The Anet brand is synonymous with high-quality 3D printing devices. This China-based company released its first products in 2015 and has earned a reputation for creating affordable 3D printers. Innovation is the hallmark of this company, and this is evident in their products.
We believe the Anet ET4 Pro and the ET4X are two of the best FDM printers in Anet’s ET series. The ET4X is an update to the hugely popular ET4 Pro. Does it live up to expectations? Is the upgrade worth it? Keep reading to find out more.
Anet ET4 Pro vs. Anet ET4X
Design
The Anet ET4X has a similar design and build as the ET4 Pro. This former has a sleeker look and features an integrated modular design with a terminal pinboard for connections and covered wires. The Anet ET4X has a nice aluminum and tempered glass bed. It is available in blue and metallic black.
The dimensions of the ET4X and the ET4 Pro are the same — 440 x 380 x 480 mm. The ET4X weighs about 7.2 kilos while the ET4 Pro weighs 7.6 kg making it slightly heavier.
Setting Up
Anet’s 3D printers are easy to set up. The ET4X is particularly easy to assemble. According to Anet, it should take about 10 minutes to complete assembling the ET4X.
The Anet ET4 Pro is modular and easy to assemble after unboxing. Anet always leaves instructions on how to assemble these devices. First-time users will find the manual and general guidelines informative.
Print Volume
The ET4X has a print volume of 220 x 220 x 250. Anet kept the same printing specs, including speed, precision, layer thickness, and nozzle diameter. This device has a print speed of about 150 mm per second with a nozzle diameter of 0.4 mm. The ET4X allows for about 0.1 – 0.3 mm layer thickness and has a printing precision of 0.1mm.
The ET4 Pro also has a build volume of 220 x 220 x 250 with a print precision of 0.1mm. This device has a print speed of 150mm, and its layer thickness ranges from 0.1 – 0.3 mm. The ETA Pro is designed with a nozzle diameter of 0.4mm.
Materials & Temperature
Anet only made a few changes regarding the materials the upgraded ET4X uses. This 3D printer is compatible with materials like ABS, PLA, HIPS, IPS, and wood. The ET4X has maximum temperature levels of 250 C in the extruder and about 100 C in the printing bed. The humidity of the working room should not exceed 80 C; ideally, it should stay between 10 to 40 C.
The ET4 Pro is compatible with printing materials like PLA, ABS, HIPS, PETG, etc. The filament diameter of this device is 1.75mm. The work room temperature of the ET4 Pro should be between 10 and 40 C. It shouldn’t go past 80 C.
Touchscreen
The Anet ET4X features a 2.8-inch LCD touchscreen designed for easy operation. However, this touchscreen needs to be upgraded, which is one of the cons of this 3D printer.
The ETA Pro 3D printer has a 2.8-inch LCD screen. This intuitive screen is designed to control the movement of the X/Y/Z axis, leveling, and many other essential functions.
Software
The ET4X and the ET4 Pro 3D printers are available for Mac and Windows. These 3D printers are compatible with different software, including Cure, Repetier, and Simplify 3D. These software are all closed systems. Their control languages are Chinese, English, and French.
The input and output data formats of the ETA Pro and the ET4X are the same, with no changes. The input data format for the ETA Pro is JPG, STL, and OBJ. These are the same for the Anet ET4X 3D printer. The output format of these Anet ET 3D printers is Gcode.
Protections
Anet maintained its security features when designing the ETA Pro and ET4X printers. These printers are designed with a resume printing feature that protects against power outages. This allows you to continue printing from where you left off.
The ETA Pro and ET4X also feature a filament sensor designed to detect the filament while sending reminders to the screen, so it avoids air-printing.
The ETA Pro and ET4X have industrial-grade chipsets for faster and more accurate prints. These devices have over-current, overload, over temperature protections. That’s not all; Anet made these 3D printers with a pre-over temperature alarm. The ETA Pro and ET4X have precision rollers on the X and Y axis, reducing the printing noise and producing high print resolutions.
The hotbed of the ET4 Pro is designed to reach about 110 C in just 5 minutes. The ET4 Pro comes fitted with a UL Certified MeanWell power supply, which handles all fast heating and long-time printing issues. The MeanWell power supply is tucked in the printer and not visible, making it safer. This also protects the 3D printer from power surges.
Connection
Both devices are similar in terms of their connectivity. The Anet ETA Pro and the ET4X have a USB port for connection. These 3D printers are also compatible with TF cards.
Price
The Anet ET4 Pro and the ET4X are both popular and widely popular for sale. We compare the prices of different vendors below. The best to get these 3D printers is Amazon.
Anet ET4 Pro is available at the following stores:
$259.00
$871.47
