FlyingBear Aone 3D Printer Review

Is the FlyingBear Aone a good 3D printer? What are its features, specs and performance ratings? Read on for an overview of what to expect from the 3D printer.

Today, we are going to review a compact FDM 3D printer from Flying Bear. This is the Flying Bear Aone. We’ll provide our initial thoughts on the construction, features, quality of print and performance of the unit.

Let’s get started.

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About Flying Bear

Flying Bear is a Chinese company that has been in business since 2010 (judging by the date of registration of the trademark). The company is engaged in research, development and production of additive technology.

We already know Flying Bear for their budget laser engraver, the FlyingBear LaserManr. However, the company also makes 3D printers. For instance, one of their famous 3D printers is the FlyingBear Ghost 5 3D printer.

In recent times, the company has decided to venture into the into the budget 3D printer market. From the looks of things, it will take a long time before Flying Bear 3D printers become a staple in the budget market, toppling the like of Anycubic and Creality.

Still, Flying Bear’s budget 3D printer is a force to reckon with, thanks to it  good quality build, simple and clear interface and rather high print quality. These are some of the reasons why Flying Bear is slowly but steadily gaining ground in the consumer 3D printer market.

According to consumers, the company listens to the community and willingly implements their suggestions.

Flying Bear Aone Review

The FlyingBear Aone 3D printer is a budget, but exceptionally high-quality novelty from one of the most famous and popular manufacturers of FDM printers. This compact model comes as a DIY kit, takes up little space and is equipped with everything you need to create a variety of home projects.

Unpacking and Packaging

Flying Bear Aone

is a budget FDM DIY 3D printer that we can recommend for anyone. When we ordered it, the package came with all the standard items you’d expect from a 3D printer.

Appearance and Assembly

Assembling the 3D printer is easy thanks to the instruction manual that is in the package. The instructions are clear and simple.

At first glance, the printer seems small when disassembled. The unit is so compact that you can neatly fold it into a bag and carry it with you somewhere.

Otherwise, the appearance is typical for DIY printers. There is a small print bed, the nozzle, print head and side supports. The unit weighs just 6.5 kg.

Specifications

Like most similarly designed printers, the FlyingBear Aone comes as a DIY kit. Even a beginner can bring it into working condition in just 20 minutes. After assembly, you will receive a compact device with dimensions of 285×290×380 mm and weighing only 6.5 kg. The printer has a classic open case.

The Flying Bear Aone has a print area 190x190x190mm. The print bed can handle a maximum temperature 110°C. The screw transmission along the Z axis is securely fixed and ensures smooth movement of the platform with an accuracy of 0.002 mm.

In general, the FlyingBear Aone 3D printer has high-quality mechanics, and the products created with it can have an adjustable layer thickness from 0.05 to 0.3 mm. Depending on the settings, the print speed can reach up to 100 mm/s. However, let’s be honest, for such a price you should not try to squeeze the maximum speed and hope for a normal result. During our test, the optimal speed that produced great results was 45-50 mm/s

Coming to the extruder, it can heat up to 210°C.  Its design allows you to work not only with PLA or Wood, but also with flexible TPU filaments. Thanks to high-quality mechanics, the accuracy of movement along the XY axis is 0.01 mm.

By default, the extruder is equipped with a nozzle with a diameter of 0.4 mm.  However, the type of extruder is questionable. See it below:

First, some basics: there are two main types filament extruders (three types in general, but we will consider the two most popular ones). Bowden and Direct.

With Bowden extruders, the delivery type is usually static. That is, the filament or material feeder is located a certain distance away from the extruder.

With Direct extruder, the filament or material feeder is located in the extruder.

The Flying Bear Aone material feeder is somewhat confusing. I mean, the type of feeder is Bowden, but the feeder is located directly on the extruder. Moreover, since the feeder fixed in the same place as the extruder, it turns out a kind of direct.

Thus, the plastic supply path in the extruder itself becomes unnecessarily long  and uneven heating occurs. Some parts are heated for no reason at all. As a result, plugs constantly formed in the extruder.

Aside from this, there are no other big minuses in the device. The platform moves on wheels, and the axle guides are standard but lack belt tensioners.

Control Screen

At the bottom of the case is a 2.4-inch color touchscreen display with a user-friendly user interface. There is even a stylus! The display touchscreen works smartly and intuitively. There is nothing to complain about it.

A USB port is used to connect to a PC, and an SD memory card slot is used for fully autonomous operation. The power supply is built-in and installed at the bottom of the case.

Software

Flying Bear Aone

does not have its own software. Therefore, you will have to use your own slicer. To prepare models for printing, the manufacturer recommends using the popular slicers Repetier-Host and Cura in versions for Windows and MacOS.

You can check the list of slicers we recommend in this guide: Best 3D Slicer. For our tests, we created a profile in Simplify. But you can use other slicers as well, e.g. Cura, Chitubox, etc.

Quality of Print

Below are some print examples that we managed with the FlyingBear Aone 3D printer. As you can see, the quality if good for a budget FDM 3D printer.

Conclusion

The Flying Bear Aone is a compact DIY FDM 3D printer with good kinematics and an unusual extruder. Despite its oddities, the unit performed quite well during printing.

The printer has some disadvantages in terms of design and electronics. All these disadvantages would be relevant if not for the price. Aone costs less than $400s, and at such a price it is difficult to find more attractive options from other manufacturers.

You will easily get value for your money with this 3D printer. If you are an experienced maker, you can modify the printer yourself. If you are a beginner, you will have the opportunities that Flying Bear Aone provides to bring your imagination to reality in terms of 3D printing.

The Flying Bear Aone is a good, yet very budget-friendly 3D printer that is worth considering, especially if you’re just getting started with 3D printing.