Just a few short years ago, 3D printing was reserved for big businesses and corporations due to the huge costs and inaccessibility of the equipment. Cut forward to the modern day and everyone can get access to this interesting and often handy hobby. But how do you pick what printer to get?
We’re going to give all of the details you need to pick the 3d printer to fit your needs - Whilst some people will get their kicks from watching sports or playing on online slots machines, you’re going to be 3d printing handy objects and models - and maybe even starting a new side business!
There are different types of printing and depending on what you want to print will dictate what type of printer you need. The different types of 3d printers are:
Fused Filament Fabrication sometimes known as Filament Disposition Method - FFF or FDM is a very common type of printing where hot filament is pushed through a small nozzle - kind of like a glue gun.
These are the cheapest printers you can get in of the actual printer itself and materials but can’t achieve any layer heights higher than 0.1mm. You can make objects higher than 0.1mm, but they take a long time to print. This type of printer is usually perfect for beginners.
Stereolithography or SLA - Liquid resin is used with this type of printing, instead of filament and UV light is used to harden the resin. Creating layers with these types of printers is much faster than using a filament-based printer and objects that are printed are much smoother.
You are going to have to sand off and ‘finish’ the resin objects after printing though, which can be a labour of love! The outset of these printers in of money is usually the same price as the FDM style printers, but the costs of resin are higher, which means higher ongoing costs.
Selective Laser Sintering or SLS - SLS style printers use a powdery material that is placed in very thin layers and then melted with a laser. This style of printing can be used to make incredibly fine layers and can cover a whole range of materials including plastic, metal, rubber, ceramic and more.
The printers themselves are not cheap though and they are usually the biggest type of machine, meaning they take up a lot more space than the other types of printers - these are the types of 3d printers that are often used in big industrial projects such as the automotive industry. Possibly not the type of printer you would have in your home if you were making little 3D prints as a hobby.
Considering this, SLS printers are most often not suited for beginners - due to space and price factors - so we won’t delve into them for the rest of this article.
There are going to be a few different factors in picking which printer you should choose. Let’s take a look at some of them:
This is going to be one of the more pertinent factors in choosing your printer - what exactly you’re getting one for?
If you’re planning on printing bigger objects, then you most likely won’t need to be printing using micrometre-scale layers with extra smooth finishes, so any kind of FFF or FDM printer would most likely be suitable for you.
If you want to print smaller and more intricate things, such as earrings, necklaces, tabletop miniature figures etc, then a much smoother finish is needed. This would suggest an SLA or a resin-based printer.
Depending how in-depth you want to go with your 3d printing knowledge can influence what type of printer you get.
If you just want to get models done and don’t really much care about the process, then you would be looking for a 3d printer that has little maintenance and set-up - something that works pretty much out of the box. That way you can get started as soon as possible with as little maintenance as possible.
Maybe you want to really get into printing and understand all of the mechanics and the process behind it - in this case, you’d most likely be better looking for what’s known as a kit printer for your makes, which are usually a bit cheaper than out of the box printers and need more assembly.
The final big factor in picking a 3d printer is the initial outlay and maintenance that is involved.
The printers themselves have come down drastically in costs as more people get into printing, but as with anything that you get what you pay for! A good starting price for a 3d printer is around $300. This price range covers both a good quality printer whilst still being somewhat affordable. Out-of-the-box printers are more expensive with a good-quality kit coming in at around $800.
Ongoing and maintenance costs vary depending on what materials you’re using as well as repairs, oil, etc. filament is the cheapest option when it comes to materials with resign being roughly twice the cost, but again what you need will vary upon what you are planning to print!
You've had some fun with your new 3d printer and made a few cool objects, but there’s a vital part of 3d printing that can get overlooked - maintenance. Proper maintenance and care are absolutely essential = that includes the most compact desktop printers.
Anycubic, a globally renowned 3D printing brand, has announced the launch of the Anycubic Photon M3 , a new resin 3D printer with the highest resolution of the M3 series yet. Featuring, the LighTurbo 2.0, an enhanced light source with a light uniformity of over 90% , a 10″ 8k LCD screen resolution and a large build volume of 25*22*12*cm, the groundbreaking M3 delivers incredible print quality details and a first-class experience.
