Best 3D printer I ever bought is also best deal + Klipper thoughts (Flashforge AD5M)

DougJoseph · February 24, 2024, 11:06pm

This printer, the FlashForge Adventurer 5M, prints (out of the box, mind you) at speed and quality akin to Voron or Bambu Labs models. Its print volume is on the smallish side (220x220x220), but its price (for the non-pro version, shown in photo above) is also wonderfully on the smallish side. It lists for $399, currently on sale for $349. I was blessed to catch an early-bird type sale price of only $299. It’s the most printer I could imagine getting for that price range.

It not only prints a stellar 14-minute benchy, but can apply that same speed and quality to anything else you need to print. My understanding is that it runs on Klipper… [Post update added later: OK, so I located the published, open source Klipper firmware released for this printer! Apparently it was released way back on January 24, 2024, and I was just not aware yet! — GitHub - FlashforgeOfficial/AD5M_Series_Klipper] It has a graphical interface on the touchscreen. They offer a free 3D model of the printer’s frame, for designing your own mods, and they offer a set of printable files and instructions for printing your own enclosure parts, which when combined with some acrylic panels, cut to size for door panels, gets it closer to the pro version.

Backstory:

So, about a year or more ago (Oct-Nov of 2022), I shelled out for a FYSETC kit for a Voron2.4 (350x350), and also got the FYSETC Stealthburner kit and FYSETC input shaper kit. But I’ve have been too distracted to build it. I also bought supplies to build two to three MP3DP v4’s, but have not gotten them built either.

About a week or so ago, I bought a slab of granite marble for a build base, and started work on the frame for Voron. I’ve got the frame built dead-on square. But I’ve been under the weather with some kind of mean cold/flu thing.

Along came a low price option to get a store-bought, reputable brand, CoreXY machine that has the input shaping (resonance checking) etc, built into the startup routine, guided by a wizard, etc, right out of the box. This thing is amazing.

This massive print was completed in 2 hours and 40 minutes, in stellar quality. Printed with Prusamint Galaxy Black filament.

Note: As I mentioned, I paid for this with my own money. This is not a sponsored or shill type vouching. I am just honestly impressed with this thing. The size won’t make everything I need to print, but as you all know, a 220x220x220 can make “almost” everything one needs to print. For the larger stuff, hopefully I can eventually get my other big machines built (as mentioned above).

Below are pics of my 14-minute benchy (printed from their file provided on the device’s built in memory storage). This was printed in Sunlu brand PLA, bought cheap, on sale. I should add, I discovered one roll of cheap PLA that did not perform at the needed speed. I may yet try to find a heat/speed combo that works for that cheap PLA as I have a supply of it.

Local store options for 1/8" Acrylic for Side Doors, Top Lid, & Front Door for printed enclosure for the AD5M:

After only 5 hours of printing, half the riser set for the enclosure is done:

turbinbjorn · February 24, 2024, 11:41pm

Impressive printer, especially considering the price!

markr · February 25, 2024, 3:46am

Congratulations, that’s an awesome deal Doug!

Tokoloshe · February 25, 2024, 10:11am

I see warping.

DougJoseph · February 25, 2024, 10:38am

You mean in some of the prints? Where at?

Tokoloshe · February 25, 2024, 10:40am

First picture above the do not touch. Or did you remove it from the plate already? Besides that it really looks awesome.

DougJoseph · February 25, 2024, 10:43am

There was actually no warping there. That must be an optical illusion in the photo, from strange lighting and shadows in the room. That part was solid down to the plate across the whole thing.

turbinbjorn · February 25, 2024, 3:32pm

Can’t you let the man be thankful for a great buy?!

Tokoloshe · February 25, 2024, 3:45pm

No.

turbinbjorn · February 25, 2024, 4:44pm

I’m not going to delve into why the German is grumpy - but looking at the first post it seems like you post affiliate links? If you do so, I think it should be mentioned, and all in all I don’t think this forum should be used for such. I appreciate this place as a community gathering place, not a advertisement billboard.

DougJoseph · February 25, 2024, 8:14pm

I removed the Amazon link. I’m not affiliated with the printer company. That link is not an affiliate link.

I post affiliate links to Amazon. I try to remember to mention that. Sometimes I forget. If it’s against the forum policy I will try to break the habit.

jeffeb3 · February 25, 2024, 8:32pm

There isn’t any policy for it. I know Ryan has some affiliate links in the BOMs. I have some affiliate links in the docs for v1pi. I remember a couple of other links in the past.

I would say let’s just keep it honest and open. Try not to let it affect what you recommend and if it stinks like bias or an ad, there may need to be a conversation about it.

But I think it is ok. Amazon is just giving that money away and it is a good way to support someone who is doing the legwork to find or keep up with a BOM. We don’t want it to be influencer land though.

DougJoseph · February 25, 2024, 8:48pm

That makes sense. I appreciate it. As you can tell from this post, which I made without an affiliate link, and then later, as an afterthought, added one, and then removed it when there was a complaint, I definitely did not go into this recommendation with any affiliate link in mind. And I’m happy to make the recommendation without any affiliate link present. I’m not trying to influence anyone — just hoping to share the good deal that I got on a great machine.

It’s new, and so it’s not without its wrinkles that they’re working to iron out, in this case, particularly related to the Wi-Fi feature. Currently it can print from Wi-Fi upload of files if one uses their proprietary interface on the computer. They are working to make it so that it can print via Wi-Fi upload from Orca Slicer, but they don’t have all the bugs worked out of that yet. However, aside from the Wi-Fi issues, it seems to be powerful, fast, and it’s giving great quality prints.

jeffeb3 · February 26, 2024, 1:59pm

I appreciate that. I don’t buy every printer (I have only bought one, actually, and made the rest). But people ask me for recommendations and they don’t like to hear that I think they should spend a lot on a prusa. So I like the testimonials.

I’m particularly sensitive to this new proprietary trend in printers. It does really matter to me that prusa is (pretty much) open source and bambu labs (pretty much) isn’t. Creality has always been in the “irresponsible open source” camp. That’s probably why I haven’t bought a new printer.

DougJoseph · February 26, 2024, 5:33pm

I’ve been OK with building LR2, LR3, LR3 plasma, and upgrading an Ender-3 v2 to the Ender Extender 400XL. However, that last one did not turn out well (yet - still hoping to improve it), and I’ve lacked motivation, time, focus, and confidence to build the Voron2.4 kit I bought or the MP3DP stuff I bought.

Today I did make some progress. You knew I misplaced my voltage meter, and you encouraged me to buy another one and I did. It’s been sitting here for two months. Also, about two and a half years ago, I bought a handful of buck converters, which I had never used. Today I used both, and got the voltage coming from the FlashForge LED port knocked back from 24v to 12v, for some LED strips I’m installing. The pro version comes with LED lights (and a camera), but the base model does not. You’d have been proud of me.

DougJoseph · March 1, 2024, 5:21am

OK, so I located the published, open source Klipper firmware released for this printer! Apparently it was released way back on January 24, 2024, and I was just not aware yet!

Also, apparently there is a way to replace the GUI on the touch screen with Klipperscreen:

The video below was linked from flashforge-ad5m-5mpro-research: GitHub - g992/flashforge-ad5m-5mpro-research: Hardware and software researches and upgrades for Flashforge adventurer M5/M5 PRO

“Just video with working klipperscreen (Big thanks @consp and @xblax)” https://github.com/g992/flashforge-ad5m-5mpro-research/assets/48438685/81126859-a501-477d-9745-5bbe95120e88

olijouve · March 1, 2024, 9:54am

Thank you Doug for this news, I admit that this printer really tempts me. Mine is old, slow, doesn’t have self-leveling… and with the temperature variations in my workshop it’s just too discouraging to often redo the leveling before printing.

If, as usual, you document for us how you manage to make it open source by putting kippler on it, I think I will take it.

DougJoseph · March 1, 2024, 10:17am

I’ve not ever used Klipper yet, as this is my very first CoreXY printer, and very first one fast enough to make me want to bother with it. I’m trying to get motivation enough to build this expensive Voron2.4 kit I bought (kit sold from FYSETC). Obviously that would be a Klipper thing, so it’s in my future. I’m very tempted to go ahead and research and figure it out for this Flashforge printer.

Speaking of which, lots of tutorials out there tell how to do it when the Octoprint is on a Raspberry PI, and they are telling how to load OctoKlipper for that. However, I installed Octoprint on a batch of Amazon Fire tablets, and I’d love to be be able to use those for Klipper. Not sure that’s doable. Here’s a nice video tutorial on doing it for RPi:

spsully2582 · March 1, 2024, 4:35pm

that is one I definitely looked at. It was priced at a point that made it hard to rule out. The nozzle change on it is great! Probably the best in the biz. But alas I didnt buy a new printer and picked up a used ender 5 instead

niget2002 · March 1, 2024, 7:38pm

My first printer was an old Geeetech Prusa clone. I spent more time working on it than using it. After many many upgrades it was very reliable with PLA.

I recently started using it as a test bed for changes I want to make on the MP3DPv4. We’ll see how this goes.

Best 3D printer I ever *bought* is also best deal + Klipper thoughts (Flashforge AD5M)

Best 3D printer I ever bought is also best deal + Klipper thoughts (Flashforge AD5M)