5 Best 3D Printers to Make Your Own Phone Case

Gone are the days when 3D printers used to be prohibitively expensive for personal use. In 2017, 3D printing makes sense even if you just want to make your own phone case. Of course, we know that your new 3D printer will see far more useful because there’s a whole community of enthusiasts just like you, who create and share detailed 3D models for others to download, modify, and print. All you need is a reliable 3D printer, just like the ones featured on this list.

Best 3D Printers to Make Your Own Phone Case

1. Monoprice Select Mini

Monoprice is the best-selling 3D printer brand in the world, and the Monoprice Select Mini is their budget printer for home users. Unlike many other budget 3D printers, the Monoprice Select Mini comes fully assembled and factory-calibrated, making it truly plug-and-play. To use the printer, you just copy a 3D model onto the included microSD card, load some filament, and start printing.

The Monoprice Select Mini supports all common types of filaments, including ABS and PLA, conductive PLA, wood and metal composites, and dissolvable PVA. The printer is so compact that you won’t have to rearrange your room just to make space for it, and it’s compatible with both Windows and macOS.

Buy it now: here

2. QIDI TECH X-One2

Based on the MakerBot Replicator 2X, the QIDI TECH X-One2 also shares many similarities with the FlashForge Creator Pro, offering reliable printing at an affordable price. The QIDI TECH X-One2 ships fully assembled and ready for use. Included in the box is one roll of PLA filament, one spare part box, and an SD card. The build volume of this printer is 5.5 in x 5.5 in x 5.5 in (140 mm x 140 mm x 140 mm).

The QIDI TECH X-One2 is controlled using the 3.5-inch touch screen located on the front side of the printer, and the build platform can be heated up to 110 degrees Celsius, allowing you to use any common filament as well as several more advanced materials. The manufacturer offers a 6-month warranty on the printer and provides instant customer support and replacement parts.

Buy it now: here

3. FlashForge Creator Pro

The Creator Pro 3D printer from FlashForge is open source, so it’s possible to continuously upgrade it to keep up with the Maker Community. FlashForge has engineered an advanced dual extruder capable of printing ABS, PLA, nylon, dissolvable filament, and even composite materials such as wood and metal. The Creator Pro printer is built on a platform with a 3-point leveling mechanism for stable vertical movement and minimum warping even when printing at very high temperatures.

The print bed of the Creator Pro is so large that it can fit three 12-ounce beverage cans with plenty of room to spare at the top. The printer is made to last, and its powder-coated steel frame is durable enough to withstand heavy daily use.

4. LulzBot Mini

Just like the Monoprice Select Mini, the LulzBot Mini was built to work out of the box, allowing 3D printing beginners to dive head-first into this exciting hobby without having to worry about assembly or configuration. The LulzBot Mini accepts a whole range of filaments because the printer can heat up to temperatures required for industrial-grade materials.

With such beginner-friendly features as auto-bed leveling, auto-nozzle cleaning, and a low maintenance PEI print surface, the LulzBot Mini makes it incredibly easy to print 3D models from any 3D printing software program. You can print models up to 6 in x 6 in x 6.2 in (152 mm x 152 mm x 158 mm) large as fine as 50 microns and as coarse as 500 microns.

5. MakerBot Replicator Mini+

The MakerBot Replicator Mini+ has been engineered for reliable, fast printing at up to 10 percent faster speeds than its predecessor and with 28 percent more printing volume. MakerBot has rigorously tested this printer for 380,000+ hours across multiple facilities, ensuring that its more than ready even for the most demanding 3D printing enthusiasts. The printer comes with the Smart Extruder+, an on-board camera, and both wired and wireless connectivity for maximum versatility.

Because the MakerBot Replicator Mini+ is cloud enabled and supports automatic arrangement of Native CAD files during print preparation, it doesn’t take more than a few clicks to print any phone case you want, and printing other objects is just as easy.