Project R3D Daedalus Review: Tough Machine, Tough Customer Service

I recently got my hands on the Project R3D Daedalus 3D printer, and, let me tell you, it’s been a wild ride. This large-format fused deposition modeling (FDM) machine boasts a build volume of 310 x 300 x 345 mm, which is exactly what I was looking for. However, my experience with the printer itself was overshadowed by the issues I faced with Project R3D’s customer service.

The Daedalus promises a lot on paper. It has a CoreXY system for achieving high print speeds (up to 150mm/s), a Duet 3 mainboard, and claims compatibility with a wide range of filaments including PLA, TPU, ABS, ASA, Nylon, and Polycarbonate. I was particularly excited to test it with Nylon and Polycarbonate.

It took over eight weeks to get the printer to me. During that time, I was in contact with customer support, who told me, “Your printer was lost in shipping.” They promised to get me a new machine as soon as possible while they filed a claim with UPS. I still never received tacking for the replacement printer. When asked a week later, support had claimed once again the printer was “lost in shipping.” I ordered the system on February 25, 2024. I received it on April 16. 

Foam padding from the unboxing process

Unboxing the printer itself was fairly straightforward. The machine felt sturdy, and I was happy to see the company included a textured PEI sheet, instead of garolite as the site suggested. However, that’s where the good news ended. My unit was covered in several spots with a sticky residue that resulted in a lot of hair and dust accumulating on the extrusions. I was also able to see aluminum chips from the drilled out holes still left in my printer. 

This cable was loosely floating in the printer. Was supposed to attach to the touch screen.

According to the assembly guide, there should have been a second box with additional components. Unfortunately, it was missing. To make matters worse, the printer itself was lacking crucial parts like the power supply cable and the touchscreen, along with the Raspberry Pi used to run the Duet in Single Board Computer mode! This meant there was no way to even turn it on and start printing. There was also supposed to be a third box containing the enclosure kit which consisted of a door and a top lid. That did not come either.

Image of the hair and dust on an extrusion

I contacted Project R3D support, and, for the next two weeks, it was a constant struggle to get any updates. The team kept promising the missing parts were “on their way” and offered no tracking information. My account still showed the order as pending, adding to the frustration.

Image of the PEI plate that had been dug into.

Finally, after nearly two months, the missing boxes arrived. However, the enclosure the company sent was cracked in multiple places, and the door was scratched and bent. They were all still usable, but this was very frustrating for me. I waited two months for a printer that should’ve only taken two weeks and I was behind on some customer orders.

Image of the Aluminum chips leftover from machining.

Despite the nightmarish customer service experience, I decided to put the Daedalus through its paces. Once I had all the necessary parts (after a lot of back-and-forth with Project R3D), the printer itself proved to be quite reliable. I was able to print with various filaments, including carbon fiber ASA and Nylon, with minimal issues. The print speeds were decent, reaching around 250mm/s on large flat prints, although the quality wasn’t exceptional. I had to tweak the slicer profiles quite a bit to get the best results.

Nevertheless, the Daedalus has been an absolute beast of a printer. With the printer in my garage, I have been able to keep it going nearly 24/7. I have done dozens of customer and personal prints on this machine. Without fail, the system has produced my components to spec every single time. With some clever tuning, I was able to get the Daedalus to hold a tolerance of 0.05mm. This was repeatable over several spools and hundreds of hours of printing. Where the Daedalus lacks in speed, it makes up for with its reliability and consistency.

Overall, I am very happy with this printer. It has brought the same reliability and consistency as the Railcore I had in 2019. Unfortunately, I no longer have that machine to compare to, but, from my memory, these two systems are excellent performers. This makes sense because the Daedalus was based on the Railcore project. What the Daedalus does differently and better is rigidity. This machine is far more rigid and structurally sound than the Railcore was. Project R3D used thicker extrusions and had much larger reinforcement brackets on the extrusions. 

Reinforcement bracket

However, the constant delays, missing parts, and overall lack of communication from Project R3D left a sour taste in my mouth.  While the Daedalus itself seems like a decent system, the horrendous customer service experience completely overshadows its capabilities. It’s a shame, because with better customer support, this would have been a glowing review.

Overall, the Project R3D Daedalus offers a cautionary tale. The printer itself has potential, but the nightmarish customer service experience makes it a risky purchase. There are better options out there with more reliable companies behind them.

Below is my YouTube video review for a more in-depth look at the Daedalus.