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Voxelab Aquila D1

By Voxelab · Budget 3D Printers · 3D Printing

  • 235 x 235 x 250 mm build volume
  • 0.4 mm nozzle (0.6 mm optional), 300°C max extruder
  • 110°C max bed temperature, ≤180 mm/s (100 mm/s normal)
  • 25-point auto leveling, 4.3-inch touch screen
  • Dual-gear direct extruder with 70N feed force, 350W, 9kg

Price not listed

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Summary

A Cartesian FDM 3D printer with a 235 × 235 × 250 mm build volume, a 300 °C hot end, X/Y linear rails and 25-point auto bed leveling. Check the setup before you buy: reviewers found out-of-box issues with the bed carrier and the bundled slicer that take patience to sort out.

Strengths

  • Print quality is strong once the machine is calibrated; testers called it fantastic with no Z-banding.
  • The frame is sturdy and assembly takes about 10 minutes from box to first print.
  • The PEI spring steel plate releases parts easily once it cools.
  • Voxelab support was praised for shipping replacement parts quickly.
  • The mainboard firmware source is published on GitHub.

Weaknesses

  • Fan noise is the most common complaint; Gambody called it loud even when idle.
  • The single-motor, dual-lead-screw Z-axis draws criticism for possible wobble and Z-banding.
  • Notebookcheck documented layer shifts from the bed carrier expanding and binding the linear bearings.
  • VoxelMaker’s default profiles cause stringing and weak top-layer adhesion.
  • There is no print timer, only a progress bar.

Verified specifications

Build volume235 × 235 × 250 mm.
Extruderall-metal dual-gear direct drive, 1:2.83 ratio, up to 70 N feed force.
Hot endstandard 0.4 mm brass nozzle (0.6 mm optional); 300 °C maximum.
Bed110 °C maximum, magnetic spring steel plate with double-sided textured PEI.
Leveling25-point automatic with an inductive sensor; manual knobs also fitted.
MotionX/Y on MGN9H linear guide rails; Z on Delrin V-wheels with dual lead screws driven by a single stepper.
Print speedup to 180 mm/s; Voxelab lists a typical 100 mm/s.
Filament1.75 mm; PLA, ABS, PETG, TPU 95A, HIPS, plus carbon-fibre materials with a hardened nozzle that is not included.
Display and storage4.3-inch LCD touch screen; microSD and microUSB.
Mainboard32-bit N32G455 ARM Cortex-M4 at 144 MHz, with open-source firmware code on GitHub.
Power350 W internal supply, 100–120 V or 200–240 V input, 24 V output.
Noise50 dB rated; measured 51 dB(A) at 1 m during 100 mm/s printing and over 63 dB(A) at high speeds.
Dimensions470 × 440 × 511 mm (663 mm with the spool holder); 9 kg net, 11 kg gross.
In the box3 spare brass nozzles, a 50 g filament sample, spool holder, tools, glue stick and grease.
Full research notes and sources

Setup and out-of-box issues

The factory also torques the rail screws too tightly. Gambody criticised the single-motor, dual-lead-screw Z-axis as mechanically weaker than two independent Z steppers. Make: hit a first-use Z-offset problem where the printer tried to print about 4 mm above the bed.

Noise

Every hands-on review flagged fan noise. Gambody called it loud even at idle, and Make: noted the power-supply fan runs constantly. Fabbaloo said the fan noise cancels out the benefit of the silent stepper motors.

Speed, quality and materials

After calibration the print quality is good. Make: saw clean results with no Z-banding, and Fabbaloo’s test prints on PLA, PETG and ABS showed strong surface finish and dimensional accuracy, including an 11-hour model and print-in-place mechanisms. Flexible filament is the weak spot: the gap between the drive gear and the throat makes soft TPU unreliable, and only around 90A or firmer prints consistently. Carbon-fibre filaments need a hardened nozzle that Voxelab does not include.

Slicer, firmware and maintenance

The mainboard firmware is open source, but Gambody says the custom touchscreen chip blocks third-party display firmware. The E-step parameter rejects a value of “0” and needs “.0000” instead. The Y-axis motor connector sits awkwardly with its conductors pressed against the chassis.

Warranty and support

Voxelab’s Aquila manual states a 12-month limited warranty on the printer and 3 months on the extruder. Fabbaloo’s test unit lost its thermistor, which locked the touchscreen, and Voxelab shipped a replacement extruder assembly and thermistor. Stepper drivers are soldered rather than socketed, which limits some repairs, and third-party compatibility is limited by the custom mainboard and display. Spare parts come from Voxelab’s own store, plus 3DJake and DREMC. Nobody has published long-term reliability data beyond 6–12 months of ownership, so treat the recurring faults as known annoyances rather than a measured failure rate.

Voxelab’s own store listed the Aquila D1 at $239, down from $459. Flashforge Denmark listed it at 508.21 EUR, or 240.66 EUR on sale. Notebookcheck put the manufacturer price at $299 in 2023; Make: and Gambody both saw it at $399 that March, and FacFox reported a $400 pre-order price in October 2022. At the discounted price the hardware list — linear rails, a 300 °C hot end, a 70 N direct extruder and a PEI bed — is a lot for the money, as long as you accept the tuning. Near the original $399 it competes with more polished machines; Gambody preferred the Creality Ender 3 S1 at $329. Filament and brass nozzles are the ongoing costs, and the printer arrives with only a 50 g sample.

Which model this is

This page covers the Voxelab Aquila D1, a direct-drive, linear-rail successor to the Aquila S2 released in late 2022. Don’t confuse it with the original Aquila, which has a smaller 220 × 220 × 250 mm build volume and a 250 °C hot end.

The Amazon listing for this printer is ASIN B0BR5J9V2B.

Sources

Manufacturer:

Independent reviews:

Owner reports:

Parts and stores:

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