Hey all, 1st time posting and sorry if I missed the thread but I didn't see one that addressed 3D printers themselves. I know there is a great thread discussing the pros and cons but I was hoping to get specific recommendations on good printers. If any of you already own a 3DP can you share what u like, don't like and if you could go back, would you buy it again and y or y not? Thanks 😁
I own both a filament printer (Prusa) and a resin printer (Peopoly).
Prusa i3: It's a filament printer, you have to put it together yourself and it's a pain in the ass to build. The instructions suck. Leveling the table (that you print onto) is also a pain in the ass. You have to get it to a point where you can barely pass a piece of paper under the filament head and print table. I've had problems with the filament getting stuck. It really heats up so I'm afraid to leave the house while it's printing. However, despite these problems it's still an amazing bang for the buck and I highly recommend it.
Pros: Relatively cheap. Good quality prints for what you pay. It's a good all around printer.
Cons: With any filament printer, it doesn't do well with fine details. This isn't a good printer if you're looking to print miniatures. I've printed golems & giant spiders fine, but it wouldn't do well printing fingers/faces on a human figure. It's more built for printing terrain, buildings, and items like barrels/tables/chairs.
Moai Peopoly: It's a resin printer, you have to put it together yourself and it's easy. I never bothered leveling it and it still prints well. It's quiet, relatively quick and as with resin printers.. it can print fine detail so it's great for printing tiny things like miniatures. The problem with resin printers is that the resin is toxic, has a very strong chemical smell that will stink your place up.
Pros: Can print very good quality fine detail prints, it's quiet and easy to use.
Cons: Resin stinks, you have to post process your prints by cleaning them in water.. alcohol.. then harden them in sunlight (or a black light).
In conclusion I like both printers, they're good at different things and are a great resource for me as a DM.
I have a Prusa Mk3 as well and agree with the previous comment. I've been disappointed on miniture details but works great for splatter and buildings and such.
If you want high detail minis, your best bet is to get a low-cost resin printer such as the Anycubic Photon. It is about 300 - 400 USD and can achieve amazing quality prints. However, resin prints take longer to print and require more post-processing, as well as having smaller build volume. I highly recommend it.
Hey all, 1st time posting and sorry if I missed the thread but I didn't see one that addressed 3D printers themselves. I know there is a great thread discussing the pros and cons but I was hoping to get specific recommendations on good printers. If any of you already own a 3DP can you share what u like, don't like and if you could go back, would you buy it again and y or y not? Thanks 😁
I own both a filament printer (Prusa) and a resin printer (Peopoly).
Prusa i3: It's a filament printer, you have to put it together yourself and it's a pain in the ass to build. The instructions suck. Leveling the table (that you print onto) is also a pain in the ass. You have to get it to a point where you can barely pass a piece of paper under the filament head and print table. I've had problems with the filament getting stuck. It really heats up so I'm afraid to leave the house while it's printing. However, despite these problems it's still an amazing bang for the buck and I highly recommend it.
Pros: Relatively cheap. Good quality prints for what you pay. It's a good all around printer.
Cons: With any filament printer, it doesn't do well with fine details. This isn't a good printer if you're looking to print miniatures. I've printed golems & giant spiders fine, but it wouldn't do well printing fingers/faces on a human figure. It's more built for printing terrain, buildings, and items like barrels/tables/chairs.
Moai Peopoly: It's a resin printer, you have to put it together yourself and it's easy. I never bothered leveling it and it still prints well. It's quiet, relatively quick and as with resin printers.. it can print fine detail so it's great for printing tiny things like miniatures. The problem with resin printers is that the resin is toxic, has a very strong chemical smell that will stink your place up.
Pros: Can print very good quality fine detail prints, it's quiet and easy to use.
Cons: Resin stinks, you have to post process your prints by cleaning them in water.. alcohol.. then harden them in sunlight (or a black light).
In conclusion I like both printers, they're good at different things and are a great resource for me as a DM.
I have a Prusa Mk3 as well and agree with the previous comment. I've been disappointed on miniture details but works great for splatter and buildings and such.
Ender 3 fan here. If you don't mind building yourself, it's a great printer for the cost and prints quality that's on par with my ultimaker 2.
Tomb of 3d printed horrors has a good build video on it, as well as excellent videos on 3d printing in general:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me8Qrwh907Q
My alchemist's lab was printed 100% on Ender 3: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/arts-crafts/31954-terrain-mad-alchemists-lab
http://jessica-paints-minis.tumblr.com/
https://twitter.com/neondragonart
If you want high detail minis, your best bet is to get a low-cost resin printer such as the Anycubic Photon. It is about 300 - 400 USD and can achieve amazing quality prints. However, resin prints take longer to print and require more post-processing, as well as having smaller build volume. I highly recommend it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThRbiS258IM