6 types

Types of 3D printer

Every printer here is assigned exactly one type, by the first rule that matches: resin first, then large-format, then multi-material, then enclosed, then open CoreXY, then bedslinger. That ordering keeps the categories from overlapping.

Large-format FDM

At least 300 mm on every axis, or 400 mm on one. Big enough to print a helmet or a panel in a single piece, with the warping and print-time consequences that implies.

14 printers · 7 brands · ~$299–~$4,299 · up to 125.0 L

FDM bedslinger

The bed moves in Y while the toolhead moves in X and Z. Cheapest to build and the geometry most sensitive to speed, because a heavy bed has to reverse direction on every layer.

11 printers · 6 brands · ~$199–~$999 · up to 20.3 L

FDM enclosed

A CoreXY machine inside a box. The enclosure holds heat around the part, which is what ABS and ASA need to stop curling off the plate.

10 printers · 7 brands · ~$299–~$1,199 · up to 18.7 L

Resin MSLA

A UV LCD cures a whole layer at once, at a pixel measured in microns. An order of magnitude finer than a nozzle, with a chemical workflow attached.

9 printers · 2 brands · ~$179–~$861 · up to 14.7 L

FDM multi-material

Defined by its filament changer rather than its frame: a machine sold to print in several colours or materials in one job.

4 printers · 4 brands · ~$344–~$1,899 · up to 33.8 L

FDM CoreXY

Two belts move the toolhead in both X and Y while the bed only drops. Much less mass in motion, which is why every fast open-frame printer uses it.

1 printers · 1 brands · ~$249–~$249 · up to 10.6 L