Best 3D Printer for Miniatures: Print RPG Miniatures in Budget

3D printing has become a hobby in itself, with more and more people taking to the idea of creating their own things. The manufacturers have also caught on to the trend by continuing to drop the price of 3D printers. These days, a particular niche of 3D printing is gaining popularity- the art of 3d printing gaming miniatures. Using 3D printers to create your own minis gives you all the skills you need to take your design game up a notch.

With time, 3D printer manufacturers have improved their quality and authenticity, while dropping their prices. This has lead to a boom in the purchase of 3D printers by anyone interested in creating their own minis. When you utilize one of the best 3d printers for miniatures, the possibilities are endless- you could end up designing your own models, and even your own game! If designing from scratch seems overwhelming, you can easily download millions of templates available over the web.

Before you go out to buy a 3D printer, try to keep the following things in mind:

What are you planning to print?

Any models, landscapes, and details that are bigger than 0.1 mm are easy to make! FFF 3D printers in the market make it very easy for anyone willing to create details of that scale. Miniature figurines that are 54 mm and up can be made with the help of a good quality and well setup FFF 3D printer, although to make them look their best, there need to be a few final touches made by sculpting or painting once you print out the mini.

Figures that are between 28 mm to 54 mm are the hardest of minis that you can 3d print. They are easy to print using an SLA printer, but it takes some time and practice to achieve your desired results. If you are adamant about using FFF printers to get minis of this scale, you will have to invest in a very good quality FFF 3D printer, and there might still be few printing lines that you might have to remove manually.

What nozzle diameter works best for you?

The nozzle is the opening from where the heated plastic will come out to create your model. Most of the best 3d printer for 28mm miniatures have a nozzle size of 0.4 mm. Some printers also give you the option of swapping the 0.4 mm nozzle with 0.2 mm nozzle to produce finer details. However, you should not ideally exceed nozzles of sizes above 0.4 mm.

How much XY precision for should you aim?

The precision of the printer head in the X and Y directions (basically every direction other than up and down) is called XY precision. This quantity determined by how good the quality of the bearings, belts, & motors is; and other parameters such as how rigid the frame of the printer is. 3D printing miniatures come out best if you use an all-metal 3D printer.

What layer thickness and material type works best?

Layer thickness is the height of each individual layer of heated plastic used in making your mini. The lower the thickness, the more detail can be observed, but the slower it becomes to print your mini. To get the best results, of 3d printing gaming miniatures a layer thickness of 0.1 mm or less recommended. Plastic such as ABS, PLA+, and PLA are commonly used with FFF printers, but to get the ultimate finish on 3d printing miniatures some sculpting and the painting required post creation.

Now that you have all the important points to keep in mind, let’s look at a few products that deliver the best value to you in their price range:

Best 3D Printer for Miniatures

1. XYZprinting da Vinci Jr. 1.0A 3D Printer

Though the Da Vinci Jr. may look compact and lightweight, it has a very sturdy build with a resolution of 0.1 mm to 0.4 mm (100 to 400 microns). It is designed in such a way that the filament is automatically taken to the nozzle and ensuring that it is loaded properly and is ready to start 3d printing miniatures.

• It comes with free XYZmaker 3d design software, printing software, and steam printing curriculum.
• The calibration in this printer can be done very easily, as it is a Z-offset calibration instead of the more time-consuming three-knob calibration. The Z-offset calibration allows you to adjust the position of the printer bed on the LCD screen itself.
• Its maximum print speed can go up to 100 mm /sec.

2. Monoprice 115365 Select Mini 3D Printer

Monoprice offers reasonable printers for you to achieve your dreams of 3d printing gaming miniatures. This 3d printer comes fully assembled and calibrated, right at the factory, so you don’t have to spend time on re-assembling parts based on vague manuals.

• It supports all types of filament.
• This printer is compact for any desk, thanks to its small footprint and open frame design.
• It comes with a sample PLA filament and a microSD card that is preloaded with model files, so you can immediately start printing.

3. Dremel DigiLab 3D45 3D Printer

This printer is perhaps the best 3d printer for 28mm miniatures, due to its reliability and flexibility in use. It is most commonly used for higher education purposes and in corporations. It also supports advanced filament types such as nylon and eco-ABS. Another great feature is it comes with a one year warranty!

• It can detect filament via RFID so the printer can automatically recognize and modify settings for optimal printing. 
• It has a fully enclosed workspace with a glass build plate that can be removed as and when required. 
• The maximum temperature of the nozzle and the glass build plate is 280 °C and 100 °C respectively, with an operating temperature of 16-29 °C.

4. ANYCUBIC Photon 3D Printer

This UV LCD 3D printer is everyone’s dream! It packs a lot of features, such as a smart touch color screen, offline print, and more. The best part is that it fits moderate budgets, which means that you can enjoy printing amazing 3D miniatures without spending too much! Let’s gloss over its features now:

• It is very easy to use. The setup process is straightforward and doesn’t take a lot of time, either. Plus, the software is easy to understand.
• It has only 4 settings, making it very quick and simple.
• It provides superb resolution, enabling you to print 3D miniatures with accuracy. The detailing is also very smooth.
• It will take you around 2-3 hours to make a larger miniature. But, you can print multiple miniatures at the same time. It lets you print up to 6 together!
• The printer provides satin finishing on all the faces.
• The ANYCUBIC printer comes ready-to-use. You can remove it from the box and start using it immediately! Only the leveling takes a few seconds, and all the instructions are already included.
• The package has a printing platform, a resin vat, a power adapter & cord, a tool kit, a door handle, gloves & mask, a USB, extra screws, a scraper, and a user’s manual.
• The manufacturers also provide lifetime technical support so that you reach out to them if you have any issues.

5. Comgrow Creality Ender 3D Printer

The Comgrow Creality Ender printer for miniatures is Amazon’s Choice just as much as it is ours! This is because it has spectacular functions and is incredibly easy to use. In fact, we were blown away by the ease with which we could assemble and start using it! Here are a few more attractive features that will compel you to check it out: 

• It comes largely assembled, but you will have to put the final touches yourself. This includes assembling the nuts and separate parts. Roughly, it will take you around 2 hours to get it up and running.
• It has a classy resume function that lets it start printing from where it stopped earlier. For example, you were printing your 3D miniature, and the power went off. In this case, when the power comes back in, the printer will start from where it left off.
• It is powered by the extruder technology that reduces risks of bad extrusion and plugging. Its V-shaped wheels are noiseless, durable, and very smooth.
• The manufacturers kept safety in mind while designing this 3D printer. This is why it takes only 5 minutes to reach the optimal temperature for printing.
• The printer has a hand twist nut, which makes the leveling process of the print platform quite easy. This is our favorite feature!
• Thanks to its lifetime free technical support, you can get in touch with the sellers if you ever face any problems.

6.  NOVA3D Elfin LCD 3D Printer

This 3D printer for miniatures is slightly on the expensive side when you compare it to the other options, but it is worth every penny. It has quite a few excellent features that you will be taken away by. Don’t believe us? Please keep reading, and you will know for yourself!

 Let’s start with our favorite feature – it comes fully-assembled! In fact, the manufacturers do everything for you. So, you don’t have to do anything except plugging it in and leveling it quickly. This saves a lot of time and confusion, especially for beginners!

• It has a smart, LCD color display that’s 4.3 inches big.
• It allows Wi-Fi printing and has 8 GB storage capacity.
• It has a customized light source that promises high precision while printing. Model curing is, thus, absolutely spot-on. The innovative light source has 2K resolution with 2560 x 1440 pixels. In other words, that’s 0.00185 inches/0.50mm.
• Resin recycling is often quite difficult, but the NOVAD3D printer solves this problem as well. It has a specially designed resin vat that has a sink. This makes recycling very easy. All the remaining resin can go right back into the bottle with the help of a filter paper.
• With this printer, you will also get 250ml resin, free of cost! The test resin will help you understand the basics of the sink and the resin usage.
• Along with lifetime tech support, the manufacturers offer a 12-month warranty on this printer. The only thing to remember here is that the LCD screen is not covered under this warranty.
• The kit consists of a power adapter, a cable, a tool kit, two pairs of gloves, tweezers, a spray bottle, a spatula, a build plate, a filter, a funnel, a resin vat, a U-disk, a film set, and a user’s manual.

Model	XYZprinting da Vinci Jr. 1.0 3D Printer	Monoprice 115365	Dremel DigiLab 3D45
Image
Print Material	PLA/ Tough PLA/ PETG(2018 Q1)	ABS, PLA, XT Copolyester, PET, TPU, TPC, FPE, PVA, HIPS, Jelly, Foam, Felty	Nylon & Eco-ABS
Printing Speed	Max 120 mm/s	55mm/sec	Variable
Resolution	100-400 microns	100 microns (0.1mm)	50-micron
Calibration System	EZ Offset Calibration	Factory Calibration	Accurate Calibration
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How 3D printer works?

In simple words, a 3D printers take a digital file and make a three-dimensional solid object. A 3D printer helps you to make the small versions of your future closet with appropriate measurements; to create the war battle soldiers, tanks, guns, etc. in details. Here, we will have a quick look at how a 3D printer works.

Creating a 3D object with the help of a 3D printer is a part of an Additive Manufacturing (AM). In such operation, multiple layers of a printing material are created until the final 3D piece gets its shape.

Working of a 3D printer:

1. First of all, the user creates a 3D object in your computer which you want to print. The file you have created will be, mostly, the Computer Aided Design (CAD) file.
2. Then, the connection is made with the 3D printer you bought.
3. The printer will create the object by using the scanned file with the help of a 3D scanner or using the 3D modeling software.
4. For this, the 3D printer will make a number of layers of the object and then stick them together starting from bottom to top one by one to make a final piece.
5. Each part of the object including hands, legs, eyes, leaves, wheels, etc. is made by following the same process and then stick together to convert your digital file into a solid 3D object.

Any object of the real world or your imagination can be created using the 3D printer. You just need to have the correct dimensions and the gaps at appropriate places.

Types of 3D printing technologies:

There are primarily four types of 3D printing technologies;

1) FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling)

The FDM is the widely used technology for 3D printing across the world. It has similar functionality like a hot glue gun. It uses thermoplastic filaments to create the solid objects.

2) SLA/DLP (Stereolithography/Digital Laser Projection)

These both technologies are same with a little bit of difference. Both use the light for growing the models but in different ways. The DLP projects the light onto the resin (sticky substance) to create the shapes of various layers simultaneously. The SLA flashes a tiny dot of light on a particular area while creating a model layer.

3) SLS (Laser Sintering)

As the name suggests, the SLS uses the laser technology on a printer bed to form a stable layer by fusing the particles. This procedure is repeated until the final object created.

4) CLIP (Continuous Liquid Interface Production)

Initially named as continuous Liquid Interphase Printing, CLIP technology makes solid objects with smooth sides. It also uses the light on the resin to solidify the material layers and creates a needed 3D model. This process is incredibly fast compared to the other 3D printing technologies.

I hope this article has served as a great guide for you to pick the best 3d printer based on your miniature figure making requirements. If you are new to 3d printing, take your time, go through our tips again, and research more about what you want to print.