A Buying Guide for Your Kid’s First 3D Printer!
Updated September 10th, 2021
MUST HAVE Features You Should Be Looking for When Buying a First 3D Printer for Your Kids in 2021 & 5 Printers That HAVE Those Features!
Obviously, there will be many factors that come into play when deciding which 3D printer is the best for yourself, your kids, and/or your family – especially if it is your FIRST 3D printer. The most important factor will certainly be the safety of your children – followed closely by something that is easy to use and minimizes frustrations. In this post we cover the most important, or MUST HAVE features any 3D printer that is going to be used by kids should include. We also cover the factors you should consider when buying a first 3D printer for a child. Finally, we give specific recommendations for kid friendly 3D printers for every budget.
If you are a parent that has only a limited interest in 3D printing and/or will be minimally involved with supervising the children’s use of the printer- your child’s FIRST 3D printer should definitely be a fully assembled & fully enclosed 3D printer like the FlashForge Adventurer 3, the MonoPrice Voxel, the Qidi Tech X-Max, or the Dremel DigiLab 3D45.
Best 3D Printers for Kids
- Entry Level Budgets (Less than $500): We would recommend the FlashForge Adventurer 3 or the MonoPrice Voxel as the best entry-level 3D printers for kids that are 8-12 years-old.
- Mid-Tier Budgets ($750 – $1,000): For mid-tier budgets, we would recommend the Qidi Tech X-Plus, and
- Higher-End Budgets (~$1,000 – $1,500): For higher-end budgets, we would recommend the Qidi Tech X-Max or the Dremel DigiLab 3D45 as the best 3D printers for kids.
If you are a parent that has a high degree of interest in 3D printing and plan on being very involved in using the printer with your child – the Creality Ender 3 V2 could be a GREAT choice. However, the Creality Ender series of 3D printers are not enclosed and therefore, should only be used by children under close parental supervision. Please see my review of this printer here, and the latest pricing for the printer @ Amazon here.
Comparison & Buying Guide: 5 Best Kid Friendly 3D Printers for Kids 8-12 Years-Old in 2021
Below, you will find a comparison chart that helps you compare various features of each of the kid friendly 3D printers that we recommend at the various price points. Hopefully this will help you identify the best 3D printer for your kid!
| FlashForge Adventurer 3 | MonoPrice Voxel | Qidi Tech X-Plus | Qidi Tech X-Max | Dremel DigiLab 3d45 | |
| Fully Assembled? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fully Enclosed Printing Area | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Auto / Assisted Bed Leveling | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Auto Feeding Filament | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Touchscreen LCD Interface on Printer | Yes, 2.8 inch | Yes, 2.8 inch | Yes, 4.3 inch | Yes, 5 inch | Yes, 5 inch |
| Wifi Enabled Remote Control | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in Camera | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Bendable/Removable Build Plate | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Maximum Print Volume | 150 x 150 x 150mm | 150 x 150 x 150mm | 270 x 200 x 200mm | 300 x 250 x 300mm | 255x155x170mm |
| Can You Use Filament from Other Manufacturers? | Yes | Yes? | Yes? | Yes? | No |
| Dimensions | 20 x 19 x 17 inches | 19.6 x 16.9 x 20.2 inches | 26 x 22.5 x 22 inches | 29 x 26 x 24 inches | 23 x 18.75 x 18.75 inches; |
| Weight | 22.05 pounds | 19.8 pounds | 50.6 pounds | 61.73 | 42.8 pounds |
| Noise Level | 45 Db | 45Db | ? | ? | ? |
| Model Release Date | January 15th, 2019 | August 27th, 2018 | October 11, 2018 | October 11, 2018 | July 17, 2017 |
| OctoPi Compatible? | |||||
| # of Reviews on Amazon | 172 | 415 | 797 | 707 | 496 |
| # of Stars on Amazon | 4 Stars | 4 Stars | 4.5 Stars | 4.5 Stars | 4.5 Stars |
| Price September 2021 | $311 Check Current Price on Amazon | $399 Check Current Price on Amazon | $699 Check Current Price on Amazon | $1,099 Check Current Price on Amazon | $1,599 Check Current Price on Amazon |
Best Budget / Cheap 3D Printer for Kids
- FlashForge Adventurer 3: Although the touch screen is a little small and the build volume is modest – this little printer makes it really easy to get into 3D printing! We are impressed with how much bang you get for your buck with this printer. It is a cheap way to get your kid into 3D printing! At the time of writing this post this 3D printer cost $311. Click HERE to see current pricing on Amazon and if an Amazon Warehouse deal is available!
2. Monoprice Voxel: This printer is surprisingly similar to the FlashForge Adventurer 3, and also a very good value for those of you looking for a cheap 3D printer to start with! Many of the design choices and specifications are the same as those of the FlashForge Adventurer 3. Not surprisingly, this printer, as well, makes it very easy to get a child up and going with regards to 3D printing. At the time of writing this post this printer cost $399. Click HERE to see current pricing on Amazon and if an Amazon Warehouse deal is available!
Best Mid-Level 3D Printer for Kids
Qidi Tech X-Plus: A very capable 3D printer – but lacking some of the features that I think are nice to have integrated – like a web camera, & assisted bed-leveling. However, the build plate is significantly larger than that of both the FlashForge Adventurer 3 and the Monoprice Voxel. The Qidi Tech X-Plus also has a double z axis, and is able to print with higher temperature materials like nylon and carbon fiber. At the time of writing this post this printer cost $699. Click HERE to see current pricing on Amazon and if an Amazon Warehouse deal is available!
Best High-End 3D Printer for Kids
- Qidi Tech X-Max: The X-Max has the largest print volume of the group! This printer, like the Qidi Tech X-Plus, also has a double z axis. Although this printer is billed as having air purification – it is really just a dust filter – not an activated charcoal filter like the Dremel. Obviously, some compromises have been made to make this printer so large. Just like the Qidi Tech X-Plus – this model lacks some of the convenience features and amenities like assisted bed leveling and an integrated webcam. This unit – like it’s smaller sibling the X-Plus – is also able to print materials that require higher temperatures like carbon fiber and nylon. At the time of writing this post this printer cost $1,099. Click HERE to see current pricing on Amazon and if an Amazon Warehouse deal is available!
2. Dremel DigiLab 3D45: This printer does not have a flexible build plate – but rather a glass one. Glass is a nice printing surface – but it is not as easy to remove your print from this type of plate – as opposed to a flexible one that you can bend and “pop” off the 3D model. We do really like that this 3D printer has a built-in activated charcoal filter that reduces fumes, dusts and odors associated with 3D printing. This is especially important if your printer needs to be locate in your living quarters and/or you are using something like ABS filament to print with. At the time of writing this post this printer cost $1,599. Click HERE to see current pricing on Amazon and if an Amazon Warehouse deal is available!
8 Most Important Kid Friendly Features for Your First 3D Printer – ESPECIALLY If Children Will Be Using the Printer Mostly Unsupervised
1) FULLY Enclosed Printing Area
A fully enclosed printing area is a really important feature that should be part of your criteria when shopping for a 3D printer that will be used by children! By having an fully enclosed printing area – the chances of little hands coming in contact with hot or moving parts is greatly minimized!
2) Automatic Bed Leveling
Leveling the print bed of a 3D printer can be a frustrating experience sometimes – especially for children that may lack the dexterity and patience to do so. Additionally, as 3D printing grows in popularity and 3D printers improve – this aspect of 3D printing will likely go the way of manual transmissions and rotary dial phones. So, in an effort to reduce your child’s potential frustrations and increase the likelihood of their success with a new 3D printer, it makes a lot of sense to purchase a printer that has automatic bed-leveling (or does NOT require manual leveling)!
3) Touch Screen on Printer
Although WiFi Enabled/ Remote Control can be wonderful features on a 3D printer – they might not be as easy for children to use as they are for an adult. For that reason, we feel it is still important that there be a touch screen on the printer itself. If there is something wrong with the print – you want your son or daughter to be able to stop the printer immediately. The easiest way to accomplish that is with a touch screen right on the printer.
4) Auto Filament Loading
Filament loading, much like bed leveling, can be one of the more frustrating aspects of 3D printing. Even as an adult, I have struggled sometimes to get the filament loaded properly into our first 3D printer. We do also believe that this is one of those “luxuries” that will increasingly become a standard feature on more printers as this industry grows and 3D printers continue to evolve.
5) Low Noise Levels
Children’s hearing is far more sensitive than our hearing as adults. So we feel this is an important consideration if the children are going to be near the printer for extended periods of time while it is printing.
6) Integrated Camera & Remote Control (WiFi Enabled)
We find that we use the camera feature of our printer a lot – especially since we located our printer in the basement. The camera feature – combined with the remote control feature are very nice “luxuries” to have – and features that I don’t think we could give up at this point. We love having the printer out of the way – but still being able to monitor our print and control the printer. If you have read any of my other posts – you are probably aware that I believe that a printer should NOT be located in a primary living space – since there are some health concerns related to breathing the dust and fumes that can be emitted from a 3D printer. Having the ability to remotely control the printer and monitor it’s progress from other areas of the house allows you the freedom to locate the printer outside your primary living quarters – which provides a little more of a safety cushion with regards to any potential health hazards.
7) Removable & Flexible Build Plate
With a removable build plate – the entire build plate and 3D printed model can be very easily removed from the printing area after the print is complete. No awkward maneuvering with small hands under a potentially hot print nozzle to free their creation!
A flexible or magnetic bed is not only be easy to remove and replace – but also be bendable. The flexibility of the build plate allows you to simply twist the build plate to “pop” off the 3D printed model – as opposed to having to scrape it off with a spatula or razor. If you have young children that are interested in using the 3D printer or will just be in close proximity to the printer – having to store and potentially use a razor to remove the 3D model from the build plate would be an obvious safety concern!
8) Maximum Print Volume
Kids might be interested in printing some larger objects – like parts of costumes for cosplay and the like. In that case – a larger print volume is going to be necessary. So take a look at some of the posts here on this blog and some of the free 3D model repositories (Thingiverse, Cults3D, etc) to get some idea of the types of models and objects your kids might be interested in printing. If you think they are going to be interested in printing larger objects, you are going to obviously want to consider a 3D printer with a larger print volume – like the Qidi Tech X-Max.
Other Factors to Consider When Children will be Using a 3D Printer – Without Much Adult Supervision.
1) Location of the 3D Printer
As I just indicated above, we really feel that a 3D printer should NOT be located in your primary living quarters- since there are some health concerns related to breathing the dust and fumes that can be emitted from a 3D printer. So we would encourage you to put some thought into WHERE you will be locating your 3D printer. The basement or garage are two areas that we would recommend for consideration. I have an entire post dedicated to the safety of 3D printing which you can find here.
3) Proprietary Filament Required?
Some 3D printers make it very difficult, if not impossible, to use filament other than proprietary filament produced by the manufacturer of the printer. Dremel 3D printers are one example of this. This can be an issue for 2 reasons.
- Selection: You might not get as much of a variety in the types / colors of filaments as available in the open market. You might want to print something in glow-in-the-dark filament and not be able to do so because the manufacturer does not offer that type of filament.
- Cost: The price of the proprietary filament is likely to be significantly higher than that of non-proprietary filament. On my post “It’s All About the Filament” I showed that the cost of Dremel’s filament was almost TWICE as expensive as non-proprietary filament!
Conclusion
Getting the right 3D printer for your kid(s) can make a big difference in their initial experience with 3D printing and their continued interest in the hobby! Take some time to get the right 3D printer for your kid, and the best one for your situation! I hope this helped you identify some of the more important factors & features to look for in a first kid friendly 3D printer for your family!
Sincerely,
