As the popularity of 3D printing has grown, the prevalence of so-called “torture tests” for 3D printers has waned. This is not a coincidence; these two trends are interlinked (and it’s a good thing).

For the last four years, I’ve tested 3D printers in several key ways. Hardware tests, like how fast it is or how well the print bed heats up, are important, but so is measuring print quality evenly ...