The world’s smallest 3D printer can fit in your wallet, but still works
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The power behind My N Mi, a hobbyist “tech experimentation” YouTube channel, claims to be the smallest and lightest 3D printer in the world.
Measuring 18 x 31 x 41 mm (0.7 x 1.2 x 1.6 inches), about the size of a matchstick and as wide as an SD card adapter (per My N Mi’s own comparisons), and weighing only 17 g (0.03 pounds), this is not just a blunder.
Show off the build in one video (opens in new tab) (through Tom’s hardware (opens in new tab)), there are some drawbacks to the build due to its size. My N Mi notes that the project has a maximum build volume of 11 x 11 x 17 mm (0.4 x 0.4 x 0.66 in).
Compact 3D printers
Despite the smaller scale, this printer works like any other. A motor moves a build plate while a well-dark LED lightly presses on resin material stored in a tank.
My N Mi managed to print a small (and admittedly very detailed) robot figurine with their printer, but for all its compactness you wouldn’t get much printing in practice with a machine like this.
While it’s true that 3D printers are slowly but surely being dragged into the mainstream, even the Original Prusa MINI+, a 3D printer that TechRadar Pro recommends because it’s compact and light, comes in at 13 x 13 x 14 inches (13 x 13 x 15 inches). ), and weighs 4.5 kg (10 pounds).
So even if you could use a device like this all the time, it’s worth noting that you’ll probably have to wait a long time before 3D printers of this size become widely commercially available.