There are two main types of 3D printers in use by hobbyists. Resin printers and FDM (Filament deposition modeling) printers. Resin printers have a vat of liquid resin that sits on an LCD screen and selectively solidifies the liquid resin with light based on the files you print, layer by layer, upside down. FDM printers heat a strand of plastic up and extrude that heated material through a nozzle, printing upwards from a bed-plate. FDM machines are mostly used for terrain whereas resin printers are used primarily for miniatures, due to the much higher detail possible with these machines.
Both types can create wargaming items at a price that is low compared to plastic options available through traditional manufacturing methods. Resin can start as low as $25 USD per 1 KG bottle. One bottle, depending on usage, can pump out over 100 28mm figures. Similarly, a veritable table of terrain can be made from a single spool of filament, which is also inexpensive.
The cost savings can be extremely attractive, especially with regular price rises from many of the major manufacturers. The allure of these savings belies the cost of associated safety equipment AND the expansive amount of time needed to properly learn how to use them. That is not to say that you could not start printing in a few hours after acquiring a new machine, but there is trial and error to getting the machine’s settings dialed in.
Resin 3D printing to create figures, as a process, has multiple stages:
Whereas 3D printing has many benefits, it comes at the cost of a large amount of trial and error, AND maintenance work. 3D printers, while being relatively simple machines, can be finicky. They work best in an enclosure where you can monitor and adjust variables such as temperature and account for others like humidity. This can be a bespoke piece, custom-built by a company or cobbled together by a hobbyist with non-purpose-built parts. A common example of an ad-hoc enclosure is using an indoor grow tent for plants, combined with vent tubing, a fan, and a carbon air filter.
Even when encapsulated in an enclosure, you must be mindful of your geographic area, and the environmental factors of the place in which you are printing. If you are pumping air into the enclosure during a rainstorm, you are going to have higher humidity, which, when you are cycling it into an enclosed environment housing electronics, can spell a bad time. At minimum, it can create printing issues and failures. At worst, you can damage your printers’ electronic components.
Another thing the original article does not mention is the safety concerns around 3D printing. When you buy a resin 3D printer (and, to a lesser extent, FDM printers) you are dealing with miniaturized industrial processes. Liquid resin is stable. However, as the printing process occurs your printer will off-gas VOCs – Volatile organic compounds (FDM printers do this as well, just not as heavily as liquid resin printers.)
These vapors can be carcinogenic, and another reason to have your printer in an enclosure vented to the outside world. That venting system should, as mentioned previously, have a carbon-based filter, and it is best to have an additional air-filtration system in the workroom you house your printers in, just in case. This is double true if you have your printer set up in a living environment. Frankly, a 3D printing workroom should be separated from living quarters if at all possible to minimize potential exposure to VOCs. There is a reason 3D printing resins have a safety-data-sheet...
Personal protective equipment is also important. Good quality nitrile gloves, such as 8mm thick lab-grade gloves, are a must. They are the first line of defense against liquid resin getting on your hands while handling prints during the cleaning stage. A basic paper mask is ok, but an air-filtration mask with replaceable filter cartridges (such as those used by commercial painters) would be better.
Alcohol is an ubiquitous cleaning agent when working with resin 3d printers, and rightly so. It is the best solvent to clean excess resin off your printed figures. Water will not remove excess liquid resin from your prints after printing on its own, and is mainly used as a secondary bath to help the hobbyist operator remove a miniature from support structures. After use in cleaning, the resin-containing alcohol (and the secondary water bath) should be disposed of properly. A prospective printing hobbyist should familiarize themselves with local regulations regarding hazardous waste disposal. It is a bad idea for multiple reasons to dump resin-containing alcohol (or resin-tainted water) down your kitchen sink, for instance.
The cost of protective materials adds up, and should be a factor to keep in mind when you consider starting 3D printing. I see so many articles online where startup costs are assumed to be the printer + resin + some basic supplies. Even a discounted printer at some $200, a bastardized enclosure made from a grow tent, air filter, and ductwork will add several hundred more to your costs, depending on where and when you buy them. That is before buying resin, mask/filters, gloves, etc.
In contrast: Gloves are not needed for FDM printing, and neither are any of the cleaning supplies. I would still suggest a mask due to the potential for VOC’s off-gassing from the heated nozzle during printing. This makes printing large amounts of terrain easy, and mainly an investment of time, both in terms of printing time and support removal.
I don't mean for this article to be completely doom and gloom, however! 3D printing is an excellent way to bring unique miniatures and high-detail models to your armies. It is a great way to create conversion components for traditional plastics. Making, or converting, figures yourself is a rewarding secondary hobby and can be extremely useful. The “I made that” factor is real. My core message here is that some hobbyists seem to see the safety aspect as secondary when it should be primary.
This leads me to my next point, the time investment. After you get your printer set up in its enclosure, your safety equipment and cleaning station ready, and your models STL’s set up, you need to support them.
A phenomenon that has taken off in the industry is sculptors and manufacturers providing variants of the STL files that are pre-supported. While this is a useful thing and sounds like an easy way to get printing quickly, the reality is something of a double-edged sword. All printers (even if the same model is used) are different, and pre-supports will not consider your hardware specifically.
As an example, I once had two Mars 2 Pro machines in an enclosure, which had an airflow system pulling air from outside, and cycling it through the enclosure space and then out through a carbon filter back to the outside. Both machines were set up correctly, leveled, and otherwise equivalent. Despite this, one of these printers continually had leveling issues and problems printing on the left-hand side of the LCD screen.
Sometimes the pre-supports just are not good, and you will have fails from too few supports on a foot or an arm. As such, it is a good idea for new printers to familiarize themselves with placing supports themselves, which becomes another time-sink that a hobbyist must consider before starting to print.
Again, to the original article’s author: I appreciate your article and perspective on 3D printing. It is indeed a cheaper way to get arguably more unique projects in physical form, and faster. There are simply factors that were missed in the overview that I wanted to clarify.
I love 3D printing, and I think it is a great way to expand our hobby into uncharted territory. It is a wonderful way to make excellent figures, and bring unique armies to life. But I also think prospective hobbyists looking to start 3D printing should be aware of all the factors involved and the requirements thereof. If you are not ready to deal with the safety concerns and trial and error related to printing at home, I suggest you get your 3D-printed miniatures from a printing service. If you do choose to print at home, please take all possible safety measures. Learn about the processes and materials you are working with, and be careful. WS&S
This article was featured in Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy Magazine 128. Discover this issue, and others, in our webshop: