How small can 3d printers print


How Small Can a 3D Printer Print? – The 3D Bros

Printing small-scale 3D models with a 3D printer may be challenging because resolutions are not the same as the resolutions you use for two-dimensional pictures and for printing images on paper. Using your 3D printer in creating very small models or models with very fine features and details may involve a steep learning curve for new users. But as to how small your 3D printer can go, it depends mainly on its technology. 

An FDM 3D printer can print 3D models as small as its nozzle diameter, which is at least 0.15 millimeters. Resin 3D printers like DLP and SLA can print much smaller details as it offers very fine Z resolutions. With resin printers, you can choose layer height options from 25 to 300 microns.

This article will discuss the differences in various types of 3D printers, especially in terms of their printing accuracy and their ability to print fine details. You will understand how their different 3D printing technologies and mechanisms affect the quality of their print output.

Most Common Types of 3D Printers

Different types of 3D printers use different printing technologies, processes, and materials, influencing their print accuracy and minimum feature size. The most common are:

  • Fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printers, also known as fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printers
  • Stereolithography (SLA) 3D printers
  • Digital light processing (DLP) 3D printers

FDM/FFF 3D Printers

FDM or FFF 3D printers extrude thermoplastic filaments like polylactic acid (PLA) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) through a heated nozzle, which melts the plastic and applies layer upon layer of the molten material to create a form. The FDM printing process is widely used at the consumer level.

One advantage of using FDM is that three-dimensional printing models are easy. Once you calibrate your printer and upload your CAD file, the printing process begins with just a push of a button. FDM printing is also a speedy process, and the technology can cost-effectively print objects in low quantities.

However, FDM 3D printing is not known for turning in long-lasting and durable products because each one is created in multiple layers instead of a single piece. There are bound to be weak spots in applying the layering technique. Additionally, FDM’s thermoplastics cannot withstand extreme conditions, so they would melt or deform when exposed to hot environments and crack when exposed to cold.

FDM 3D printing is also not able to produce models at a fine resolution. Because of the layering method, the output tends to have rough edges and surfaces and may require sanding and other finishing to smoothen them out. The tolerances are larger, too, which could lead to multiple prints of similar parts having inconsistencies and significant differences.

SLA 3D Printers

Dental technician removing jaw model from a 3d printer at the laboratory, modeling frame for implant production

An SLA 3D printer is a resin 3D printer that produces high-accuracy, watertight, and airtight prototypes and models in advanced plastic materials. It is known to print 3D models with smooth surface finish, fine features, and highly detailed designs. 

With a highly precise laser, an SLA 3D printer delivers light to form and cure thin layers of liquid resin that stack up to form one solid object. The process of curing resin into hardened plastic is called photopolymerization. SLA resin formulations boast a broad range of thermal, optical, and mechanical properties that make them ideal for industrial and engineering thermoplastics applications.

Using light instead of heat to print prototypes make SLA reliable. By printing three-dimensional parts at close to room temperature, you don’t have to worry about thermal expansion and contraction, which can be prevalent when printing via FDM. 

These parts and prototype printing using the SLA process are also isotropic, which means that they have high lateral strength levels that don’t alter with orientation.

DLP 3D Printers

Like an SLA printer, a DLP 3D printer also uses resin. It creates parts and models upside down, layer by layer, as its build platform goes down into a resin tank. And while an SLA 3D printer uses a laser as its light source, a DLP 3D printer uses a digital projector screen. An image of a layer’s pattern or shape is flashed across the build platform, and this light cures the liquid resin.

The light gets reflected onto microscopic-sized mirrors that are arranged on a semiconductor chip. This digital micromirror device (DMD), in turn, points the light to the bottom of the resin tank, defining the coordinates where the resin hardens in a particular layer. 

DLP 3D printers are among the most precise and accurate 3D printers around, so they are great for highly detailed models. And like SLA printers, they create objects with a smooth surface finish.

How Small Can Your 3D Printer Print?

The different types of 3D printing technology have different minimum feature sizes.

How Small Can FDM 3D Printers Print?

FDM 3D printers can print features as small as the diameter of their printing nozzles. The most common nozzle size for these printers is 0.4 millimeters, so that means the smallest feature they can print is that same size, too. However, third-party nozzle upgrades are available. You can get a 0.15-millimeter nozzle and swap your printer’s old nozzle with it so you could print smaller features. 

However, you have to keep in mind that how well a model or 3D figure turns out is also heavily influenced by its shape and the movements that the FDM printer needs to make to print it. 

One major problem regarding printing small details with an FDM printer is that you have limited control over when the thermoplastic material starts to flow out from the nozzle and exactly when it stops. As such, an FDM printer will have an easier time creating fine details that are part of a larger object than creating a similar-sized detail on a much smaller object.

How Small Can SLA 3D Printers Print?

The minimum feature resolution for SLA 3D printers relies on the spot size of the laser beam. Because SLA technology does not involve thermal stresses like FDM, it is easier to print tall and thin shapes and very small features.

In 3D printing, you will need to get acquainted with the three dimensions: the X and Y dimensions, the two-dimensional planes, and the vertical Z dimension. The Z resolution is the thickness or height of a layer that the printer can produce.

The laser spot size of the SLA printer determines the XY resolution. The increments by which the laser beam is controlled also affects the XY resolution. As for the Z resolution, resin printers offer a layer height of between 25 to 300 microns.

How Small Can DLP 3D Printers Print?

Just like SLA printers, DLP printers offer a fine resolution. You can also pick a layer height option or Z resolution of anything between 25 and 300 microns. Meanwhile, the XY resolution is defined by pixel, which is the tiniest feature that the projector can print within a particular layer.

However, with DLP printers, there is a trade-off between build volume and resolution. The projector dictates the number of voxels or pixels available. The closer the projector is moved to the optical window, the smaller the pixels get, which increases the resolution of your print. As a result, the available build area also gets limited.

Calibration also plays a crucial role. Unlike SLA printers with the same light source throughout, with DLP projectors, you will need to factor in the non-uniform distribution of light on the build platform and lenses’ optical distortion. This means that the pixels right in the middle of the print object are not of the same shape and size as the pixels on its edges.

Final Thoughts

Generally, SLA and DLP printers can print much smaller features and details than FDM printers. More importantly, SLA and DLP are known for more accurate, precise, and more durable prints of industrial and engineering quality. But that is not to say that FDM technology doesn’t have its own strengths. That is why thorough research needs to be done on the pros and cons of each of these types of 3D printers to know which one suits your specific printing requirements.

Sources

  • MH Manufacturing: Benefits and Disadvantages to 3D Printing in Manufacturing
  • Pinshape Blog: 4 Things You Need to Know About 3D Printing Resolution
  • Quora: How small of an object can a 3D printer print?
  • All3DP: How Small Can You Go?
  • All3DP: SLA vs. DLP: The Differences – Simply Explained
  • Dummies: How to Print Tiny or Highly Detailed 3D Objects
  • 3D Printing: How small can I expect FDM 3d printers to print?
  • Formlabs: FDM vs. SLA: Compare the Two Most Popular Types of 3D Printers
  • Formlabs: SLA vs. DLP: Guide to Resin 3D Printers
  • Xometry: What is the smallest feature that you can print?
  • Make Parts Fast: What is a DLP 3D Printer?

How Small Of An Item Can A 3D Printer Make? – 3dprintscape.com

One of the most amazing things about 3D printers is that they are capable of creating things out of what seems to be nothing. This means that what they do is that they create different objects using a bottom-up approach by putting together different small particles. But how small of an item can a 3D printer actually print?

In most cases, 3D printers can print as small as their nozzles allow them to do so. Some 3D printers can print at least 0.15 millimeters. However, it usually really all depends on the manufacturing specifications of the 3D printer and the type of 3D printer we are talking about here.

3D printers come in all shapes and sizes, and that means that there are also different types of 3D printers. In that case, the smallest thing that 3D printers can print will mostly depend on how small the 3D printer’s nozzles or manufacturing capabilities are. And there are also cases where it can depend on the type of 3D printer that you have.

What are the different types of 3D printers?

3D printers are amazing in the sense that they use a bottom-up approach when it comes to creating different designs. What they do is that they put together smaller particles that form one bigger structure. However, what you should know is that different 3D printers work differently. So, if we are to talk about how small of an item a 3D printer can print, it is equally important to talk about the different types of 3D printers.

FDM/FFF 3D Printers

Some of the most common types of 3D printers are FDM/FFF 3D printers. What these 3D printers do is that they extrude thermoplastic filaments through a heated nozzle so that the plastic material melts. In a sense, what happens is that these 3D printers put together small particles of heated plastic to create the form you want at the end of the 3D print job. This is the most common type of 3D printer in consumer markets.

The best part about FDM/FFF type of 3D printers is that they are very easy to use when creating three-dimensional printing models as you simply need to calibrate the machine and then upload your CAD file. From there, the printing process can be done with a simple push of a button. It’s that easy and speedy.

But the problem with these 3D printers is that they are not known for creating products that are quite durable because you need to know that what they do is that they put together several layers of plastic instead of printing one single piece. That means that there are going to be a few weak spots on the final product. Of course, you also need to consider that thermoplastics aren’t exactly the best when it comes to extreme conditions as they can easily melt or deform when exposed to heat or crack when exposed to cold.

And, in connection to our topic, FDM 3D printers are unable to produce models at the smallest scale possible. That is because, as mentioned, they rely on a method of layering plastics together. That means that it might be difficult to produce a really small product using an FDM printer.

SLA 3D Printers

SLA 3D printers are resin 3D printers that use a method that is quite different from what FDM printers do. What these 3D printers do is that they produce high-accuracy and water and airtight 3D models using plastic materials. In most cases, they are more accurate than FDM 3D printers as they are capable of producing models with fine features and accurate details.

Using a precise laser, SLA printers are capable of creating accurate models as they deliver light to form and cure layers of resin. What happens is that these thin layers of resin stack up to one another to form one solid object.

So, the difference here is that these 3D printers use light instead of heat to print 3D models. This is why SLA 3D printers are widely used in a lot of industries that require their pinpoint accuracy and detailed printing. And you don’t even have to worry about the resin warping or cracking because of how heat isn’t in the equation here.

DLP 3D Printers

DLP 3D printers are like SLA printers in the sense that they also use resin. What they do is that they create parts and models layer by layer from top to bottom. But the difference here is that DLP 3D printers use a digital projector screen instead of using laser as their light source. The image of the model’s shape or pattern is flashed, and this is the light that cures the liquid resin to form the 3D model.

What happens is that the light gets reflected onto very small mirrors that are microscopic in size. These mirrors are arranged on a semiconductor chip and will point the light to the bottom of the resin tank while defining the coordinates where the resin should harden to form the layers of the 3D model.

Because of the way DLP 3D printers work, they are considered some of the most precise and accurate 3D printers. They are so accurate that they are capable of printing fine details and even smaller objects that other types of 3D printers cannot print.

How small of an item can a 3D printer make?

Now that you know the different types of 3D printers, let us now look at how small of an item these 3D printers can make. And it is important to know how these 3D printers work because you need to understand that different methods of 3D printing can make big differences in how small of an item they can print.

FLM 3D printers, for the most part, are highly dependent on their nozzles in the sense that they can print as small as what the nozzles allow them to do so. In most cases, these 3D printers have nozzle sizes that are 0.4 millimeters, but it isn’t rare for some nozzles to be as small as 0.15 millimeters. You can even get a 0.15-millimeter and then swap out your old one for the newer and smaller nozzle so that you can 3D print smaller and more accurate features.

But the problem here is that, because FDM 3D printers rely on thermoplastic, you don’t have any control as to how the plastic flows out from the nozzle. This means that it would be very difficult to 3D print something that is as small as 0.4 millimeters.

Meanwhile, for SLA 3D printers, the size of the item will depend on the spot size of the laser beam. So, when the spot size is quite small, it would be easier for you to 3D print a model that is quite small. It will also be easier to print tall and thin shapes with amazingly accurate features using SLA 3D printers.

When dealing with SLA 3D printers, you need to know the X, Y, and Z dimensions. The laser spot size of the SLA printer is what determines the XY resolution of the 3D printer. Then, for the Z resolution, these printers can offer heights between 25 to 300 microns, and that means that you can 3D print smaller and finer models.

Finally, DLP printers are similar to SLA printers in the sense that they are capable of producing materials with amazing resolution and detail. The size of the 3D print will once again rely on the XYZ resolutions, but the difference here is that the XY resolution is defined by pixels, which are tiny spots that you can see on the projector.

So, in a way, both SLA and DLP 3D printers rely mainly on how the machines are calibrated and on the manufacturing settings of these printers. And the consensus is that SLA and DLP 3D printers are much more capable than commercialized FDM printers when producing smaller materials.

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