3D Printer Buyers Guide

Do you actually need one · FDM vs resin · Where to buy

Do You Need to Buy a 3D Printer?

As you begin your journey into the world of 3D Printers, its great to ask yourself, do you actually need to buy a 3D Printer. Based on your needs and expectations, what should you know? First of all, 3D Printers can be expensive, and for individuals wanting to create objects at home, it can cost up to over a couple thousand dollars.

For small businesses, a large production printer can go up to 5 figures! One of the best ways to find out what printers may suit your needs is to do online research and connect with fellow 3d Printer owners. By asking about their experience, you can learn as much as you need regarding 3D printers in general! Another option is to find a shared space that allows people to pay to use the 3d printers there. You can develop your own understanding of these machines there, and then decide based on your experience if a certain specific 3d printer is for you!

What Type of 3D Printer Should I Buy?

As an individual buying a 3d printer for your own home, there are probably only a few 3d printing technologies that are suitable to your needs.

The reality is that you probably won't be buying a 6 figure machine that produces metal objects, instead, you'll probably be considering 2 main categories of 3D printing technology. This would be FDM and SLA (also known as DLP, or MSLA).

FDM stands for Fused Deposition Modeling and is one of the most popular printing technologies in the consumer market.

Should I Buy an FDM 3D Printer?

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is the most common printing method used in desktop 3D printing. How can you tell if a 3D printer uses FDM? Firstly there will be a nozzle that heats up and extrudes the thermoplastic material used to create layers of plastic on a print bed. Layers will be stacked upon each other until the entire design of the object is fully manifested.

FDM is very useful especially for individuals, or small institutions that want to do a cost-effective way of product development and prototyping. There are many complex designs that can be executed with FDM technology.

One amazing benefit that FDM printers have is their compatibility with a wide range of affordable materials. These are typically industry-grade plastics that are found in some engineering industries. While these machines are easy to use, they also tend to require lots of attention and can be quite high maintenance.

Should I Buy a Resin 3D Printer?

What are Resin 3D printers? The technology is called vat photopolymerization. This is a process where a liquid polymer is hardened into an object through exposure to ultraviolet light.

The 3D object is constructed through layers of liquid photopolymer resin stacked on top of each other. The liquid resin is typically hardened through an ultraviolet light that it shown through the bottom of the vat.

SLA stands for stereolithography. Together with MSLA and DLP, these 3 technologies are both considered a form of vat polymerization. What sets these 3 methods apart is the light source used to harden the liquid resin.

What's great about Resin 3D printers are the amazingly fine details that they can produce. The objects produced are much smoother and also tend to produce objects faster than FDM machines. Objects made from resin printers tend to be more durable and sturdy as the layers of material have better adhesion.

These benefits tend to make SLA machines cost more than FDM machines, and often more suitable for professional use. Despite that, there are still extremely budget-friendly resin printers on the market!

Where Should I Buy My 3D Printer?

So where are the best places to buy a 3D Printer today? For an average consumer or small business, we would say that there are 3 main places you can turn to.

For Professional 3D Printers

Online retailers such as AliExpress tend to not carry higher-priced professional printers. It is better if you contact the sales representative of a brand, or find an online store that supplies a wide range of printers and 3D printing-related items.

For professional printer brands, you also have to take note of where their warehouses are at. As always, if the products are shipped internationally, you might have to face very high custom fees and a long shipping time.

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