You're looking at the best DIY 3D printers available, and you need to choose between two amazing options: Voron and RatRig. This isn't a simple choice for beginners. It's a big commitment that will challenge your building skills and give you incredible printing performance. This is where hobbyists become real engineers and builders become craftspeople.
In 2025, both printer designs have grown into powerful systems with lots of support. The question isn't "which one is good?" but "which one is right for you?" Online discussions are intense, with passionate supporters on each side, often arguing about one key feature: how strong and stable the frame is.
This article goes deeper than basic specifications. We'll examine the main ideas, mechanical differences, and community support that make these two projects special. We want to answer an important question: Does RatRig's famous strong frame give it a clear advantage, or does Voron's amazing flexibility still make it the best choice? Our goal is to give you the information you need to make the perfect decision.
Frame Strength and Fast Printing
When trying to print fast, having a strong, stable frame is the foundation that everything else depends on. To understand why, we need to look at what happens during high-speed printing. When you tell a printer to move its print head at extremely fast speeds—often more than 10,000 mm/s²—you create huge forces.
On a weaker frame, these forces cause vibrations. These vibrations travel through the machine and show up on your print as wavy lines or blurry details—artifacts that appear around sharp corners and fine features. Software like Klipper can use smart algorithms to reduce a machine's vibrations, but it can only do so much. A truly strong frame stops these vibrations from happening in the first place.
The main goal is to turn the software's precise digital commands into clean, accurate physical movements of the print head. A strong frame makes sure that when Klipper says "move 0.4mm and stop immediately," the print head does exactly that, without any leftover wobbling or bending. This directly creates sharper corners, smoother flat surfaces, and consistent quality across the entire build area, print after print.
Different Design Ideas
The difference in how Voron and RatRig approach frame strength shows us their main design philosophies.
RatRig's approach can be called "maximum stiffness." Their designs, like the V-Core series, are usually built on a foundation of 3030 aluminum rails. This is bigger and naturally stronger than the 2020 rails common on many other DIY printers. Also, RatRig designs often have lots of triangular support in the frame structure and very strong, thick corner connections. The philosophy is clear: build an extra-strong frame to create a rock-solid foundation. By making the frame as stiff as possible from the start, frame flex isn't a problem for performance.
Voron's approach, seen in its main V2.4 and Trident models, is one of "smart engineering." These printers are designed around a 2020 aluminum rail framework. This doesn't mean the frame is weak; it's definitely not. The Voron design is expertly created to be highly effective where all parts work together perfectly. The philosophy here is different: build a frame that is exactly strong enough for its intended high performance. This creates a balanced design that is accessible, extremely well-documented, and most importantly, serves as a base for almost unlimited modifications.
To compare them, a RatRig is like a purpose-built race car. Its frame is engineered for maximum strength above everything else, providing a solid platform for all other parts. A Voron is more like a high-performance sports car. Its frame is very stiff and capable, but it's also designed with balance, versatility, and the ability to be modified by its owner for different purposes. Both are incredibly fast, but they achieve that speed through different engineering priorities.
Main Mechanical Differences
At their core, both Voron and RatRig printers use a CoreXY motion system. This design uses two long belts, driven by two stationary motors, to control the movement of the print head in the X and Y directions. It's a system known for achieving high speeds and accelerations because the motors that drive the motion aren't part of the moving parts. However, within this CoreXY world, the two projects use different Z-axis configurations.
Voron 2.4 Flying Gantry
The Voron 2.4 is famous for its "flying gantry" design. Here, the entire CoreXY motion system—the gantry—moves up and down along four independent Z-axis screws, one in each corner. The build plate stays completely still at the bottom of the printer.
The main advantage of this system is print stability. Because the bed doesn't move, the weight of the printed object doesn't affect the motion system. This is excellent for tall, delicate, or top-heavy models that might wobble on a moving bed. It completely eliminates any "bed movement" artifacts.
The trade-offs come in mechanical complexity. Building a Voron 2.4 involves managing four Z-motors and a more complex belt path to keep them synchronized. The most critical setup step is Quad Gantry Leveling (QGL), a procedure where the printer uses the nozzle to check the four corners of the bed and independently adjusts each Z-motor to make the gantry perfectly parallel to the stationary bed. While powerful, it can be frustrating if the machine isn't built precisely. A poorly tensioned or assembled gantry also has the potential to twist slightly under high acceleration.
Fixed Gantry Champions
The Voron Trident and the RatRig V-Core series represent the other approach: the fixed gantry. In this setup, the CoreXY gantry is firmly mounted to the top of the frame. The entire build plate moves up and down to create the Z-axis, typically on three points of contact (using either screws or, in some cases, belts).
The main benefit here is mechanical simplicity and natural gantry strength. Because the gantry is bolted firmly in place, it is an extremely stable and stiff platform for the X and Y movements. There are fewer motors and fewer potential failure points in the Z-motion system, and many builders find this design easier to assemble and level.
The main consideration for a moving bed design is the changing weight and center of gravity. As a print grows taller, the bed moves lower in the frame. Community discussions and testing have shown this can actually change the machine's vibration characteristics throughout a print. A machine tuned perfectly for the first few layers might show different vibration patterns when printing near its maximum Z-height. There is also a theoretical potential for Z-wobble on very tall prints if the Z-axis isn't perfectly constrained, though this is rare in well-built machines.
Which Is Better for Speed?
The theoretical argument favors the fixed gantry of the Trident and V-Core for ultimate speed. A lighter, fixed gantry should be able to handle higher XY accelerations more cleanly than the heavier, more complex moving gantry of the V2.4.
In practical reality, the differences are often academic for most users. All three designs can be pushed to incredible speeds that were unimaginable just a few years ago. The true limiting factor often becomes the builder's tuning skill, the quality of their chosen components (hotend, extruder, motors), and the specific modifications they've implemented. A masterfully built and tuned Voron 2.4 can easily outpace a poorly tuned RatRig, and vice versa.
Getting Your Machine Parts
The way you get the parts for your printer is a major difference between the two systems. It reflects their basic approaches.
The RatRig Kit Experience
RatRig's main model is centered around official, complete kits. When you decide to build a RatRig, the most common path is to purchase a kit that contains nearly everything you need—from the frame rails and custom-machined plates to the screws and motion components.
This curated experience has significant advantages. The components are tested for quality and are known to work well together. This greatly reduces the guesswork and potential for getting incompatible or low-quality parts. The build process is designed around the kit contents. The main drawback is less flexibility. You have fewer choices for core components, and the initial cost can be higher than getting parts individually.
The Voron Self-Sourcing Spirit
The Voron project was born from a pure open-source philosophy. The "official" way to build one is to look at the comprehensive parts list and get every single part yourself from various sellers.
This path offers ultimate customization. You can choose your preferred brand of linear rails, motors, control board, and hotend. For the patient and strategic shopper, it can offer a path to a lower total cost. Most importantly, it's a deeply rewarding learning experience that forces you to understand what every single component does. The downside is that finding all the parts is a significant time investment. It also introduces the risk of accidentally getting counterfeit or poor-quality parts, which can lead to a frustrating and difficult troubleshooting process later.
However, since the early 2020s, a strong market of high-quality third-party Voron kits has emerged. These kits offer a more RatRig-like experience for the Voron platform, providing tested parts in a single package and bridging the gap between the two sourcing philosophies.
Documentation and Instructions
The build documentation reflects these sourcing models. RatRig's build guide is often praised for its detailed, step-by-step 3D-rendered instructions. It's designed to guide a builder through the assembly of a specific kit, leaving little room for confusion. Voron's official documentation is incredibly extensive and community-tested, but it assumes the builder is getting their own parts. It can sometimes require more interpretation and cross-referencing, a reflection of its deep DIY roots.
Choosing Your Community
When you build a Voron vs RatRig, you're not just buying hardware; you're joining a community. The culture and resources of these communities are just as important as the mechanical design.
The Global Voron Community
The Voron community is a global phenomenon. It is massive, sprawling, and incredibly active on platforms like Discord and Reddit. The official Voron Discord server is a bustling hub of activity 24/7, with thousands of users sharing builds, troubleshooting problems, and developing new technology. The culture is famously helpful to newcomers, with a strong expectation that you do your research first.
The single biggest advantage of the Voron ecosystem is its modding universe. It is an endless sea of user-created modifications for every conceivable part of the printer. Innovations like Voron Tap, a nozzle-based Z-probe that offers extreme precision, or the widespread adoption of CANbus wiring for cleaner electronics, often start as community projects before becoming standard features. The Voron platform is not a static design; it's a living, breathing project that is constantly being improved by thousands of its users.
The Focused RatRig Community
The RatRig community, while smaller than Voron's, is strong, growing, and highly technically skilled. The discussions, often centered on the official Discord and Facebook groups, are performance-driven and focused on optimizing the official kit designs. Because most users are building from a common, known-good hardware set, the quality of troubleshooting discussions can be very high.
There is also a healthy and growing modding scene within the RatRig ecosystem. Many of these mods are focused on pushing the performance of the stock machine even further, with projects for alternative toolheads, advanced part-cooling solutions, and other enhancements. The official RatRig team is also very active within the community, often incorporating popular user feedback and modifications into future versions of their official kits and releasing incremental upgrades.
Priorities, Not a Winner
In 2025, the choice between Voron vs RatRig is not about crowning a "winner." It's about matching a project with your personal goals, skills, and priorities as a builder.
| Choose a Voron if... | Choose a RatRig if... |
|---|---|
| You are a tinkerer who wants a platform for endless customization. | Your top priority is maximum out-of-the-box rigidity. |
| The journey of sourcing parts from a BOM excites you. | You prefer a streamlined, curated build from a high-quality kit. |
| You value the largest possible community and a universe of mods. | You value an overbuilt, robust frame as your starting point. |
| You want to build a printer that is uniquely yours. | You want a more linear path to printing at extreme speeds. |
Frame Strength Isn't Everything
So, does RatRig's strong frame completely crush Voron?
The answer is no, it doesn't "crush" it, but it does represent a different and equally valid design priority. A stock RatRig V-Core, with its 3030 rails and strong plating, is arguably more fundamentally rigid than a stock Voron built to spec with 2020 rails. It starts with a stiffer foundation.
However, frame strength isn't the only measure of performance. A well-built, carefully tuned, and thoughtfully modified Voron can absolutely compete with, and in many cases exceed, the speed and quality of other platforms. The Voron's strength lies in its adaptability and the huge scale of its community-driven innovation.
Ultimately, the choice reflects your philosophy as an engineer and maker. Do you want to start with the stiffest possible foundation and optimize from there? Build a RatRig. Do you want to start with a supremely adaptable and proven platform, and build it into your personal vision of printing perfection? Build a Voron. Either way, you are starting a journey to build one of the best DIY 3D printers on the planet.