What kind of printer?
3D printers work in fundamentally different ways. Pick a technology to browse every model, or compare the types below to find your fit.
FDM / FFF
Fused filament fabrication (also Fused Deposition Modeling) — melting plastic filament and extruding it layer by layer.
Browse FDM / FFFResin (SLA, MSLA, DLP)
Light-cured liquid resin hardened layer by layer with a laser or masked LCD screen.
Browse Resin (SLA, MSLA, DLP)SLS (powder)
Selective laser sintering — a laser fuses nylon powder layer by layer, no support material needed.
Browse SLS (powder)Metal
Metal additive processes — SLM, bound-metal FFF, and binder jetting — that build dense metal parts.
Browse MetalCompare printer types
How each technology works, what it's best for, and the trade-offs.
| Technology | How it works | Best for | Pros | Cons | Typical price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FDM / FFF | An FDM/FFF printer feeds a spool of thermoplastic filament into a heated nozzle (the hotend), which melts it and deposits it onto a build plate one layer at a time. The toolhead moves in X and Y while the bed (or the gantry) indexes down in Z after each layer. Most consumer machines print PLA, PETG, ABS and TPU at roughly 180–260 °C nozzle temperatures onto a heated bed. Multi-material systems swap or mix filaments to print in several colors at once. | Beginners, Functional parts, Large prints, Multicolor, Print farms & small business |
|
| $150–$4,000 (consumer); up to $10,000+ for prosumer CoreXY |
| Resin (SLA, MSLA, DLP) | Resin printing cures a photopolymer liquid with light. SLA uses a galvo-steered laser to trace each layer; MSLA uses an LCD mask over a UV LED array to cure an entire layer at once; DLP uses a projector. The build plate lifts out of a vat of resin, so the part grows upside-down. After printing, parts must be washed in solvent (usually IPA) and post-cured under UV to reach full strength. | Miniatures & fine detail, Jewelry & dental, Engineering materials, Education |
|
| $150–$600 (consumer MSLA); $1,500–$10,000+ (professional SLA) |
| SLS (powder) | An SLS machine spreads a thin layer of polymer powder (usually PA12 or PA11) across a build bed, then a CO₂ laser selectively sinters the cross-section of the part. The bed lowers, a fresh layer of powder is recoated, and the process repeats. Unused powder supports the part, so no separate support structures are needed. Finished parts are dug from a cake of unsintered powder and bead-blasted clean. | Engineering materials, Print farms & small business, Functional prototypes |
|
| $5,000–$30,000 (benchtop SLS); $100,000+ (industrial) |
| Metal | Metal 3D printing spans several processes. SLM/DMLS uses a high-power laser to fully melt metal powder in an inert chamber. Bound-metal FFF extrudes a filament loaded with metal powder and binder, then the green part is debound and sintered in a furnace. Binder jetting deposits a binder into a metal powder bed, then the part is sintered. All routes require post-processing (support removal, heat treatment, machining) to reach final properties. | Engineering materials, Jewelry & dental, Print farms & small business |
|
| $5,000–$20,000 (bound-metal FFF); $80,000–$500,000+ (SLM) |
Which type is right for me?
Answer three quick questions and we'll point you to the right technology.
1. What will you print most?
2. What's your budget?
3. How hands-on are you?