Home 3D printer

3D printers can be a great combination of learning and fun for not just the kinds, but for the whole family. First of all, it’s interesting because you are dealing with technology, and kids love that these days. Second of all, you can print whatever you want, and yes I mean WHATEVER you want, well, whatever your kids want really. They can print their favorite cartoon characters, clothes and accessories for their dolls, who can have design 3D printed homes,  and why not even school projects. 3D printers are also a great source of learning, developing creative and spacious thinking, inspire innovation and spark the imagination. They are a great fit for families who have a next Elon Musk, Steve Jobs or Gaudi for a kid, to build whatever they envision in their creative and forward-thinking minds.  

What to consider when choosing a 3D printer

So which one is the best home 3D printer and how should you start going about choosing one? 

Well, there are factors to consider when choosing a 3D printer for home and especially a kid-friendly one.

First and foremost it needs to be safe! For safety reasons you should not leave your child alone with the printer, but it also needs to be safe, emit as little as possible dangerous fumes, use environmentally friendly plastic or, if possible, renewable source of raw material. 

Another factor, of course, is the price. Some printers are affordable and are pretty good at printing stuff that a kid might want, like toys, toy parts, accessories and so on, plus they have high quality for a consumer 3D printer. Of course, there are models that are compatible with a multitude of filaments, have a professional like precision and are user-friendly, however, those are in a bit higher price range. There are also 3D printers for kids, as they call them, and are very simple in use, very compact, you can even call them a mini 3D printer. But they have many disadvantages, like very low compatibility with filaments (can print with only 1 or 2 types of filament), are small in size, which limits printing potential. They might seem like a good idea for a small child, but as they grow, their creativity and ambitions grow with them, so, later on, you might have to upgrade your 3D printer, which will be more costly. 

3D printing methods

There are also many different printing methods that 3D printers use, which makes them in one way or the other suitable or not as a 3D printer for kids. There is a DLP 3D printer, which uses a digital light to harden the photopolymer. This printer is a pretty good solution for home use, however, it will not perform the best in details. 

Another resin printer is SLA 3D printer, that uses similar technology, but uses lasers to form layers of the printed object, which perform much better in the details department.  

FDM 3D printer is also a very widely used and popular consumer 3D printer and is probably the best 3D printer for beginners, as it is fairly straightforward in use and very cost-effective. It is pretty affordable and the filament itself doesn’t cost much money either, whilst having a very high performance in details and overall printing quality, making this 3D printer a #1 choice among homeowners. 

Below you can find a wide range of 3D printers that are perfect for home use and are kid-friendly.