The Best DIY 3D Printer Kits

Most 3D printers today are sold as ‘plug-and-play’ systems—either fully assembled or semi-assembled and ready to print out of the box. However, this wasn’t always the standard. The industry’s roots can be traced back to the RepRap project, launched by Adrian Bowyer in 2005. His vision was a self-replicating machine capable of manufacturing its own parts. This sparked a global community of makers who build their printers from scratch, a movement that remains highly active two decades later.

In the DIY ecosystem, there are two main paths. The first involves fully open-source projects, such as Voron, where every component is sourced or printed individually. The second path is 3D printer kits: curated sets provided by manufacturers with all necessary components and instructions. Kits are generally more affordable than their pre-assembled counterparts and offer the builder a deep understanding of the machine’s mechanics, making future troubleshooting and modding much easier. This list focuses on the latter category. While most are FDM/MEX systems, we have included one unique technological outlier, ordered from highest to lowest price.

1. Dagoma Disco Ultimate: An Affordable FDM Classic

Starting at €399, the Disco Ultimate from French manufacturer Dagoma is one of the most affordable 3D printer kits, marketed as the most accessible dual-color 3D printer on the market. It uses an SD card, an inductive probe (for bed leveling), and several 3D-printed components, which take less than a day to assemble. Despite its appearance, the Disco Ultimate offers a build volume of 200 x 200 x 200 mm. It also features a layer thickness of 50 microns, XY positioning accuracy of 50 microns, and a maximum print speed up to 30% faster than its predecessor, the DiscoEasy 200.

2. Sovol SV08: High-Speed CoreXY

The Sovol SV08 is a CoreXY 3D printer inspired by the open-source Voron 2.4 design. Unlike a traditional Voron kit, which can take over 30 hours to assemble, the SV08 arrives largely pre-assembled and can be up and running in about an hour. It runs on Klipper firmware, features linear rails on all axes, four independent Z-motors for automatic gantry leveling, and can reach print speeds of up to 700 mm/s. The print volume is 350 × 350 × 345 mm, and a built-in camera allows for remote monitoring of prints. An optional glass enclosure is also available, which improves thermal stability for materials like ABS or PETG, though it slightly reduces the print height to 330 mm.

Photo Credits: Sovol 3D

3. The Prusa MK4S

For the Prusa MK4S, you actually have the choice to either buy it pre-assembled, or purchase it as a kit. Prusa originally shared their 3D printers as assembly kits, and they kept the option over time because the kits remained popular. For some makers, building the printer is half the fun! According to Prusa, assembling the MK4S is easy and requires no soldering because cables are cut to length, ready to be plugged in. The machine has 360° cooling and a high-flow nozzle for efficient printing. With its user-friendly design and proven reliability, the machine is suitable for professionals and beginners alike. There are also add-ons available, including the MMU3 (which allows you to print with up to five colors at the same time), and an exclosure, which could come in handy for printing with advanced materials.

Photo Credits: Prusa Research

4. LDO Micron Plus

The Micron Plus printer is an open-source design created by the PrintersForAnts community and manufactured by the Chinese company LDO Motion. The kit includes almost everything needed for assembly, with two important exceptions to note: the hotend and the 3D-printed parts, which the user must obtain separately. Featuring a flying gantry CoreXY architecture and a build volume of 180 × 180 × 165 mm, the machine is equipped with the LDO Leviathan mainboard, the Nitehawk-36 toolhead board, a 300 W heated bed, and Klipper firmware. It supports ABS, ASA, PC, PLA, PETG, and TPU. This is a kit aimed at experienced makers who value customization and total control over their machine. LDO Micron does not sell the kit directly, but you can find it for sale through various resellers for around 780 euros.

Photo Credits: LDO Motion

5. The HPRO-330 from HTA3D

The HPRO-330 from Spanish manufacturer HTA3D is a CoreXY-style DIY 3D printer kit designed for makers looking for speed, precision and customization. The machine is built for fast and stable printing, with speeds up to 600 mm/s and professional MGN linear guides, while still giving users the hands-on experience of assembling it themselves. It is also available pre-assembled for users who want to skip directly to printing. The kit runs on native Klipper firmware powered by a Raspberry Pi 4, and is highly modular: users can choose their extruder, hotend and even the Z-axis height, with the tallest configuration offering an impressive 725 mm build height. Optional enclosure panels are available as well, including a fully enclosed version with active chamber heating, making the printer suitable for technical materials like ABS and ASA.

6. The V-Core 4.1 from RatRig

If you’re looking for a larger 3D printer to build, you might want to explore the V-Core 4.1 from RatRig. It’s a large-format, open CoreXY 3D printer kit designed to grow with the user. The build volume goes from 300x300x300mm to 500×500×500mm, and the machine has a customizable architecture. The basic kit comes with a single tool option, but users can upgrade with the Hybrid feature, which doubles your y axis acceleration.  There’s also the IDEX upgrade, which enables printing with two materials at once, and doubling your output. The motion system is fully made of metal, making for sturdier prints, and designed for real-world use and easy maintenance.

Photo Credit: RatRig

7. CORE One+ from Prusa

If there’s one thing that defines Prusa, it’s its tradition of offering kits. That’s why we’ve also included the CORE ONE+. This is the manufacturer’s latest enclosed CoreXY printer, featuring new features such as automatic opening of the top fan and a redesigned flexible filament loader. The kit is priced at $999, and according to the user community, assembly takes between 8 and 12 hours. In terms of specifications, it offers a print volume of 250 × 220 × 270 mm, a maximum nozzle temperature of 290 °C, and a heated bed up to 120 °C. It is compatible with PLA, PETG, Flex, PC, and PP, and—with the optional filtration system—also with ABS and ASA. In addition, it supports several interesting add-ons: the MMU3 for printing with up to five filaments simultaneously, and the upcoming INDX update, which will increase that number to eight materials or colors.

Photo Credits: Prusa Research

8. Inova MK1 from SLS4All

We wrap up the list with a kit that’s completely different from the others: an SLS printer. The Inova MK1 is a selective laser sintering printer developed by SLS3All, a project founded in late 2020 by two Czech engineers. The printer is open-source and available in two formats. The complete kit (€6,490) includes all the components needed for assembly, from the frame and electronics to the optics and wiring. The DIY set (€3,480), designed for those who want to fabricate the structural parts themselves, includes only the electronics, optics, and heating elements.

According to the manufacturer, the estimated assembly time is between 4 and 7 days, with no prior experience in printer construction required, thanks to a detailed interactive manual and a series of community videos. As for specifications, the machine has a print volume of 177 × 177 × 200 mm, a 10 W blue diode laser with a galvo scanner, and an average scanning speed of 2,800 mm/s. It is compatible with PA12, TPU, and any polymer with a melting point of up to 200 °C.

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