Review of Kywoo Tycoon 3D Printer

Review of Kywoo Tycoon 3D Printer.

The Tycoon from Kywoo is a direct drive FDM 3D printer with auto leveling, color touch controls and a few cool features we haven’t seen in other entry-level printers.

We will introduce you to the design, build, calibration and build quality of Tycoon. Then we’ll tell you what it’s like to 3D print with this inexpensive printer.

Kywoo’s Tycoon line includes the Tycoon, Tycoon Max 3D printer, Tycoon IDEX (dual extruder) and Tycoon Slim which is similar in design to Ender3, Anycubic Vyper and Kobra or Voxelab Aquila. We tested the Tycoon model from Kywoo.

Features of the Tycoon by Kywoo

The Tycoon is equipped with features such as:

direct drive extruder mounted on a linear guide for smoother movement 240 x 240 x 230mm print size/build volume integrated BL Touch-style platform system High definition color LCD touchscreen Dual propellers and Z-axis motors for better stability Heated glass platform Extruded aluminum frame Adjustable feet li> SD and microSD card support Wi-Fi connectivity Windows/Mac/Linux compatible Y-axis that attaches to linear rods connected to four linear bearings Verified Filament compatibility with PLA, PETG, TPU, TPE, nylon and ABS (If you plan to print with ABS, please purchase the Kywoo body at a reasonable price).One year warranty, excluding nozzle and sheet. Lifetime technical support.

The bright yellow case, containing the motherboard and power supply, makes the Tycoon the most beautiful 3D printer we’ve ever reviewed. Plus, the two carrying handles on the top make it easy to move around compared to other printers.

The Tycoon has another feature we’ve never seen before – a crank for the E-axis (extruder) so you can manually insert or pull filament from the nozzle.

You might think that the firmware loads the filament automatically, but extrusion control is very nice. This also means that there is no need to print an extruder renderer.

Assembling the DIY Kywoo Tycoon 3D Printer

The instructions were not very clear, which is not unusual. But in the end, it only took about five minutes to assemble. Also, in retrospect, the steps are obvious.

Attach the Y axis to the X and Z portal, add legs, connect some cables and install the spool holder. Then attach the tempered glass bed with clips.

Warning: Please make sure that the voltage of the power supply is correct for your country. Ours was set to 230V, so we had to change it to 115V. To avoid damage, it’s important to do this before turning on the printer.

Kywoo 3D Printer Calibration

1-We proceeded to follow the instructions in the manual, setting up the printer through the touch screen interface. 2-We have completed the automatic platform leveling function, and then pre-heated the nozzle and platform using the touch screen.3- We were pleasantly surprised by the tap-and-drag controls on the temperature and distance sliders – faster and easier than tapping the plus and minus icons multiple times (although you can do that, too).

The instructions repeatedly mention returning to the main screen. Note that the Home icon contains the printer. It’s the Back icon that takes you back to the home screen.

We then loaded the filament after we cut it at the recommended 45 degree angle with the included side cutters. We ran the filament through the anti-beat sensor in the hot end via a wheel that is connected directly to the extruder motor.

Finally, we adjusted the Z offset by running the auto alignment test file on the microSD card that came with the printer. As usual, the z-offset wasn’t ideal from the start. We had to raise it a few tenths of a millimeter, but we were able to fix it before the test calibration print was completed.

We used a scraper to remove lines from the test print. Although this was enough, we prefer thinner and more flexible scrapers for fear of damaging the frame. Even though we left a few scratches on the glass pad, a bit of isopropyl alcohol cleaned it up and it looked like new.

Build Quality of the Kywoo Tycoon

The Tycoon has a really rigid frame. This is good because any fluctuation can affect print quality.

The high-precision linear guides keep the X-axis stable, and there was no noticeable play in either the X-axis or the Y-axis. We suspect the Y-axis bearings may be plastic since they are so quiet.

The Z axis has two motors and Z screws connected by a belt to prevent slippage. The Z-axis is by far the noisiest part of the printer, so the Z-axis jumps are much louder than other machine movements. That’s not to say it’s a loud machine – it’s just not as quiet as other machines we’ve tested.

The Tycoonâ€™s First Print

We first decided to print a simple test model, a ghost model on a microSD card, using the PLA filament that came with the printer. It was quite small and ended in about twenty minutes. The sides and top of the ghost looked fine. We did not see any defects or stretch marks.

We were most impressed with the first layer – the underside of the ghost. With the exception of one defect caused by the fact that we did not remove a small amount of liquid from the extruder when we started printing, the first layer was flawless. In fact, it had a beautiful texture imprinted with a glass plate.

We also printed the included bird whistle model, which was completed in about two hours. There were some stretches, but they were easily removed and turned out as beautiful as a ghost print.

We thought that the test models could print a little faster. On the other hand, the included test files usually do not expand the capabilities of the printer. So we decided to print a good old poster board cut with Cura 5 using the recommended settings at a maximum recommended speed of 80mm/sec with outer walls of 40mm/sec. Printing took fifty minutes.

You can see some strings on the arches and across the bow. This is likely due to retraction settings or moving too fast to adequately cool the bed. Overall, though, it looks good, given that we’ve overclocked the printer to its maximum speed.

Cut to the Chase

Tycoon has a lot of features for the money. We particularly liked the linear guide X-axis, the satisfying manual extruder wheel, and the very attractive body. It is very durable and great for the beginner or experienced crafter.

We wish it had a removable magnetic bed, although it would be pretty cheap and easy to make that upgrade yourself.

Beginners will appreciate the SD card document that explains how to use the Cura slicer to convert 3D models to g-code that the Kywoo Tycoon printer understands. This information is often omitted and we were glad to see it.

We hope Kywoo is working with Cura to add their line to Cura’s default printer list. In the meantime, a downloadable profile for Cura and Prusa slicers will be useful, especially for beginners.

Finally, the official Kywoo Tycoon Facebook user group is quite active and filled with users and experts ready to help troubleshoot any issues you might have.

All in all, this is a solid printer that is worth the price. Purchase Tycoon from the official website of Kywoo, Amazon or AliExpress.

Price: from $450.93

*Special thanks to FormerLurker for helping me review the Kywoo Tycoon 3D printer.