JRT3D.COM

          Everything you need is included with the Xvico X3 3D Printer!

          To start off, Xvico is a wonderful company to communicate with. I’ve spoken to a couple staff members and everyone was very pleasant to communicate with. Can’t say the same about others in the industry. They claim to offer 24/7 tech support and up to a 3 Year warranty on their product. Out standing!

          It took about 2 weeks for me to receive my X3 after I placed the order for it on Amazon. The box came wonderfully boxed in the shipping box...and inside, Xvico’s boxing is outstanding and exceptional. To Quality Expectations of Industry Standards, their packaging of this unit is by far 100% perfect. No harm during shipping at all. More companies could take action in this.

          It’s good to note at this point the unit is 110 Volts, and may not be acceptable otherwise to your country's power standards. The board is a 32Bit Controller, so operation noise is very Quiet if very little. Comes with a Touch-Sceen LCD Interface and un-heated Glass Bed (options to upgrade). Uses a Marlin based firmware. And uses Cura slicer (free) for ease of operation.

          Included in the box are all the Tools that are needed that you can now keep for your future (making a 3D Printing Tool Box is highly suggested, and Xvico does a great job to help supply those basic tools for free!), You’ll Find an Installation Manual and SD Card and USB Card Reader.

          On the SD card, we find the Installation Manual in Digital Form, a Manual for Cura Slicing Software Installation, a Slicing Software Profile for X3, as well as Slicing Software - Cura (which is a free Slicer Program that runs your Printer and I suggest Upgrading to the latest version, Ultimaker Cura 4.6, which will give even greater options then the previous version included).

          Also on the SD card is a video with Monica, Xvico’s friendly Installation Rep. Below is that video link as well as a shorter version by another user.
 

           The following Video “XVICO X3-Pioner 3D Printer Installation Video”
Is a Short Version of the Installation Video that Xvico Offers. It’s a Great video to have on hand as well with Xvico’s:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

​
 

          The following Video  “XVICO X3 3D printer installation video” is Xvico’s official installation video they include on the SD card with your printer. It is VERY through and goes through the whole installation process. Monica, our host, is very well spoken and instructive. 

          If the written manual is confusing in any way to read, this video helps clarify any confusion. I suggest having this video open, while following through the written directions while installing your printer. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​
 

 

          Once you familiarize yourself with everything in the box as well as included manuals, the installation of the printer as claimed by Xvico, took about the same 2 hours they mentioned.

          This was not my first printer kit, but was one of the least complex kits I’ve put together. 2 hours was honestly a really short time, as some other builds have taken me 3-4 hours.

          Once you’ve installed your printer you’ll want to next make sure that your printer’s bed is properly leveled. This is a VERY crucial step in making sure your printer operates as expected. Xvico has supplied a nice basic video to help demonstrate this function:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​


 

          Among my personal use and installation, I found the need to add a M3 Nut to my Bed Frame’s corners (there is actually a space for a proper set fit), this allowed for the proper locking of the screw and lack of tensioning that seemed to be not allowing me to properly level my bed’s corners. An easy solution, but one to note no less in case you run into it as well.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

          After getting the unit up, running and calibrated you can move into Slicing software - Cura. Using the supplied manual from Xvico is key for getting Cura set up for your X3. Though Xvico supplies a Cura Profile, it’s good to get your printer manually configured in the software.

           Depending on what you load into the printer for filament, will determine what settings you need to go with within Cura. The updated software allows for many more options than the outdated supplied through the company, though with it’s older variants basic settings...can make the printer basic and easy to use for a first time 3d Printer. Updatinging allows for a vast array of options to help improve print quality among different types of filament.

          A great place to start with is the Facebook Group “XViCO 3D printer owners” (https://www.facebook.com/groups/583066442160349) Among the group you’ll see the common issues that some users experience among getting into their unit and 3D Printing in general.
 

​

          One of the first things I noticed among using my unit; and it seems most first time users run into the same issue without knowing why, is that the extruder ends up “Click Clacking”. The extruder is pushing more filament faster then is able to extrude properly. If you go back into Cura, your Flow settings are likely 100%.

          In my experience with these motors, 95% is going to be a good flow rate to start with. Also, speed is to be considered. 60mm is default in Cura and if printing in PLA 30mm is more recommended to slow down extrusion speeds. Same for most other filaments, and if using ABS or PETG. Slowing the speeds down even more, down to 20-24 is recommended.

          With this in mind, your extruder should no longer be pushing more filament then it should, and the “Click Clacks” should go away. Also, making sure proper tension is set in the extruder gear and that the gears are properly aligned and feeding the filament correctly. This can be easily seen if you take off the top part of the extruder cap.

          Some other users experienced a warp in their PETG tube, which can cause restrictions among extrusion. Some users are more inclined to go to a standard quality PTFE to help resistance in the feed. Capricorn brand is suggested. Though, using the stock PTFE...I ran into no issues.

          The X3 comes default without a heated bed. At first I thought this was going to be undesirable to me as all my other printers have heated beds. However, to my pleasant surprise, I found myself for the first time using masking tape. Which I always felt was a silly option when you could have a heated bed.

          With the masking tape situated on my bed...I soon found myself printing without any print warping. I was able to print Hatchbox branded PLA, Ninjaflex branded TPU, as well as SUNLU branded PETG. All filament with Cura and the proper speed settings dialed in...created perfect Benchys with near flawless quality. For a printer without a heated bed, TPU and PETG prints without warping are amazing for the low price of the printer.

          The best part is even down the road if wanted, Xvico does offer a heated bed option under $40 USD and even shows how easy it is to install: 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​

​

​

​

​

                        Video Print Example: Hatchbox - Black - PLA, NinjaFlex - Red - TPU, Sunlu - PETG - Grey

 

         

 

 

 

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

​

​

​

​

          The unit also comes with a Filament run-out sensor. This is a nice option when running out of filament, you will be able to easily reload the filament after the printer pauses, once it has detected a run out error. No more failed prints, wasted time, filament or money!
 

          The one thing I wasn’t 100% happy about, but honestly don’t care much about, is that the printer can’t be connected via USB to a Slicer Software to run it directly. The included mini SD card is used to export your gcode to, and then using the supplied LCD screen interface...load the gcode from the SD card via the printer. Again, this is not a breaking point...I actually find it convenient down the road for portability if the unit needs to go on site with me.

          As an experienced user with many types of printers formats, for the cost this printer is on point for under $200. As a kit, it allowed me to experience a somewhat basic understanding and low level building skills to get the printer fully assembled. Again, with the supplied videos among the written directions are good tutorials to hold your hand. The Facebookgroup is there otherwise to make up for anything the company wasn’t able to supply.

          With this in mind, 3D printing is not for everyone and does take a good amount of time and technical experience to understand. A user group community can make or break a printer and company.

          So far, Xvico as a company and with the community backing it, has a great footing in the 3D Printing Race. Comparable to a Creality Ender 3 Pro, minus a few bells and whistles...this is a nice in between printer for both someone starting out in 3D printing, or even the experienced user that needs an inexpensive robust option to just power house through 24/7 operational needs.

          I would HIGHLY recommend this unit!