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Made in ca
Commander of the Mysterious 2nd Legion





So, I'm looking for a 3D printer, it can't be a massivly large one and needs to be capable of printing bits and maybe even a full scale mini (obviously like most people here I'm looking at using it to help with customizing my armies etc) I'm wondering if anyone has any advice, reccomendations models to get? models to absolutely not touch? etc

Opinions are not facts please don't confuse the two 
   
Made in us
Gun Mage





Ok, starting at the basics, there's two types of 3D printers: resin and filament. The short explanation is that resin is better at fine detail but has more hazardous handling process while filament is better at larger pieces and safer. Where are you planning on putting the printer? Because while resin printers are much better for gaming miniatures, you really need a garage or other space that you don't mind filling with stinky fumes.
   
Made in gb
Leader of the Sept







The newest generation of Elegoo Mars or Anycubic photon resin printers with the Mono screen will do what you need. Both of these manufacturers have larger format resin printers as well, but if you anticipate doing only a few models or bits at a time, the smaller ones will do the job and are much cheaper.

I agree with the above to make sure you have an appropriate space for all the gubbins.

Please excuse any spelling errors. I use a tablet frequently and software keyboards are a pain!

Terranwing - w3;d1;l1
51st Dunedinw2;d0;l0
Cadre Coronal Afterglow w1;d0;l0 
   
Made in us
Gun Mage





Yeah, Anycubic or Elegoo are good brands. I would add Creality to that list.

Another question is budget. 3D printers are the kind of thing where you can spend $100 or $10,000 depending on what kind of size and quality you want. A small resin printer that can handle printing a couple of figures at a time will cost you around $200.
   
Made in gb
Leader of the Sept







I think “a couple of figures” is a bit of an understatement. Even with the smaller mono printers you can easily fit 6 models, unless they have crazy flourishes and weirdly shaped pointy bits.

Please excuse any spelling errors. I use a tablet frequently and software keyboards are a pain!

Terranwing - w3;d1;l1
51st Dunedinw2;d0;l0
Cadre Coronal Afterglow w1;d0;l0 
   
Made in us
Gun Mage





Eh, it depends. A lot of the stuff I print is multipart and for those you'll have smaller "batches" because shoulderpads and separate arms and whatnot take up a lot of space. For one piece stuff, yeah you can get more onto a Mars or whatever.
   
Made in es
Inspiring SDF-1 Bridge Officer






 Flinty wrote:
I think “a couple of figures” is a bit of an understatement. Even with the smaller mono printers you can easily fit 6 models, unless they have crazy flourishes and weirdly shaped pointy bits.


Easily. The most I've printed in a single plate was 19 minis (bodies+heads) in a single plate and another for the arms.

That is, at regular "28mm" sizes on a Mars 2 Pro.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/08/01 15:58:08


 
   
Made in ca
Commander of the Mysterious 2nd Legion





 TheWaspinator wrote:
Ok, starting at the basics, there's two types of 3D printers: resin and filament. The short explanation is that resin is better at fine detail but has more hazardous handling process while filament is better at larger pieces and safer. Where are you planning on putting the printer? Because while resin printers are much better for gaming miniatures, you really need a garage or other space that you don't mind filling with stinky fumes.


I do have a garage but are they semi-portable so they can be put elsewhere when not in use?

Opinions are not facts please don't confuse the two 
   
Made in us
Gun Mage





Yeah, if we're talking a basic resin printer, they're pretty small. Here's the Elegoo Mars 2, which is what I'd probably recommend you get. It's about 8 by 8 by 16 inches.

https://www.elegoo.com/collections/mars-series/products/elegoo-mars-2-mono-lcd-3d-printer

Here's a good overview you might want to watch:


   
Made in us
Shadowy Grot Kommittee Memba






Persnally i cant say enough good stuff about my Anycubic photon mono. It's basically unfuckupable in my experience, i've committed basically every sin and it's still just chugging along like 35 liters of resin later.

"Got you, Yugi! Your Rubric Marines can't fall back because I have declared the tertiary kaptaris ka'tah stance two, after the secondary dacatarai ka'tah last turn!"

"So you think, Kaiba! I declared my Thousand Sons the cult of Duplicity, which means all my psykers have access to the Sorcerous Facade power! Furthermore I will spend 8 Cabal Points to invoke Cabbalistic Focus, causing the rubrics to appear behind your custodes! The Vengeance for the Wronged and Sorcerous Fullisade stratagems along with the Malefic Maelstrom infernal pact evoked earlier in the command phase allows me to double their firepower, letting me wound on 2s and 3s!"

"you think it is you who has gotten me, yugi, but it is I who have gotten you! I declare the ever-vigilant stratagem to attack your rubrics with my custodes' ranged weapons, which with the new codex are now DAMAGE 2!!"

"...which leads you straight into my trap, Kaiba, you see I now declare the stratagem Implacable Automata, reducing all damage from your attacks by 1 and triggering my All is Dust special rule!"  
   
Made in us
Courageous Questing Knight





Texas

Yes, the Anycubic and the Elegoo Mars are just about the best smaller resin printers out there. In fact, I just sold my Mars (with a ton of extras) when I got my Saturn - what superb machines and cannot say enough about how well I liked my Mars and my new Saturn.

As far as fumes, this entirely depends on the resin you use, as some have significantly less odor that others. I have found the Siraya Tech Simple to be my go to resin lately, as it can be cleaned with 15% IPA (that's what they claim, but I probably do about 50% IPA) and this does save on the IPA cost with a vey low odor - it sits fairly close to my work-at-home desk and I smell nearly nothing. It comes in a semi-translucent 'smoky black', so I add a bit of Elegoo grey to make it a bit more opaque and get superb results. Here is a recent mini:
[Thumb - SM2.jpg]

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/08/03 13:39:31


My Novella Collection is available on Amazon - Action/Fantasy/Sci-Fi - https://www.amazon.com/Three-Roads-Dreamt-Michael-Leonard/dp/1505716993/

 
   
Made in us
Oberleutnant





The only thing I would add to this discussion would be that with resin printing you will also need a wash station and a cure station.

Washing to remove excess resin from the model.

Curing to hit the model with UV light and take out the remaining "reactivity" of the resin. That's probably an incorrect term there, but the step is necessary.

Both can be done with a purpose bought "wash/cure" station or with a DIY set up. But they do take space, they do use a consumable and have an associated waste stream, and they do need to factor into people's budgets when thinking about resin printing.







 
   
Made in us
Shadowy Grot Kommittee Memba






Shotgun wrote:
The only thing I would add to this discussion would be that with resin printing you will also need a wash station and a cure station.

Washing to remove excess resin from the model.

Curing to hit the model with UV light and take out the remaining "reactivity" of the resin. That's probably an incorrect term there, but the step is necessary.

Both can be done with a purpose bought "wash/cure" station or with a DIY set up. But they do take space, they do use a consumable and have an associated waste stream, and they do need to factor into people's budgets when thinking about resin printing.


...I've been using 70% IPA alcohol and a toothbrush and then just...sunlight for months. Have had absolutely zero problems.

"Got you, Yugi! Your Rubric Marines can't fall back because I have declared the tertiary kaptaris ka'tah stance two, after the secondary dacatarai ka'tah last turn!"

"So you think, Kaiba! I declared my Thousand Sons the cult of Duplicity, which means all my psykers have access to the Sorcerous Facade power! Furthermore I will spend 8 Cabal Points to invoke Cabbalistic Focus, causing the rubrics to appear behind your custodes! The Vengeance for the Wronged and Sorcerous Fullisade stratagems along with the Malefic Maelstrom infernal pact evoked earlier in the command phase allows me to double their firepower, letting me wound on 2s and 3s!"

"you think it is you who has gotten me, yugi, but it is I who have gotten you! I declare the ever-vigilant stratagem to attack your rubrics with my custodes' ranged weapons, which with the new codex are now DAMAGE 2!!"

"...which leads you straight into my trap, Kaiba, you see I now declare the stratagem Implacable Automata, reducing all damage from your attacks by 1 and triggering my All is Dust special rule!"  
   
Made in us
Courageous Questing Knight





Texas

Yeah, I just use a couple of tupperware containers for a couple of rinses (swish them around a bit) and a box with a $20 60w UV light for about a 3-5 minute cure time.

My Novella Collection is available on Amazon - Action/Fantasy/Sci-Fi - https://www.amazon.com/Three-Roads-Dreamt-Michael-Leonard/dp/1505716993/

 
   
Made in us
Shadowy Grot Kommittee Memba






30$ ultrasonic cleaner from amazon intended for jewelry and watches if you want to get extra fancy.

Fill with water, put the minis in a ziploc bag, cover the minis with 70% ipa, submerge in the washer and run for 10min.

Nice 'n clean!

"Got you, Yugi! Your Rubric Marines can't fall back because I have declared the tertiary kaptaris ka'tah stance two, after the secondary dacatarai ka'tah last turn!"

"So you think, Kaiba! I declared my Thousand Sons the cult of Duplicity, which means all my psykers have access to the Sorcerous Facade power! Furthermore I will spend 8 Cabal Points to invoke Cabbalistic Focus, causing the rubrics to appear behind your custodes! The Vengeance for the Wronged and Sorcerous Fullisade stratagems along with the Malefic Maelstrom infernal pact evoked earlier in the command phase allows me to double their firepower, letting me wound on 2s and 3s!"

"you think it is you who has gotten me, yugi, but it is I who have gotten you! I declare the ever-vigilant stratagem to attack your rubrics with my custodes' ranged weapons, which with the new codex are now DAMAGE 2!!"

"...which leads you straight into my trap, Kaiba, you see I now declare the stratagem Implacable Automata, reducing all damage from your attacks by 1 and triggering my All is Dust special rule!"  
   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran





Elegoo Saturn is amazing. I’ve printed all kinds of beautiful models for me and my buddies. The build plate is large and it’s very easy to use. Be prepared to deal with resin. Have an area where you can print where the fumes won’t affect anyone. Also knowing how to handle the IPA alcohol. I have to use a carbon filter mask and rubber gloves. But as long as you have proper protection you’ll be Golden. Totally worth it
   
Made in us
Courageous Questing Knight





Texas

Yes, I find the most fumes I get is when I open the rinse bins, as opening the printer lid and when printing is not bad at all and it sits almost right next to me.

My Novella Collection is available on Amazon - Action/Fantasy/Sci-Fi - https://www.amazon.com/Three-Roads-Dreamt-Michael-Leonard/dp/1505716993/

 
   
Made in us
Fresh-Faced New User





Shotgun wrote:
The only thing I would add to this discussion would be that with resin printing you will also need a wash station and a cure station.

Washing to remove excess resin from the model.

Curing to hit the model with UV light and take out the remaining "reactivity" of the resin. That's probably an incorrect term there, but the step is necessary.

Both can be done with a purpose bought "wash/cure" station or with a DIY set up. But they do take space, they do use a consumable and have an associated waste stream, and they do need to factor into people's budgets when thinking about resin printing.


Don't forget safety equipment as well, often overlooked when people are picking up their first resin printer. The liquid resins can give you chemical burns, the fumes are toxic, you definitely need a good supply of gloves and ideally a way to control the fumes either with a filter or exhaust to the outdoors.

   
Made in us
Grim Dark Angels Interrogator-Chaplain






A Protoss colony world

Talking about resin fumes, I'd recommend using Anycubic Eco Resin (which is plant-based). Basically no fumes from it at all even while it's in the middle of printing. Which is nice, considering I live in a small apartment and have to keep the printer in my living room.

On the washing/curing front, I bought the Anycubic Wash & Cure 2.0 and I absolutely love it! It's not as cheap as other options, but it's a good quality-of-life accessory.

As for the printer itself, I use an Anycubic Photon S (it was a gift from a friend), which is getting towards obsolete these days but is not bad for a beginner printer. Right now you could get one on sale from Anycubic for less than $200.

My armies (re-counted and updated on 11/1/23, including modeled wargear options):
Dark Angels: ~15000 Astra Militarum: ~1200 | Adeptus Custodes: ~1900 | Imperial Knights: ~2000 | Sisters of Battle: ~3500 | Leagues of Votann: ~1200 | Tyranids: ~2600 | Stormcast Eternals: ~5000
Check out my P&M Blogs: ZergSmasher's P&M Blog | Imperial Knights blog | Board Games blog | Total models painted in 2023: 40 | Total models painted in 2024: 7 | Current main painting project: Dark Angels
 Mr_Rose wrote:
Who doesn’t love crazy mutant squawk-puppies? Eh? Nobody, that’s who.
 
   
Made in de
Mysterious Techpriest






 ZergSmasher wrote:
Talking about resin fumes, I'd recommend using Anycubic Eco Resin (which is plant-based). Basically no fumes from it at all even while it's in the middle of printing. Which is nice, considering I live in a small apartment and have to keep the printer in my living room.


This I cannot confirm. Eco is 45% plant based, the rest is petrol. I use the same, translucent green, eco resin.
I also have a vent solution that blows the fumes right out the window - but some bad wind direction caused the fumes to go right back in. After a few hours I developed a cough that lasted till the next day - my lungs got irritated I suspect strongly .
Whatever the marketing is, the fumes are still toxic and need to be dealt with. Inhaling them is not recommended!
Please be careful with such advice as it can cause a health hazard.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/08/29 21:16:10


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Made in us
Grim Dark Angels Interrogator-Chaplain






A Protoss colony world

 Thairne wrote:
 ZergSmasher wrote:
Talking about resin fumes, I'd recommend using Anycubic Eco Resin (which is plant-based). Basically no fumes from it at all even while it's in the middle of printing. Which is nice, considering I live in a small apartment and have to keep the printer in my living room.


This I cannot confirm. Eco is 45% plant based, the rest is petrol. I use the same, translucent green, eco resin.
I also have a vent solution that blows the fumes right out the window - but some bad wind direction caused the fumes to go right back in. After a few hours I developed a cough that lasted till the next day - my lungs got irritated I suspect strongly .
Whatever the marketing is, the fumes are still toxic and need to be dealt with. Inhaling them is not recommended!
Please be careful with such advice as it can cause a health hazard.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, there. I never said it was 100% safe. I only said it's a lot less smelly than the regular stuff. There could still be fumes in the air, just without the annoying chemical smell. You definitely don't want to get high on it and you still want to handle it carefully as it's still a skin contact hazard for sure.

Maybe there are still fumes, but it's never bothered me one bit. Some people are probably more sensitive or possibly allergic to it and should take appropriate precautions. YMMV

My armies (re-counted and updated on 11/1/23, including modeled wargear options):
Dark Angels: ~15000 Astra Militarum: ~1200 | Adeptus Custodes: ~1900 | Imperial Knights: ~2000 | Sisters of Battle: ~3500 | Leagues of Votann: ~1200 | Tyranids: ~2600 | Stormcast Eternals: ~5000
Check out my P&M Blogs: ZergSmasher's P&M Blog | Imperial Knights blog | Board Games blog | Total models painted in 2023: 40 | Total models painted in 2024: 7 | Current main painting project: Dark Angels
 Mr_Rose wrote:
Who doesn’t love crazy mutant squawk-puppies? Eh? Nobody, that’s who.
 
   
Made in de
Mysterious Techpriest






I didnt mean to attack you, sorry if that came out like that, but
"Basically no fumes from it at all even while it's in the middle of printing"
could easily be misinterpreted as "its safe, dont worry" and that is not something anyone should believe
And also - even if you dont develop symptoms - it most assuredly is not healthy to not deal with the fumes, regardless of chemical smell or not. Something is not not hazardous because its not noticeable

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/08/30 09:13:27


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Made in de
Regular Dakkanaut




Berlin

On that note (safety & environment)
Please take note that the so called eco- or water cleaning resins are in no way safer or less of a health risk. Read the safety sheets of that stuff and wonder how companies can call it eco friendly.
The most overlooked item is that liquid resin whether pure or dissolved is toxic to aquatic life even in smallest amounts.
Water that came in contact with uncured resin (e.e. cleaning miniatures before curing) should never ever be send down the drain.
That is true for ECO resin as well as for any other resin.
Collect the water and let it evaporate in the sun leaving cured resin as residue. The cured resin can be put in the bin.
The wipes you used to clean up spills shouldn't go into the bin because of the uncured resin.
If you can not cure the resin/evaporate the water collect it and bring it to a waste disposal station prepared to dispose of the stuff safely.
Please do not think that your tiny bit of pollution will not matter. There are a lot of resin printers in use out there and there are more every day and if all users think their tiny ....
   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

For equipment outside of the printer I'd recommend:


1) A tube of white lithium grease - this is to lubricate the Z axis screwthread. Note that you can get this in spray form, but application is more tricky (because it will more likely splatter everywhere you don't want it too) and has to be applied more often. I've used both, with the spray you need to use a precision nozzle (often included on the can - basically a small plastic tube) and cup the area you're working on with some cloth to avoid splatter.
With grease just smear it on.

2) Paper Towels - people go nuts telly you you need tonnes of these. Personally I find when you start you'll use a lot more, but as you get more experienced you'll use less and less.

3) IPA - this you do need lots of because you will be washing and the IPA will steadily get contaminated and stop working. You can leave it in a clear bottle (save the bottles it comes out of) in the sun for weeks to get exposed, cure the resin inside; then pour it through a coffee filter to clean out the cured resin and then re-use the IPA.

NOTE if you use water washable resin you still need to store it after using and dispose of it correctly. DO NOT pour down the sink.

To dispose of leave the liquid in a tray/bottle exposed to sunlight and let it evaporate off (IPA does this much faster). Remaining sluge/material needs exposing for long periods until cured and then can be disposed of in normal trash.


3) When you get the printer flip the VAT upside down and see if the provided hex key fits the screws. My Sonic Mini 4K had a hex key for the build plate, but it did not fit the screws on the VAT. It's one thing to check because you can order it early and have it ready or it becomes a pain realising you need it after getting the FEPs and such

4) Sealed containers - a pair of plastic pickle jars works well. Basically this is your bare-bones put the IPA in and wash option. Note that you want two - one to wash and one to rinse. When the rinse one starts to get cloudy after a wash you know that either you've not washed for long enough; or that your IPA has become contaminated beyond effective use. At that point your rinse becomes your wash; your wash gets put in the bottle for sun exposure and you add fresh IPA to its container for rinsing .

5) Microfibre clothes - floor cloths are good for this as they are often sold pretty cheap in packs. You do need a fair number of these.

This is for anything delicate - so cleaning your FEP and VAT (the sides of the vat are fine to clean with pretty much anything, but as your FEP will 99% of the time be attached its safer to use the microfibre cloth). As well as cleaning up any marks on the LCD if such should happen.

6) Plastic funnel - reasonably large but not huge. This is to put your resin filters into whenever pouring resin back into the bottle. Resin filters are typically paper and are NOT able to be used without being put in a funnel (I've - mistakenly done this and it results in a resin spillage).

7) Gloves. Do not get latex as resin eats into the material pretty fast. Nitrile are the most popular suggested form and have a decent working rate with resin. You will need a lot of these, esp at the start when you might get more fails which means putting more gloves on to handle things.
Note you can sometimes pick them up cheaper if you search ebay and the like for "expired" nitrile gloves. These are perfectly fine, but they were bought for lab/medical use and have passed their sterility expiry date. This isn't a concern for resin printing so they are perfectly safe to use.

8) Face mask which conforms to protecting against organic vapours. To be worn at all times when working with the resin in liquid form.

9) Silicon spatula. This is fantastic for when you need to clean the vat out as its soft tip won't harm the FEP and you can push the resin out when pouring it into a filter. Speeds up the process by a lot.

10) A curing setup. Avoid the cheap "cure lamps" on amazon, they (in my experience) tend to be really weak and take forever to cure anything. I tend to see strips of LEDs being put into boxes achiving better results and just bathing things in UV light.

11) UV safety glasses. Good if you've got a custom UV container which doesn't turn off when you open the lid (most wash and cure stations will not operate the UV without the shield hood in place).
These also double as your safety glasses when working with resin - yes you need glasses*


Other things good to get

1) Silicon pet feeding tray/mat. These can be a neat little thing to get and to put on the table to work on. Giving you a surface you can wipe clean easily and which doesn't matter if it gets some drops of resin on. It can save you having to put down tissues or marking fabric covers and such.

2) Elegoo air filters - these are sold in pairs and can help filter out fumes from the air. They don't render it 100% safe (you still want your mask) but they do help.

3) Thermometer. Ideally a digital one that records both current and max/min temperatures over time. Temperature regulation is part of 3D printing and monitoring the printer temperature is important.
Note if you use an enclosure I find it handy to have two thermometers - one inside and one outside. This is helpful to monitor the temperature around an enclosure during the hot part of the year. If the outside temp is within safe resin printing tolerances the inside of an insulated enclosure might be getting far hotter than is ideal.

4) Wash and cure station. Not essential, but can take some of the mess and faff out of washing and curing. Can also be a bit more exact for curing as well since curing is a timed process not a random "stick it in the box and wait".
Note even with a Wash and Cure I still use 1 pickle jar to rinse - again it helps me see if my washing IPA has become contaminated beyond effective use.
NOTE if you get one, even the small ones, will take a lot of IPA so you might need to increase your amount you keep.

5) If your temperatures show as below 20C and you need ot heat your enclosure/printer up read the following page as it summarises my experiences and what I found works and does not work.
https://warminiatures.wordpress.com/2021/07/12/resin-3d-printing-and-temperature/


* spoke to someone recently who got a speck of resin in the eye. Took several litres of saline solution to wash the eye at the hospital followed by moving to another hospital so a specialist could pluck the resin remains off the eyeball.
Basically you don't want it on the eyeball!

A Blog in Miniature

3D Printing, hobbying and model fun! 
   
Made in de
Mysterious Techpriest






Small addendum:
cling film. Can save you some tissue paper.
Uncured bits of resin, like support pieces, can be wrapped in cling film. That way they're reasonable separated from anything around you, yet can still cure in sunlight for easy disposal.

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