3D printer Flusson T1: no one prints faster in tests

To describe the T1 well, we use an analogy. If it were about operating systems, the T1 would be the Linux of 3D printers. The Bamboo Lab X1 Carbon (test report) would be the Apple. Can do a lot more, does an incredible amount of things correctly – but it is less flexible and somehow too mainstream for some, while the T1 does a lot of things very differently. Better or worse? Hard to say. We would still advise beginners to reach for the Bamboo shelf. For all other people who like to edit configuration files, the T1 could be a real insider tip – for Currently 659 Euros,

Most of the 3D printers we have tested recently came to the editorial office either fully assembled or already assembled. The Flusson T1 is a big exception: the huge, flat box contains dozens of separate parts that you first have to assemble yourself. It took us three hours to do this, a record – hardly any other printer whose final assembly we did ourselves in the editorial office last year took us more than an hour. With the T1 you have to assemble the printer’s frame from separate parts, hang the mechanics, connect the plugs and then (be careful, fingers!) add the side windows made of plexiglass and the door made of real glass.

The big advantage: Because the T1 is so different from most other printers, you’ll at least know later how it all works. At least in testing we didn’t need this knowledge at all. Once assembled, the T1 perfectly executed everything we expected of it.

The large dimensions of the triangular housing are unusual: with a height of about 85 centimeters and an edge length of 44 to 50 centimeters, the T1 is a fairly large box compared to other printers. The height and size are due to the delta structure. And while we’re at it: One price to be paid for the incredibly high printing speed is the component cooler. The actual fan is not located on the print head as usual, but at the top of the housing. The air flow is led to the print head via a kind of vacuum cleaner hose. This is good for precision at high speeds because it reduces moving masses. Its price: The printer is as loud as a vacuum cleaner – and also has a comparable sound. Anyone who has a hobby cellar has no problem with this. However, if the printer is located near the living area, the high volume may be an exclusion criterion.

We show the structure of the Flussan T1 in detail in the following photo series:

As soon as the printer is set up, the high-resolution display guides the user to the first print. Selecting a language, setting up the WLAN, calibrating the printer and the print bed – all this can be done easily via the touchscreen interface leaving no questions unanswered. A handful of ready-made prints are already in memory, so you can do initial experiments without installing the slicer software – and just ten minutes after switching it on for the first time, the first Benchi is in the build space. We print a few models and then set out to print our objects by cutting them to our liking. The included USB stick includes the in-house Flusson slicer in a version for Windows and a version for Mac OS – we already know. And first of all you are in a bad mood.

Because: Many 3D printer manufacturers want to annoy us. Instead of providing good profiles for common open source slicer programs like Cura or Orca Slicer, the Chinese prefer to rebrand (very old) versions of Cura & Co. with their own name and logo and use them only to adjust the profile for their own printers, so that even an update of the slicer is not easily possible – and modern functions like a tree-like support structure are not available.

On the other hand, we noted favorably that Flusson has its own Flusson Slicer, based on the open source software Slic3r, on its website. Orca Profiles for Download on offer and even Github application for Orca Slicer. Perhaps we were a bit in a hurry, because initially there was only one profile (or one process) with a layer height of 0.2 mm and no processes for faster printing or finer details – but the manufacturer added these just last weekend. There we have it Nightly build beta version of Orca Slicer Took it and had great experiences with it; with the next major Orca update, profiles will be included by default.

We enter the printer’s IP address in Orca Slicer and the web interface of the clipper interface immediately appears there, including a live image, statistics, access to memory, etc. It can be that easy. Thanks, Flusson! Most other manufacturers have not managed this; we had to first work with the firmware with the terminal and the eMMC flash adapter until these basic tasks ran successfully. We probably spent a lot more time tinkering with the firmware with the Elegoo Neptune 4 Max than the time we spent building the Flusson T1, which was much more comprehensive; so the time invested is well spent.

The fact that the camera is awkwardly mounted, sits too low and shows a portion of the printing surface – well, we’ll ignore that for now. Finally, the solution is to store the camera in the printer’s memory as a tripod for printing. We’d rather call that a workaround than a solution, though.

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First of all, we inserted a pre-opened roll of black high-speed PLA into the T1. The roll holder located on top inside the housing is also unusual, just like the holder itself. We made hard scratches in the plastic side windows when removing the metal latches during the first two roll changes and we were upset. But the high speed and good quality of the first prints were able to please us. At least until the black PLA ran out and we inserted the included (!) white HS-PLA. As soon as you insert it, the printer reports: the filament is empty.

We know the problem: black filament works, white doesn’t. Flusson probably uses a light barrier to detect whether filament is still being fed or not. And Flusson has probably now stumbled upon the fact that the light from the light barrier doesn’t shine through black PLA, but clearly shines through white PLA well enough. No problem, you can turn off the filament sensor in the menu. It’s not pretty, but it’s fine for now. Funny anecdote: using the switch in the printer’s menu doesn’t turn off the sensor, only its error message. So the printer is still off. The manufacturer has sent us instructions to permanently disable the sensor in the configuration file until a firmware update fixes the problem permanently. At least: in the current firmware, turning off the sensor works, so at least you won’t have to edit it anymore.

Due to the large temperature range of the nozzle (up to 300 degrees) and the print bed (up to 110 degrees) as well as the completely closed installation space (up to 50 degrees), printing more sensitive materials such as ABS or ASA is also possible. To combat odors, the T1 has a replaceable air filter in the lid, although it does not come close to the air flow with recirculation and exhaust air and filter option of the FlashForge 5M Pro (test report).

The benchie stored in the printer’s memory is finished in a good ten minutes, but it looks only mediocre. All the other models in the store work excellently. A good benchie is ready in 11 to 12 minutes – that’s a fantastic value for a great result.

In fact, in our tests the T1 often stalled at print speeds between 50 and 60 cm/s. You almost have to see it to believe it, the nimble movements of the arms are a real sight. When printing at high speeds, the T1 should be placed on a stable table or even directly on the floor.

Apart from the initial problem with the white filament, we didn’t have a single wrong print. Vases, shapes, mountains, hills: everything looks good. Well, we still need to change the slicer settings here and there; for example, with a cylinder, you can clearly see the place where a new level begins. Overall: hats off – especially considering the high printing speed.

Functional parts and print-in-place also worked. With a 0.3 mm gap between the sliding parts, our infamous sliding puzzle almost falls apart when removed from the printing plate. The 0.2 mm version fits perfectly; with the 0.15 mm version we had to loosen a corner piece with light force until it could be pushed out easily. For comparison: The Cion Windstorm S1 did not give a remotely functional result even with a 0.3 mm gap.

The Flsun T1 currently costs 659 euros from retailers shipping from Germany. This is more than the cost of many other 3D printers (Top 10: Best 3D Printers). Our test winner, the Bamboo X1 Carbon, is even more expensive and is still the best tip, especially for beginners. Compared to cheaper multi-material printers like the FlashForge 5M Pro or the Qidi Q1 Pro, the Flsun T1 is much faster.

If you want to print mainly PLA, you can also dig deeper into the shelf. Depending on the space required – the bigger the size, the larger the prints – we recommend that beginners take a look at the Bamboo A1 Mini, which costs 200 euros, or the Anker Make 5C.

The installation space of the T1 is unusual at 26 cm in diameter and 33 cm in height because it is round and not cube-shaped. In most cases this does not matter, but be careful: for mechanical reasons due to its delta structure the printer only reaches 33 cm in the middle, it does not go as high at the edges.

Whether directly from the manufacturer, in Chinese shops or in a price comparison: The T1 currently costs 659 euros everywhere. If there is no suitable discount, we would buy from an EU dealer so that there are no risks regarding returns, guarantees etc. – for example 3djack,

Few printers have received as much attention from our editorial team as the Flusson T1. This is mainly due to the unusual delta structure, the large, triangular housing and the incredible speed. It impressed with problem-free printing, good results and high speed. The fact that it initially annoyed us with the slicer and profile is a gift: the manufacturer has now solved this in an exemplary way. Now Flusson only has to bring the filament sensor under control and adjust the camera a little better with the successor, then we will have nothing to complain about.