We bet that you are here because you are interested in creating Wargames Terrain or miniatures. While it is true that you can easily create custom models, or successfully replicate WW3 miniatures, you need the best 3D printers for miniatures to implement these.
The number of printers in the market today makes it a little difficult to choose the right one that meets your needs. You no longer have to worry. In this article, we look at some of the most popular and performance-oriented models.
Top Pick
Official Creality Ender 3 Printer
- Speed: 200 mm/s
- Print Volume: 220 x 220 x 250mm
- Frame Design: 40*40 Y axis
- Layer Resolution: 0.1 – 0.4mm
List Of Top 3D Printers For Miniatures
7. Official Creality Open Source CR-10
8. FlashForge 3D Printer Creator Pro
Top 3D Printers For Miniatures Comparison Chart
IMAGE | NAME & Details | DETAILS | |
---|---|---|---|
Creality Ender 3 Pro |
| Check The Price | |
ELEGOO Mars UV Photocuring |
| Check The Price | |
Creality Ender 3 |
| Check The Price | |
Creality Ender 3 Pro 3D Printer |
| Check The Price | |
ANYCUBIC Photon |
| Check The Price | |
Monoprice Mini Delta |
| Check The Price | |
Official Creality Open Source CR-10 |
| Check The Price | |
FlashForge 3D Printer Creator Pro |
| Check The Price | |
Monoprice Maker Select 3D v2 |
| Check The Price | |
ANYCUBIC Photon UV LCD 3D |
| Check The Price |
Best 3D Printers For Miniatures Reviews
1. Comgrow Creality Ender 3 Pro 3D Printer | Best 3d Printer For D&D Miniatures
The Comgrow Creality Ender 3 Pro 3D Printer will make a perfect gift for a good friend or your child. This is because the printer can easily do lots of items which include custom art, architectural designs, advanced design products, and medical projects.
The device stands out as an incredibly easy to use 3D printer hence will easily help children design and create their toys from home. At the same time, any home-based artisan will find it perfectly ideal for making artisanal cups, jewelry, and glasses from home.
Two features make the Creality Ender 3 Pro a reliable device. Firstly, it comes with a removable print plate which ensures that your objects are kept safe during a removal.
Moreover, this piece of equipment has a heat distribution mechanism that ensures that there is consistent temperature all over the build surface. Such a feature ensures that you have a uniform printing experience.
2. ELEGOO Mars UV Photocuring LCD 3D Printer | Best 3d Printer For 28mm Miniatures
Resin printing is generally considered more precise and helps to save on costs. Thus. If you prefer an out and out resin printer, then you will certainly find the ELEGOO Mars UV Photocuring LCD 3D Printer a perfect device to use for creating miniatures.
The device incredibly helps you save on resin as you can easily out the objects you intend to print before you begin slicing during the photocuring process.
The ELEGOO Mars is a DLP printer. What does this mean? Well, DLP printers use LED screens to cure the resin. This feature gives the objects finer and more precise finishes. Besides, with a layer height that ranges from 30-60 microns, the device slices ideal layers for your prints.
The device is pretty convenient and smart. It comes with a 3.5-inch color touchscreen that features the advanced CHITUBOX 5.0 system to enable easy and efficient offline printing. Together with all the easy to use characteristics, the device initiates printing within 5 minutes of assembly.
3. Comgrow Creality Ender 3 3D Printer | Best 3d Printer For Making Miniatures
Creality is by far one of the most popular 3D printer brands here in the US and across the globe. Besides, the Comgrow Creality Ender 3 3D Printer and its successor models stand out as some of the best budget 3D printing tools. More essentially, this device guarantees remarkable print quality.
The device comes with a detailed but easy to follow user guide which ensures ease of assembly. Therefore, while this device comes unassembled, it is pretty easy to put together. You can as well seize the opportunity to learn the basic parts of a 3D printer and its assembly.
Upon mastery of the assembly basics and putting up this device, you can pride yourself on the fact that you can easily use the device itself to print its mods and upgrades.
At 220x220x250mm the device features a comparatively bigger build area. Such a big build area enables you to print bigger objects without any hassle.
4. Luxnwatts Creality Ender 3 Pro | Best 3d Printer For Printing Miniatures
We feature another Creality Ender brand in this review, this time it is the Creality Ender 3 Pro 3D printer from Luxnwatts. It is a time-saving model that features a rapid heating mechanism.
Look, the optimum temperature required to heat most filaments is 110 degrees Celsius. The rapid heating feature deployed in the Creality Ender 3 Pro ensures that you achieve that in a record-breaking 5 minutes.
Again, if you intend to use the Ender 3 Pro in a region with frequent power surges and power outages, then the Ender 3 Pro is a good pick. It features mechanisms that not only allow you to resume print function but also ensures that your device remains safe and protected.
5. ANYCUBIC Photon UV LCD 3D Printer | Best 3d Printer For Figurines
TheANYCUBIC Photon UV LCD 3D Printer rightfully earns its place in this top 3D printer for two main reasons. It is a reliable and dependable printer. secondly, the is affordably priced but performs better than more expensive models.
The printer uses reliable DLP technology as opposed to the FDM technology that most printers use. This explains the considerable price tag.
The technology guarantees a higher accuracy and precision level which means that you can easily add details to the model. That is why the ANYCUBIC Photon printer is a perfect tool for creating D&D miniatures.
The device is designed to use either UV light or high-powered laser to cure the liquid resin that the device uses. Finally, it features a 2K screen resolution that works well for most models.
3D Printers For Miniatures Buying Guide
We all understand that 3D printing is an extremely complex process. 3D printing of miniatures is even more complicated, thanks to their mini size nature. The successful building of miniatures, therefore, lies in the type of printer you choose. What factors set out an excellent & best 3d printer for miniatures from an average one?
1. Layer Resolution And Precision
Since miniatures are tiny objects, accuracy, and precision are the key components that you need to look out for in an ideal printer. The accuracy level of the machine that you purchase determines the intricacy of the tiniest of details on your models.
In a lay man’s language, layer resolution refers to the height of each filament layer that the machine lays on the model due for printing. The number is often denoted in microns or millimeters, and a lower figure signifies more precision. However, the higher the accuracy, the slower the print speed.
2. Speed
Like we already noted when discussing precision as a factor when choosing an ideal 3D printer for miniatures, the print speed of a 3D printer is dependent on the resolution of the printing machine.
With all elements the same and under control, a device that delivers higher print accuracy will be comparatively slower than an option that with a lower level precision. But that should not make you go for a machine that is annoyingly slow at the expense of quality.
There are 3D printer models that strike a perfect balance between speed and resolution. They deliver superb 3D models at reasonable rates. These are options that you could consider.
3. Technology Support
Technology or filament support not only determines the printer’s versatility but also brings about convenience in printing miniatures. Who doesn’t want a versatile printer? We all do. Besides, being able to use versatile printing technologies and flexible filaments give you the convenience to print an unlimited range of miniatures.
Printing machines that can conveniently use stereolithographic or SLA technology are adequately versatile. Other remarkable technologies include Digital Light Processing (DLP) and ABS. The techniques are better for making excellent additions than FDM or FFF technology.
4. Build Size
The build volume of a 3D printer may not mean anything to anyone entirely dedicated to printing 3D miniatures. They take up very little space. Therefore, you shouldn’t consider this feature if you are looking specifically for a printing tool for miniatures.
However, we always advise beginners to give space for diversity. You can find a machine with a considerably larger print volume. It doesn’t hurt to try out larger objects once in a while. Moreover, you never know what you like more if you are venturing into the industry for the first time.
Final Word
There’s a lot of craze about the creation of custom miniatures. You see, it is a sure way of moving your game creation and tabletop design a notch higher.
It not only presents you with the freedom to create as original figures as possible but it also allows you to print whatever you have in mind. It is a hobby with a growing army of dedicated followers.
Luckily enough, the price of 3D printers continues to drop while printers continue to be more reliable. We aim to help you find the best 3D printer to print miniatures. The above models are fairly priced, easy to use, and incredibly reliable.