3D printers can be broadly divided into 2 categories – Consumer grade 3D printers, Industry grade 3D printers. Industry grade 3D printers are considered superior to consumer grade 3D printers. Industrial 3D printers can manufacture fully functional high quality prototypes. Most of the industrial grade 3D printers have high build volume, better resolution and use extremely durable materials. Industrial 3D printers are the first ones to come into the market. These 3D printers are in the market for the last 20 years. Consumer grade 3D printers started entering the market in the last 5 years. Some of the best industrial 3D printers include Stratasys Mojo,  Objet Eden260V, Dimension Series. Also read points to take care of when choosing an industrial 3D printer.

Stratasys Dimension 1200es industrial 3D printer is one of the high quality industrial 3D printers available in the market. The printer has a build volume of 10 x 10 x 12 inches. It prints with ABSplus, a common filament type for most industrial 3D printers. ABSplus filament is 40% stronger than the standard ABS filament.

For quality parts or prototypes, you can choose a resolution between 0.25 and 0.33 mm. One can select from 9 colors for ABSplus and one cartridge as well as a support material cartridge are also included.

EOS Eosint M 280 is a DMLS 3D printer which uses direct metal laser sintering process to print metal into finished ready-to-use 3D parts. Eosint M 280 has a large build volume, numerous compatible materials and produces high-quality, efficient prints. DMLS is different from FDM. In DMLS process, high-grade laser melts metal material powder. The melted metal is then extruded into layers until the model is printed. DMLS process can be used for manufacturing end-use products. The EOS Eosint M 280 has a maximum build volume of 10x10x13 inches. Also, EOS Eosint can print a 23 feet per second scan speed making production very efficient.

EOS Eosint M280 comes with EOS RP Tools software. This software along with CAD program can help you design and print 3D models. The printer is backed by exceptional technical support from the parent company. EOS Eosint is one of the best industrial 3D printers for DMLS printing.With various premium metal materials, the Eosint M 280 can pro.

ExOne S-Print is a resin 3D printer used to create high-quality casts and molds. The casts and molds are in-turn used to create end use products. ExOne S-Print 3D printer has a maximum speed of 40 seconds per layer while extruding resin into sand. The printer can print parts at a maximum speed of 30 x 15 x 16 inches.

This large 3D printer weighs little more than 3175 kgs and measures 10 x 8 x 9 feet in size. The 3d printer comes with all the amenities required to print including a control panel, job box, sand mixer and an unloading station.

ExOne provides exceptional customer support. This professional 3D printer uses STL files from CAD software and turns them into finished molds. Also, with the S-Print you’ll have silica sand, a resin system, cleaner to help you maintain and keep your printer in business.

Fortus 250mc is another good quality industrial 3D printer from Stratasys for commercial 3D-printing needs. Fortus provides lots of customization options. It has three layer heights so you can customize resolution, speed and quality of each print.  Print resolution ranges from 0.3 to 0.178mm and it has a maximum print size of 10x10x12 inches in size.

The 3D printer weighs 200 kgs. It has a control screen, large build envelope, compact design and an optional cabinet making the Fortus 250MC easy to use in most office settings.

As the 3D printer is from Stratasys, you can be assured of the customer service. One can find webinars, training, case studies and the usual technical support contact details.

MakerBot Replicator Z18 is a good quality 3D printer from Makerbot, a relatively young startup manufacturing 3D printers that was acquired by Stratasys. The machine can be considered a prosumer 3D printer i.e. hybrid between consumer and industrial 3D printers. At a price of less than 10,000 USD; it is priced closer to consumer machines than industrial machines.

Makerbot Replicator Z18 has a print capacity of up to 12 x 12 x 18 inches. With such high build volume, it surpasses various industrial 3D printers present in the market. The printer prints at a resolution of 0.1 mm which is lot less than industrial 3D printers. The printer has an onboard camera and can be connected via Wi-Fi, USB, Flash Drive or Ethernet cable. It can work on Mac, Windows 7 and 8 & Linux operating systems.

Makerbot customer care is very good and its website has user guides, knowledge base and contact information for technical support. The printer also comes with 1 year warranty to cover all the moving parts.

Object Eden 260V is a mid-size, compact Polyjet machine from Stratasys.The printer can print large objects with impressive resolution. The build volume is up to 10 x 10 x 8 inches including support structures. The printer offers a 0.016 mm resolution.

ProJet 3500 HD Max is the best commercial PolyJet 3D printers having highest quality and accuracy settings. The ProJet 3500 HD Max has 4 printing modes – high definition, high speed, ultra high definition and extreme high definition. One can print models between 0.025 and 0.05 mm accuracy.

The 3500 HD Max machine is 60 inches tall and weighs 322 kgs. ProJet 3500 HD Max is manufactured by 3D Systems. The company provides phone numbers and email addresses for technical support. On the website, one can find helpful videos, webinars, software updates. ProJet comes with a five-year printer head warranty.

Solidscape Max2 is a wax 3D printer mainly used for medical research, dental, jewelry and manufacturing sectors. This printer prints wax pattern that can be used to cast in a different material to create a part.

Solidscape Max2 churns out prints at a very high accuracy. The molds created by Solidscape are extremely intricate and accurate. The thickness of the print is between 0.02 and 0.05 mm. Solidscape Max2 has a build volume of 22x18x16 inches and weights only 34 kgs. Solidscape Max2 is manufactured by Stratasys and the company provides exceptional technical support.

Mojo is another good quality compact 3D printer from Stratasys. It can only print 5 x 5 x 5 inches and has a resolution of 0.178 mm. Mojo is used for quick prototyping. Mojo uses ABSPlus to print your models. ABSPlus is sold by Stratasys in the form of cartridges.

Mojo weights around 20 kgs and the printer has a dimenion of 25x18x21 inches. The Mojo is the perfect desktop industrial 3D printer for quick prototype prints in small or large office spaces.

The uPrint SE is an FDM 3D printer from Stratasys. It can be used to create trial products before you begin full scale production. The uPrint SE can print .254 mm layers. The uPrint SE is compatible with Windows XP and Windows 7, and is Ethernet compatible. Since the uPrint SE is well built and fully enclosed, prints are more accurate than with other 3D printers.The printer weights around 85 pounds and measures 25 x 26 x 31 inches.

The customer support of the printer is very good. Stratasys provides you with a complete support system for all aspects of your printer. On the website you’ll be able to contact technical support, find software support and submit a support ticket.

Though there are various industrial 3D printers in the market, the above listed 10 3d printers are considered the best industrial 3D printers. Various new industrial 3D printers are being launched on a regular basis in the market and the overall market for industrial 3D printers is growing at a massive pace. But what is more interesting is the consumer 3D printing market. With the advent of the consumer 3D printing market in 2010, various new 3D low cost 3D printers are being launched with the same or even better feature set than industrial 3D printers. Read more about consumer 3D printers here