The 500 x 500 x 500 mm 3D Printer Buyer’s Guide (Under $1,000)

Ever wanted to make that large print, but found yourself put off because of all the parts that will need assembling after? With a 500 x 500 x 500 mm 3D printer, the build area is large enough to send your imagination into overdrive and opens up tons of possibilities.

We’ve selected the best 500x500x500mm 3D printers for every budget, but first, let’s consider the advantages of going big.

What does 500x500x500mm 3D printer mean?

The 500x500x500mm simply means that the build volume of the 3D printer is 500 x 500 x 500 mm. That is, each axis — X, Y, and Z — all have a maximum 500mm cubed build area.

Most 3D printers have substantially smaller build areas than this, especially home desktop printers. This is because it can be more difficult to maintain accuracy with larger build areas due to the complexity and size that the gantry systems need to encompass such wide areas, and as you get less compact, vibrations and other factors can reduce print quality as strength and stability declines.

For generally larger printers, we also have a buyer’s guide for large 3D printers

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Despite this, there are a number of reasons why you’d want to buy a printer:

Why Buy a 500 x 500 x 500 mm 3D Printer?

Frees Up Time

When printing and project, you are at the mercy of the print time. Not just the print time, but the time spent setting up the printer for each print, selecting your model and print settings. Maybe you’ve been commissioned to make a large comic book character bust?

Being able to print the entire project in one print is a massive bonus. Larger 3D printers can be left to finish the project without interruption, freeing up more time.

Print large pieces at once, or have fewer pieces to assemble

Being able to print larger parts greatly reduces any post-processing you need to do. If you’re stuck with a smaller 3D printer and need to glue many pieces together to form your larger model, these welded are weak points that can break easily.

For example, cosplay enthusiasts seeking to wow fellow convention-goers who 3D print entire cosplay outfits or armor can print their dream outfit in fewer parts on a 3D printer 500x500x500mm large.

We took a deeper dive into cosplay 3D printing, check out our recommendations here

Huge models just look more impressive, and a 500 x 500 x 500 mm build volume means you can make a full-size stormtrooper helmet, or similar-sized prints, without the need to assemble multiple parts.

Printing a whole batch at once

A batch of hobby pieces can be tricky with a small print bed. Having to reprint a series is time-consuming. With a large print bed you can print all these pieces at once because they all fit within the print bed’s area.

Print Speed

You could be forgiven for wondering if large 3D printers take longer to print, but with the right hardware, this isn’t the case. Investing in a larger nozzle will greatly affect how quickly a large printer can finish a project.

This, and taller layer heights can quicken the process — but you need to decide if you’re comfortable with the quality trade-off.

The Best 500 x 500 x 500 mm 3D Printers

With something to suit every budget, we have scoured the market for the best models that can take on larger projects. We list printers with exact 500 x 500 x 500 mm printing dimensions, as well as some that come close, but are also great options if you don’t need exactly 500mm³ dimensions.

Starting with one of the most popular in the world of 3D printing:

Creality CR-10 S5 – Best Under $1,000

• Price: $719 — Available on Creality Store here / Available on Amazon here

So big it will need a dedicated space, the sheer size of the Creality CR-10 S5 will get the creative juices flowing.

Larger projects mean more filament, so strength is key. The build plate rests over two rails and boasts powerful motors that make it feel sturdier than the smaller CR-10 (and its smaller 300 x 300 x 400 mm build volume). These rails retain print quality, but also reduce noise so those day-long prints are less likely to disturb the rest of the house.

A generally considered downside to purchasing a larger 3D printer is that assembly can take longer. However, this isn’t such an issue with the CR10 S5. It comes in only a few sections that are easy to assemble, with clear instructions and clearly labeled wires. All in all, you’ll only need around 10 minutes to get it up and running.

The hot end can take on a multitude of filaments including ABS, PLA, TPU, wood, carbon, and copper. This means you can easily switch between printing projects like a large-scale anime character, and a carbon fiber model airplane. 

It requires a little patience as the printing bed takes a little longer to heat up. The CR10 S5 needs around 30 minutes to get to 80C, but this is understandable given the size of the printer.

It also boasts a lot of the common features you want with any 3D printer for general quality of life improvements. These include a print resume function in case there is a power cut, and a filament detector that pauses the print when you’ve run out, so you can resume after replacing your filament without ruining your print.

Some neat added extras include a mini SD card and USB which is where you will find the instructions and test models to get you started. All in all, this is an excellent 3D printer 500x500x500mm by any standards, especially given the attractive price point. 

Multoo MT2X – Another great 500x500x500mm build area 3D printer

• Price: $1,299

The Multoo MT2X is a versatile 500 x 500 x 500 mm 3D printer with automatic leveling. This will be an advantage as adjusting the print bed between every project can be tricky, especially with large-scale prints.

We also have a ranking of the best auto-leveling 3D printers

You can also upgrade it to function as a laser engraver, for just $50 extra, and is a great feature that you don’t always get with 3D printers. With this you can engrave a design onto a leather belt, personalize a wooden coaster, or make a huge range of other projects. 

Even more impressive is the fact that the Z-axis can be adjusted to reach 800mm — if 500mm doesn’t satisfy you, it can get even bigger! Those full-size models are going to need more room after all.  

The auto-resume feature picks up where you left the project in the event of a power cut, and its dual extruder means it can be used for single, dual, and parallel printing. This makes it possible to print up to 5 objects in one sitting, reducing the time spent managing projects.

We also have a ranking of the best dual extruder 3D printers

Because large projects can be time-consuming (we’re looking at you, full-size figurines), efficiency is a priority. Dual extruders allow the Multoo MT2X to print parallel projects at the same time. It also opens up the opportunity to print two colors, or different materials at the same time.

The 5mm thick glass of the heat plate makes it stable. This also helps to keep the print warmer, reducing warping and ensuring the project can get off the ground in no time.

Not quite 500x500x500mm 3D printers, but alternatives with similar build area

Anycubic Chiron – Affordable Alternative

• Price: $439 — Available on Anycubic Store here / Available on Amazon here
• Build volume: 400 x 400 x 450 mm

Although this is not strictly a 500 x 500 x 500 mm 3D printer, we have included it as a budget-friendly option that still has a large build area.

At 400 x 400 x 450 mm, there is still plenty of room to take on larger projects; it is an affordable option that has seen more people get into 3D printing. The sacrifice is in the manual leveling, but working out the settings is made easy by the strong community support. This is a popular 3D printer after all.

The Ultrabase Pro print bed offers great adhesion, and also makes prying the finished print off the platform easy once the model has had time to cool.

The high-quality extruder makes printing trickier filaments like TPU a breeze, extrudes more smoothly, and reduces the likelihood of that hundred-hour print going wrong.

There are plenty of neat features that stand out for a model at this price. They include a full-color touch display, a filament sensor that alerts you if anything has gone wrong or it has run out, and a print speed that ranges from 20 to 100 mm/s a second.

Assembly should take between 30 to 60 minutes which only means one thing – there is more time to spend on the fun part – printing.