre-assembled printers, and the construction of this printer is exactly the same. The gantry slides into brackets on the base and is secured with six bolts, three of him on each side. The extruder is packed separately and needs to be attached to the X gantry with a few screws. Electrical connections are easy to classify and most plugs are an inch or two away from the connection point.
Minda Magician X2 Leveling
Magician X2 features an auto-leveling system where the nozzle physically contacts the build plate. The printer automatically warms up before leveling to ensure perfect readings.
To level the printer, from the main menu[水平]Choose. Tap his 16 points around the bed as the printer warms up. I didn’t have to adjust the Z height after leveling, but there is a command if you need to tweak the settings.
Load filament into Mingda Magician X2
Direct drive loading is very easy. Select Preheat and tap the type of filament you are using. The machine heats up pretty quickly, so you won’t have to wait long. Insert the filament into the loading hole at the top of the drive. Then tap the load button on the screen. Increase the amount of forward movement to 10mm while keeping the speed at normal.
Magician X2 has no reverse. Minda recommends only driving the drive forward to avoid sticking hot filament clumps to the extruder. This is good advice for any direct drive.
File/software preparation for Mingda Magician X2
Magician X2 comes with a copy of Cura 5.2 and a custom profile of PLA. Magician X is already loaded in the printer list and ready to use without any adjustments. PrusaSlicer doesn’t come with profiles, so you’ll have to set them up from scratch. However, it’s similar in size to the Ender 3, so you can use that as a base.
Printing with Mingda Magician X2
I started with one of the pre-sliced test prints (rabbit) and a sample coil of filament. No strings or issues, great result. Samples have a short shelf life, so stock up early. See our guide. Best filament for 3D printing Ask for suggestions before loading your cart.
Magician X2 needed to show off something magical, so he downloaded the Fotis Mint Gandalf bust for free from Printables.This will print as Canadian filament, granite PLA, is a very nice textured filament for printing statues. I used Magician’s default settings and a 0.16 layer height to really get the details. At 50mm/s it took him 10 hours and 6 minutes to print. It’s a little rough in places if you look closely, but it did a great job picking up all the hair and fabric details.
PETG was fine with the Magician X2. I was blown away when this baby dragon popped right out of his textured PEI sheet without using stick glue (or a hammer). The texture of this print is nice and smooth, but there was some stringiness between the corners.this was printed in Protopasta Candy Apple Red PETG, the layer height is 0.2 mm. It took 7 hours and 54 minutes to print at 50mm/s.
I found a can koozie print on TPU that will come in handy this summer. The Magician X2 printed this just fine and with “all combs” turned on there was no stringiness. Koozies remain transparent and have a great shine. The print took 7 hours and 43 minutes and was printed in Microcenter’s Inland Transparent Blue at a layer height of 0.2 mm and a speed of 40 mm/s.
Conclusion
Retail price is $349, Now on sale for $289, Mingda Magician X2 is an easy-to-use 3D printer with beautiful form and finish. It has all the ease of use you need in a great printer, including simple assembly, an easy-to-load direct drive, and a reliable automatic bed leveling system.
No speed upgrades, so no ripples in the current market. If you just want a simple printer that does the job well, the Magician X2 is a good buy.
If you’re looking for a less expensive printer with similar build size, auto-leveling, and direct drive, check out: Anycubic Kobra Go. Priced at $209, it’s the editor’s choice and our pick. Best budget printer.
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