"Which Type of 3Dprinter Would You Recommend?" Topic

Imagine that your wargaming friend asked for advice on which type of 3Dprinter he should buy. What would you recommend?

* PLA
* resin
etc.

Tough question: what is the use case and what will be printed?

Most times people think of printing miniatures so that leads to resin.

PLA. Resin requires too many health protections.

Bambu A1 or A1 Mini.

With .2mm nozzle and adjustments of the settings, I can produce near resin quality miniatures.

Dave

It really depends on what you want to print. Resin is great for detailed figures but can be brittle. FDM is great for terrain and buildings but getting better at figures.

The old layered look is lessened on new FDM printers, and simple ventilation (and choosing resins properly instead of buying whatever cheap toxic stuff you can get your hands on) make printing resins safe.

I have been printing since 2010 and have owned many printers. Currently I have a Bambu X1 Carbon FDM, a Form 3 Resin and an Elegoo Saturn 16. The latter is surprisingly cheap. I use ABS like high resolution resins and get amazing results. Really the best minis I have ever printed. Out of caution I print with it next to a window and bought a .1 micron room air filter that I run when using it. With the Form I use exclusively Form Labs resins which claim to be non toxic (in terms of fumes- you still wouldn't want to touch or ingest it) but are very pricey. I never had issues with fumes from the Form.

The X1 is an amazing FDM printer but I use it mainly to print bases, buildings and terrain, though I have printed some tanks with it and had great results. I can make very good figures on them, but not nearly as good as my resin prints.

PzGeneral +1

Resin. With water washable resin and plenty of ventilation.

Filament is also less expensive than resin. The multitude of available filaments gives tremendous flexibility. There are more flexible, non-brittle resins out there, but they cost a great deal more than the brittle formulas.

I do not own any 3D printers, but I've read up on them, watched a number of videos on them. Fascinating technology, but not for me: my limited hobby time is already stretched too thin amongst my current hobbies.

I am happy to buy 3D prints from sellers, however, but I prefer non-resin miniatures. I've had too many resin mini's break when I dropped them onto a hard floor -- I have pretty much sworn off buying more because of their brittleness. Few (any?) 3D print sellers employ the less brittle resins, and I always forget to make sure they do, before I buy. I've found amazing, fantastic miniatures I really want on my gaming table, but they usually break off at the ankles, during the painting process… Cheers!

I have done a lot of both. For some reason I have five 3D printers around, I would like to get that down to three.

What do you want to print, and what kind of space do you have available? How much are you willing to work at it?

You can print PLA in an apartment. It has no smell, no harmful fumes. But resin, ABS, etc require significant ventilation, you need a garage or shed.

If you are printing miniatures you want to you want to do resin. I have printed some tanks in PLA and then painted the treads and that was satisfactory. Some ironclads look okay. If you're not going to paint it, but perhaps print parts in a couple colors and glue them together, that will work with FDM printers. But if you really want to paint the layer lines are going to fight you and make a mess of things.

Resin printers are very messy and require a pretty specific place. I have a workbench in the garage by the side door. I often (not always) wear a respirator while working in there. There is definitely a smell. I wear gloves, and an apron, since snapping off supports can send tiny droplets onto your clothes (which would then get on the cats, and then they would clean themselves and ingest it). Eye protection, of course.

So if you want to print and paint miniatures and are willing to take all the precautions and prepare the space, resin is the thing to do. I don't think the cost of resin is an issue. You get a *lot* of minis out of a $25 USD bottle. Even if you only paint every third miniatures because of mistakes or changing your mind or whatever I can't imagine you're going to use more than 2-4 bottles a year.

If you just want to print some things for fun, plus maybe some tanks and terrain, then FDM is much easier and safer, especially if you don't have the space for resin.

I suppose you could build a ventilated enclosure to run a resin printer in your living space, but that would be even more work, and I wouldn't trust it. That resin is bad news.

An overlooked solution is to find a friend with a printer and ask them to print for you. But them some resin and some tools or accessories they've been hankering for. If they bought and set up the printer they probably like running it and will be happy to take on a project if they feel appreciated.

Good luck!

Elegoo Saturn 3. Inexpensive but a great printer. I use ABS like resin too which addresses the fragility.

Thanks.

John

Both types can produce fumes. Depending on the material being used. Also the people. My MIL was bothered by PLA. So keep that in mind. All of my printing is done in the house as I have no other space for it.

I have both resin and filament printers. Spend the money on a good mid level unit, you will be much happier. I would say the $500 USD to 700 bracket for filament. A lot less messing around trying to print.

For resin, look at the build volume and get a wash station to match. You will want to print all of your small parts and figures with it.

3d printing can be fun and frustrating. Good luck!

John Leahy said,

Elegoo Saturn 3. Inexpensive but a great printer. I use ABS like resin too which addresses the fragility.

Thanks.

John

I am awaiting delivery on a bunch of ABS-like resin figures which are supposed to be non-brittle. Should be here by Monday. Hoping they won't be brittle like all the previous figures have been… Cheers!

In some communities Libraries have printers that can be used and Makers Spaces are another great source to try out before investing

For me – those options meet my needs

How long does it take to print a miniature, a 28mm human type? Is there a commodity of scale if several figures are printed together?

How long does it take to print a miniature

It's a question with varied answers and I've only ever done miniatures in resin. Exposure and Layer thickness are factored. I'll say "an hour or two"

Resin prints an entire layer at a time so one miniature or a full plate full does not affect time.

I'd say none.

Save your money.

Like most technologically, it will be obsolete before you make your money back.

Filament usually sounds safer, depending on type.

Better to play with quick sil and alloy.

You would likely be painting casts before a printer is done, also.

I feel sorry for those who were buying the build a 3d printer part work. All that money and it's obsolete before you get to use it.

But other info is missing. What are they printing, where are the files coming from? Perhaps they actually sculpt figures and don't realise a scanner and a bunch of tech is required?? Perhaps they want to transfer computer game chaps to a printer?? We can make anything up.

PS

link

For those interested.

Looks like two were available.

As they are 10 years old, it's likely a new one may emerge in the near future.

Like most technologically, it will be obsolete before you make your money back.

I look at technology like if you bought a 3D printer now, that will be the worst 3D printer you ever buy.

Note: My spelling mistake.

There will always be lemons.

Now and in the future.

But why buy something if it's the worst?

I never had issues with standard definition. Now we are forced to buy HD TVs, as that's all there is new.

3d printers went through all the size fiasco in regards to print definition. If it's not still going.

Now it's like Sega, Nintendo, Atari, only worse with so many brands and products.

You either just pick one and hope for the best, or spend so long studying up on each that they change and you never buy anything.

Like many things, you have to be heavily into it for it to appear worthwhile.

I feel 3d printers may be a bigger waste problem then solar panels, in the near future, between obsolete and forgotten one time purchases.

You either like doing it, or you don't. If you don't- don't buy one. If you do, jump in. I like it, and any computer you buy today will be obsolete soon as well. Meanwhile I get to play with my years old printers. Consider buying from amazon instead of direct as company shipping can be weird, and amazon has good return policies.

Just do your homework and watch a bunch of videos on Youtube. When you decide on a specific model, watch every youtube video on that model. Resin is king for figures and vehicles. Filament works fine for buildings and such.

Do not fall for water washable resin. Do not fall for buying the biggest you can at first until you know why you want to do so. Do expect a learning curve (which can be shortened by watching youtube). Do expect to start watching kickstarter for stuff you want to print. Do expect to find 15 different versions of Tiger tanks, ranging from meh to Great.

Ask anyone into it what their favorite printers are, they will happily tell you. Look at the reviews (on youtube) about those companies latest models. Sometimes good companies put out a dog printer, so you'll want to skip that generation.

"You either like doing it, or you don't. If you don't- don't buy one. If you do, jump in."

How do you know if you like doing it if you don't buy one?

Jumping in leads to the dusty shame box at the back of the cupboard.

So it's lose, lose, for whatever percentage.

Lots of information is basically no information.

You end up back where you started, overwhelmed and confused.

Then new printers come out.

That's more pessimism than is called for. If you keep thinking about it and thinking about it and you have liked things like this in the past you look at your gaming budget and decide to take the risk or not.

Yes, better machines will come out in future years. So what. You still have a good machine, you are still churning out miniatures. I have a pair of Ender 3s that are five and seven years old and I still really enjoying using them. The newer printers are much better. But mine work great. The printers are good enough now that if you buy them and use them you will get your money's worth.

I figure my whole setup cost $600 USD or so with all the accessories. I could have spent half that, but I wanted to get some good stuff. With minis approaching $5 USD a piece I figure 120 minis will make it worthwhile. I will probably do that in the first year and a half of ownership. What's more, I can print things that no one is making. I can have things in the scale I want. I can print several copies so I can test different techniques.

If you know what you're getting into and still want to do it, there's no reason to stop. Lots of people are doing it and enjoying it. The small format resin printers are basically aimed at miniatures.

There's a point where it isn't worth debating with someone who is adamant about their belief. It's amazing that I don't think their is much actual experience he has using them. But still adamant about a technology that has been around for 6 to 7 years now with no sign of slowing. Just growth. Yep, just a fad. .

YMMV.

Thanks.

John

It's my hobby, and like any hobby I put time and money in because I enjoy it.

If you are worried about ROI or seeking to make money off it, then you are better off finding some friends who own them and see the process in action before making a decision. I know quite a lot about 3D printing but would not want to operate as a business. I see dime a dozen printers at every craft fair and flea market these days and don't see the point. If that is the future you seek- get to know some printers first and see what they do.

If you just want to print some minis for fun and print stuff for your own use and friends, then it is a blast.

Time to print really isn't much of a factor. You set a print and check back when it is done while painting or doing something else. Turn around time to start a new print is just a few minutes, even with a resin printer, and you can run them 24/7 if you want to.

There is definitely a learning curve, but it's not impossible- just requires time and trial and error. I haven't regretted owning 3d printers (though I have regretted some purchases). These days they are far more plug and play than when I started. Ask around your group and see who owns one or head to the library and see if they have them for public use. Try it out and see if it works for you.

@ H Man….you are so comical.

Really? How so?

"Yep, just a fad."

Correct.

Some fads do seem to drag on, but 6-7 years isn't too bad a run.

Perhaps it's already over?

It used to be that every man and his dog was buying a 3d printer, those 2 magazines came out, so on.

I'm not sure that nieve hype still exists outside forums??

If you want a printer, second hand ones abound.

There were also startups at the rate of about one a week, and similar failure rate too. Is that still occuring??

I'd not call it a fad without those points, at least.

I think people have likely gotten over it and are on to other things, like AI or something.

That's the way these things go.

Some people probably still use bread machines? Most people just go to the shop. I'm sure you'll find the odd beanie babies enthusiast here or there, but not like it was.

Are fidget spinners still a thing? Left school with decades to spare, thank goodness.

You can get upset about it, but people can only be duped so long.

The few people who need a 3d printer have one, others have tapped out or are in the process.

Drones are another one.

Most people bought one, it broke, whatever. The few that need one have one. Heck, some people are blowing them up, just to get rid of the dang things.

Like the peddler and his magical elixir from the olden days.

Nothing's changed.

PS

Oh, and +1 to those who deserve it.

PPS

I do wonder if most 3d printers aren't being bought up by print farms, or people who have multiple.

And how much longer until print farms start turning to traditional manufacturing for large volumes?

Obviously injection, but even resin pouring can be far quicker, especially if not put in a chamber.

@ H Man….LOL

Years ago, based on my manufacturing experience, I prophesied that mass sales of injection molded plastic figures would never take root.
I still have egg on my face over that prediction. 😄🍳

Luckily, I have made no such prediction over home based 3D printing.
I've purchased some 15mm 3D printed StuGs. They were horrible, looking like corrugated sheet.
Then I received a 3D portrait AWI general of ME! Excellent and beautiful figure, and not because it looked just like me. 😄

I now see that it's a hobby. A different hobby, unlike my current one. If I were 25 years younger, I might give it a shot, but I don't think I need another sharp learning curve. YMMV

I'm sure there will continue to be people 3d printing, like collecting pops, but if not all, general hype will fade.

"@ H Man….LOL"

Typical non constructive nonsense I've come to expect here, unfortunately.

May go hand in hand with 3d printing, I'm beginning to suspect.

Rather than a board for discussion of a topic, it too often seems more one for the aggressive and/or rude defence of it instead.

Got someone breaking the rules on a neighbouring topic, still awaiting some action.

For all the instructions people must have to read for their fancy new printers, you'd think they could handle reading the rules here.

I've had a PRUSA for six years. It just works. Mostly I print terrain, organizers for board games, movement trays, and other things. But not miniatures.

At six years old, it's probably "obsolete" but it does what I ask of it. A MS-DOS computer with XY Write is obsolete, unless all you're doing is word processing, in which case, it's still fine.

Well said.

"It just works"

Do you mean it keeps on going, or it just barely works? I suspect the former.

BE very careful of "knockers" of 3D printing who have no actual experience of 3D printing, they are unlikely to have anything useful to contribute.

Me I have 2 STL printers at the moment a Prusa I3+ and a mini printer labeled IIIP (second hand and very cheap). The Prusa is my main printer. We have had it (my son and I) for about 4 years now and had to do no maintenance yet. Done in excess of 2000 hrs printing in that time.

The bad news is despite protestations from the uninformed, there is no tinkering needed, a major blow if you hoped it would be a separate hobby. It's as separate a hobby as an electric drill.

My first printer a Makerbot did have some routine maintenance by the time it was 8 years old, so they don't last forever, but long enough and that is now an old design.

I only own FDM printers and for almost all my needs this is perfect. I resort to commercial Resin only on 1/144 scale figures (some times) where the part is so small it's difficult to remove supports. Now if I was starting out now, twin head printers may be worth considering as you can print a soluble support material which means I could print everything. However i don't see the necessity at this stage of buying another printer for so little gain.

FDM printers like the Prusa can print in multiple colours, a friend has the kit. However its more for coloured tokens and the like, than for replacing even my basic colouring skills.

The Lines myth associated with FDM printers is just that as far as I am concerned. Closer than 6" with a thin layer height (I use 0.2mm) the lines are invisible when painted beyond 6". As the minimum viewing range on a table is 24" to 8 ft+ its a none issue as far as I am concerned. With excessive layer height it is noticeable but that's using the kit on the wrong settings.

Generally FDM printers have larger plates to work on hence why some folk seem to find them acceptable for terrain, despite the alleged "lines" which would be on the terrain, the same "lines" that plauge figuers, seems double standards to me.

FDM as a general rule have bigger beds so are better for DIY jobs and the vast array of filaments means you can get stronger prints (PLA+, PETG etc.) although most jobs I do just use the basic PLA.

As well as the obvious advantages of no smell and no risk of life and limb if you spilt Resin on the dining room carpet from SWMBO (where mine is in use), it can easily do 1 offs, a single model without the hassle of having to clean the machine afterward, or wasting Resin that can't be fully recovered.

The only advantage of RESIN I have seen and it is of no use to me personally, is that the Resin does seen, on expensive machines, to be able to print very thin material. I have an N gauge mini with a railway token on a ring, supposed to be wire that was only about 0.5mm diameter. Utterly useless other than for ornament as far too fragile for any practical purpose.

I suggest you decide what and why you need a printer, for fine scale modelling, if you have a temperature controlled environment, AWAY FROM THE MAIN HOUSE a resin printer may be worth the hassle.

PS even an FDM printer needs a stable temperature environment, hence why mine is in the house, a garage in the UK has far to big a temperature variation to give a decent print. No issue normally but if the house has got cooler having been away in winter for a few days, we leaE printing to the day after arrival.

Oh I'm 100% sure H Man has zero experience using a 3d printer. It's new tech and he doesn't like it. His posts are hilarious!!!

""knockers""

Ha,ha, you said "knockers".

"Oh I'm 100% sure H Man has zero experience using a 3d printer. It's new tech and he doesn't like it. His posts are hilarious!!!"

Well, apparently, we can call people trolls now.

It would be humerus if I called you one.

However, I'm still hoping TMP may read their complaint forms, so hold that thought.

LOL @ H Man

Keep it coming. I love your posts.

Thank you.

Yes, I'll be sure to.

"Well, apparently, we can call people trolls now."

Not a chance.

Issue resolved.

Here's my not so hard rule of thumb based on the plenty of failures I've had with both types. : PLA (filament) for any models larger than a 28mm figure. Resin for a small 28mm vehicle and smaller model. There is an overlap somewhere between a larger 28mm vehicle down to a larger 28mm figure. I do print small terrain bits in PLA. Its the details on a small figure that you really want to preserve and depending on which PLA printer you use, the results are anywhere from unusable to so-so. Resin excels with this.

Choose what you want to print and see this rule. With that said, I have success with PLA printing about 95% +. Its a lot less for resin.

Practically zero cleanup for PLA. With resin, lots of time processing, cleanup, extra tools, extra supplies, and chemical exposure. In addition to my resin printed figures require additional tasks: I clean it in a bath, sometimes twice, then clean it in my ultrasonic cleaner, then cure it in a machine. each step with liquid often requires cleaning and storage of toxic liquids.