If there was any doubt before, the past year has demonstrated that for the enterprising electronics hobbyist, replica props/cosplay designer, wearables innovator, student and educator, 3D printing is here to stay!

Each Thursday we celebrate and highlight the bold desktop 3D printing pioneers from our community on the weekly 3D Hangouts show and on the Adafruit blog. And the Adafruit Learning System has dozens of great tools to get you well on your way to creating incredible works of engineering, costumes/wearables, robots, interactive art, and other design with your 3D printer!

Compared to first few we offered in last year’s 3D Printers gift guide, we have vastly expanded our options for machines and accessories. With a better range of affordable desktop 3D printers to choose from this year than ever before, isn’t it time for you to see what this “3D printer revolution” is all about for yourself?

For a full breakdown of these machines, look to the Adafruit 3D Printer Buyers Guide in the Learn System.

Our Most Affordable Printer

Printrbot Simple Kit – 1405 Model: The Printrbot Simple is an exercise in 3D printing minimalism. It includes only what is needed to get started in the world of 3D printing. After building this kit you’ll have a fully-functioning 3D printer that weighs only 10 lbs and fits nicely on your desk. As of October 17th, 2014 we are shipping the new version of the PrintrBot Simple Kit with a number of features & upgrades including an auto-leveling system, GT2 timing belts/drive pulleys, all metal Ubis Hot End with 0.4mm nozzle, updated laser cut chassis, and 6061 aircraft aluminum metal print bed. (Please note! the Printrbot is a kit and not for beginners! You’ll get all the parts to assemble your own 3D printer but it does require some technical expertise, time and effort to assemble.) (read more)

Meet the Sleek New Simple Metal

PrintrBot Simple Metal 3D Printer – Black – Assembled: The Metal Simple is a brand new rock solid, all metal, fully-assembled Printrbot Simple! As opposed to the Printrbot Simple Kit, all of the laser cut wood parts have been replaced by rock solid metal and assembled. In fact, the total number of parts have been reduced to just a fraction of the wooden model. The all metal construction combined with a GT2 belt pulley system produces a 3D print that rivals those of other manufacturers which cost thousands more! The Printrbot Simple is an exercise in 3D printing minimalism. It includes only what is needed to get started in the world of 3D printing. With the All-metal Printrbot Simple you’ll have a fully-functioning 3D printer that weighs only 12 lbs and fits nicely on your desk! (read more)

LulzBot TAZ 4 – Open source 3D Printer: The evolution of desktop 3D printing continues with TAZ 4, LulzBot’s top-of-the-line, highest quality printer to date. Merging technical expertise with design sensibilities, TAZ is for inventors, entrepreneurs, design engineers and prototypers — bring your ideas to life with TAZ. New features include a re-engineered drive rod system for better print quality and re-designed Y-axis mounts so setting up your printer will be easier than ever. The Taz 4 has also upgraded to a 400 watt power adapter and an assembled and enclosed electronics case. Finally, the extruder fan now comes standard with every Taz 4. (read more)

MakerBot’s Replicator Mini

MakerBot® Replicator™ Mini: The MakerBot® Replicator™ Mini is a compact 3D printer from the folks over at MakerBot. It’s durable, reliable, and has an unparalleled ease of use thanks to its One Touch™ 3D Printing technology. Unlike its big brother the MakerBot Replicator, it also comes in a compact, desktop form – taking up just a slightly larger footprint than the assembled Printrbot Simple Kit. It comes with MakerBot’s free software and gives you access to the MakerBot Thingiverse® – their premiere 3D design community. And on top of all that, it includes all the advancements you’ve come to expect from the MakerBot team including the MakerBot Replicator Smart Extruder, an on-board camera, software, and cloud utilization through MakerBot Mobile. Overall, it offers all of the features and support of a MakerBot in a compact package. (read more)

3D Printer Accessories!

Filament for 3D Printers in Various Colors: Having a 3D printer without filament is sort of like having a regular printer without paper or ink. And while a lot of printers come with some filament there’s a good chance you’ve been printing up a storm and need something new. That’s why we’ve started carrying a complete line of 3D printing filament in a variety of colors! (read more)

MakerBot® Digitizer™: While this is a scanner, not a 3D printer, desktop 3D scanners like this one are a great way to quickly turn the things in your world into 3D models that you can modify, improve, share, and 3D print. There’s no design, 3D modeling, or CAD expertise required to get started, and the MakerBot Digitizer delivers clean, watertight 3D models in approximately 12 minutes. It’s a fast and easy way for anyone to create 3D models! The simple, yet sophisticated software, MakerBot MakerWare for Digitizer, is optimized to work seamlessly with MakerBot Replicator Desktop 3D Printers, and also allows you to share your scans directly with the Thingiverse community. (read more)

PRINTinZ Flexible 3D Printer Plate – 300mm x 300mm (also in 168mm x 237mm): Removing 3D printed parts can be tough. Sometimes pieces get stuck to your 3D printing plate and their bottoms get stuck to your build plate. Over time, chiseling objects off can scratch and damage your plate – and get pretty annoying – so wouldn’t it be great if you could just bend the plate to pop off your parts? Introducing the PRINTinZ Printer Plate! The PRINTinZ Printer Plate (formerly called the Ninja Printer Plate) was developed as a superior alternative to the print surfaces being used on consumer 3D printers. If you’ve spent any time using a fused filament type of machine like our Printrbots or LulzBot, then you understand the demands on the print surface. The PRINTinZ Printer Plate works with all of our PLA and ABS filaments and can handle up to 100°C! For more information check Noe & Pedro’s learn guide 3D Printing on NinjaPlate: Flexible Build Plate. (read more)

Adafruit Holiday Shipping Deadlines 2014

Here are your 2014 shipping deadlines for ordering from Adafruit. Please review our shipping section if you have specific questions on how and where we ship worldwide for this holiday season.

The Adafruit Shipping Department works hard to get your orders out as quickly as we can, but once they’re in the hands of our carriers they’re out of our control.

Carriers have been struggling to keep up with the sharp rise in online orders. Last year UPS, FedEX, and USPS all experienced delivery delays.

So all the Adafruit Shippers say: Please be sure you get your gifts early! Order as soon as you can! Once you place your order we’ll ship like the wind!

UPS ground (USA orders): Place orders by Friday 11am ET – December 12, 2014 – There is no guarantee that UPS Ground packages will arrive in time for Christmas.

UPS 3-day (USA orders): Place orders by Wednesday 11am ET – December 17, 2014 – Arrive by 12/24/2014.

UPS 2-day (USA orders): Place orders by Thursday 11am ET – December 18, 2014 – Arrive by 12/24/2014.

UPS overnight (USA orders): Place orders by Friday 11am ET – December 19, 2014 – Arrive by 12/24/2014.

Please note: We do not offer Saturday or Sunday service for UPS or USPS.

Thursday, Dec. 25, 2014, Christmas, no UPS pickup or delivery service.
Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015, New Year’s Day, no UPS pickup or delivery service.

United States Postal Service, First Class and Priority (USA orders): Place orders by Friday– December 12, 2014 – Arrive by 12/24/2014 or sooner.

USPS First class mail international (International orders): Place orders by Friday – November 21, 2014. Can take up to 30 days ore more with worldwide delays and customs. Should arrive by 12/24/2014 or sooner, but not a trackable service and cannot be guaranteed to arrive by 12/24/14.

USPS Express mail international(International orders): Place orders by Friday – December 5, 2015. Can take up to 15 days or more with worldwide delays and customs. Should arrive by 12/24/2014 or sooner.

Gift Certificates are always available at any time.

When in doubt contact us!