3D printers once seemed like futuristic technology, but now, they’re surprisingly simple machines. A few stepper motors, switches, a control board, a heating element, and a nozzle are essentially all you need. The real revolution came from software advancements and the expiration of key patents, making 3D printing more accessible than ever.
Could you gather the necessary parts to build a working 3D printer for under $100? iNSTONE believes it’s possible, and they’re not wrong.
Behold, the iNSTONE Desktop DIY 3d Printer Kit.
Image: The iNSTONE Desktop DIY 3D printer kit, showcasing its compact and basic design.
This is arguably the most affordable 3D printer kit you can build for just $99. While it’s far from perfect, and definitely not for everyone, it’s a fascinating piece of engineering. You probably shouldn’t buy it as your first 3D printer, but let’s delve into why this ultra-cheap 3D printer kit exists and what it can (and can’t) do.
This iNSTONE Desktop DIY is a cantilever-style 3D printer, characterized by its small build volume and lack of a heated bed. It uses a standard operating system, connecting via a somewhat outdated type-B USB port. Don’t expect any luxury features here; this 3D printer kit is as barebones as it gets. The included power supply is utterly unremarkable.
If the Anet A6’s design philosophy was “how to create the most feature-rich 3D printer for $200?”, iNSTONE’s approach seems to be: “how to engineer the best possible 3D printer kit for under $100?”. Surprisingly, they might have succeeded within that extreme budget. Despite its small build area, the iNSTONE kit incorporates more metal components than many other budget options. The structural elements are built from extruded aluminum, ensuring a degree of robustness. The stepper motors are reasonably decent, and the hot end is a very inexpensive clone of the popular E3D design. The Bowden extruder mechanism utilizes dense, injection-molded plastic. Once assembled, the printer feels surprisingly solid and can be moved around without constant recalibration worries.
It even includes a rotary encoder on the control board, a feature missing from the even simpler Monoprice Mini Delta. The kit also comes with a more comprehensive set of tools than other 3D printer kits in this price range, including useful snippers and a collection of wrenches – some of which, humorously, don’t actually fit the printer’s bolts.
If you were challenged to assemble the best possible 3D printer with a mere $100 budget in Shenzhen’s electronics markets, you’d be hard-pressed to outperform this machine. Numerous clever design choices demonstrate significant engineering ingenuity in making this budget 3D printer kit functional. This printer, despite its flaws, earns a place of interest in any workshop.
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However, objectivity is key: the iNSTONE Desktop DIY 3D printer kit is, in many ways, objectively terrible for practical use. Unless you are a 3D printing enthusiast seeking a unique, budget-friendly project and a genuinely fun build experience, this is likely not the 3D printer kit for you.
For context on our testing methodology, refer to: We’re gonna beat the heck out of these machines: The search for the best dirt-cheap 3D printer for fieldwork.
Building the iNSTONE 3D Printer Kit: A Hands-On Experience
Assembling this 3D printer kit was genuinely enjoyable. The instructions are reasonably clear if you have prior experience with 3D printer assembly, but they might be too brief for absolute beginners. Everything mounts to the extruded aluminum frame using t-nuts, resulting in a surprisingly rigid and stable structure. While our kit was missing a few minor parts (easily replaced from a workshop’s spares), the overall build process was straightforward.
Axis adjustments are simple. The z-axis mechanism, however, features a peculiar coupler. Instead of a standard machined aluminum or 3D-printed part to connect the threaded rod, the iNSTONE Desktop DIY utilizes a short section of PVC tubing – more on this unconventional choice later.
Beyond this unusual z-axis coupler, the printer’s design is quite basic. It lacks a heated bed and a print cooling fan. The fiberglass build plate is held in place with standard binder clips.
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Achieving acceptable prints from this machine demands considerable patience. The build plate leveling is adjusted via three thumbscrews, with one positioned in a particularly difficult-to-reach location. The three-point leveling system itself is inherently less stable, and the build plate frequently loses alignment, sometimes even during a print. It took nearly a week of daily adjustments, tightening, and calibration to reach a point where the printer could reliably lay down a consistent first layer and begin printing.
Z-axis wobble caused the majority of initial demo print failures (more details on this crucial issue to follow). Eventually, after persistent effort, a first somewhat acceptable print emerged from the provided g-code: a vaguely spooky mask.
Image: The first successful print from the iNSTONE 3D printer kit, a “vaguely spooky” mask, highlighting the printer’s basic output quality.
Burn-in Score: C
Benchmark Testing the $99 3D Printer Kit
Image: A 3D printed Benchy test model from the iNSTONE Desktop DIY kit, showing noticeable wobble and imperfections.
“Oh, Benchy, I’m so sorry.” There’s no single catastrophic flaw in this Benchy print, but a pervasive wobble is evident throughout. It did print, which is a baseline success. Over-extrusion and the unstable build plate obscure details on the bottom layers, and slight elephant’s foot is present. A significant vertical shift near the top indicates z-axis slippage (more on this critical issue shortly). Nothing is severely wrong, but the overall print quality is consistently sloppy.
Benchmark Score: C
Replication Test: Consistency Challenges with a Budget 3D Printer
The aim of a replication test is to produce not just acceptable prints, but consistently similar prints. The iNSTONE Desktop DIY’s lack of print cooling, unstable build plate, and absence of a heated bed resulted in each replicated “Cute Octo” model warping and distorting in unique ways.
Image: Failed replication test with “Cute Octo” models printed on the iNSTONE Desktop DIY, demonstrating inconsistent results and warping.
This test was definitively a failure, highlighting the inconsistency inherent in this ultra-budget 3D printer kit.
Replication Score: F
Functional Parts Test: Z-Axis Limitations Impacting Precision
Creating functional parts, especially those with threads, heavily relies on precise z-axis control. This is where the iNSTONE Desktop DIY particularly struggles (we will elaborate on the z-axis design shortly). The printed threads were loose and imprecise. Significant wobble between mating parts meant they didn’t hold together firmly. They technically functioned, but barely, and not reliably enough for practical applications.
Image: A functional part printed by the iNSTONE kit, revealing loose and imprecise threads due to z-axis issues.
Functional Part Score: D
Complex System Test: The Z-Axis Design Flaw
It’s time to address the elephant in the room – the z-axis. We thought flexible couplers on the Anet A6 were problematic, but the iNSTONE Desktop DIY’s z-axis connection is even more concerning:
Image: Close-up of the iNSTONE 3D printer kit’s z-axis coupler, revealing the use of a simple PVC tube.
Yes, that’s a piece of PVC tubing used as the z-axis coupler, held in place by friction alone. For a 3D printer kit that showed so much clever engineering elsewhere, this design choice is bafflingly disappointing. This flimsy z-axis coupling is the root cause of the printer’s lack of z-axis control, leading to gaps in vertical surfaces. Attempting a 200-micron resolution print results in severely flawed outputs:
Image: A failed high-resolution print from the iNSTONE kit, demonstrating significant layer inconsistencies and defects caused by z-axis instability.
Simply put, this machine lacks the precision for detailed prints. Even at a slower 100-micron resolution, printing a Niskin receiver took an excessive 11 hours (compared to the 2-4 hour average on other tested printers). The resulting part was flimsy, the servo didn’t fit correctly, and overall tolerances were poor. While the Niskin3D water sampler design (brilliance of the Niskin3D design team) allowed it to function, it felt fragile and unsuitable for actual use.
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Complex System Score: D
Precision Instrument Test: Not Suitable for High-Resolution Prints
Could a $99 3D printer kit produce a precision scale for a navigational instrument at a demanding 50-micron resolution?
Image: Comparison of precision scales printed by a Printrbot (silver) and the iNSTONE kit (orange), highlighting the iNSTONE’s lack of precision.
No. Unsurprisingly, it could not. The iNSTONE Desktop DIY is simply not capable of this level of precision.
Precision score: F
Educator’s Test: Isopod Model Print Quality
For the final print test, we attempted an Isopod model, designed to be easily printable on most entry-level 3D printers. Printer settings were optimized as much as possible, hoping for a decent result.
Image: An Isopod model printed by the iNSTONE kit, showing significant z-axis wobble and loss of detail.
Z-axis wobble strikes again. Vertical layers are inconsistent with large gaps, much of the intended detail is lost, the base is poorly formed, and warping is present on the telson. While you can identify it as an isopod, the print quality is far from educational grade.
Educator’s Score: D
Tear-down Analysis: Surprisingly Well-Made for the Price
Like the Anet A6, the iNSTONE Desktop DIY 3D printer kit has an open design, making tear-down straightforward. After extensive testing, we became intimately familiar with its inner workings. It’s genuinely impressive how well-designed and manufactured this $99 3D printer kit is. The Bowden extruder shows slight stress from filament movement, but otherwise, there are no obvious signs of wear, unusual friction, or major concerns.
For what it is—an ultra-budget 3D printer kit—it’s remarkably well-executed. However, “what it is” is inherently limited.
Note: Burn-in and tear-down tests are often inversely related for kit printers versus pre-assembled models. Kits receive thorough burn-in analysis, while pre-builts get more detailed tear-downs. The overall evaluation balances out.
Tear-down Score: A
Waste Filament Test: High Waste Due to Print Failures
This 3D printer kit generated significantly more waste filament than any other tested, and this doesn’t even include filament wasted during the initial burn-in and calibration phase.
Total mass of waste filament: 27.71g
Reviewer’s Discretion: Potential Improvements vs. Intended Purpose
Many improvements could be made to this printer. An all-metal or even a 3D-printed z-axis coupler would significantly enhance performance. Redesigning the build plate and adding a heated bed would be transformative. A cooling fan directed at the print area is also desperately needed.
However, these upgrades would fundamentally alter the spirit of this machine. The iNSTONE Desktop DIY is explicitly a $99 3D printer kit, not a $99 kit plus additional engineering, parts, and advanced 3D printing expertise.
You don’t build a hundred-dollar 3D printer kit because it’s the most practical choice; you build it because you can. It’s a testament to ingenuity and pushing the boundaries of budget 3D printing.
Final Assessment: Proceed with Caution
Assigning a numerical score to this 3D printer kit feels inadequate. Ultimately, you should not buy this as your primary or only 3D printer.
Final Score: Stop. Don’t. (Unless you’re a dedicated hobbyist seeking a challenge).
Current 3D Printer Rankings:
Only one printer remains in this budget 3D printer review series: the highly recommended $194 Creality Ender 3. Stay tuned for the final results and overall rankings!
Depending on the response to this project, we may expand to include 3D printers in the $200 to $400 price range. To support this ongoing research, please use the Amazon Affiliate links in this post for purchases or consider supporting Southern Fried Science on Patreon.
