Looking for the best filament for miniatures? If so, you have come to the right place. While miniatures are best printed using SLA 3D printers, newer FDM machines produce high quality prints for miniatures that do not have a lot of details.
Also, resin 3D printing can be quite difficult to get started with. This is especially when it comes to post processing the prints. Luckily, we’ve written a comprehensive guide on post processing resin 3D prints. After post processing, you may also want to color the miniatures to make them ready. For this, you will want to read our article on how to paint 3D printed miniatures.
Still, if you got started with 3D printing by using FDM machines, you can get away with printing large figures that do not have a lot of intricate details. And for these, you will need the right filaments. We have created this guide so that you can easily find the best filament for miniatures.
We haven’t provided a review of all the filaments we have listed since for the most part, they produce the same quality of prints. Also, the miniatures you will end up with will depend on the kind of printer you have. Check our guide on the best 3D printers for miniatures for recommendations of FDM 3D printers that produce decent miniatures,
We have included different types of filaments that you can use to print miniatures with an FDM machine. Our recommendations include PLA, ABS, PETG, NYLON, HIPS, TPU, FLEX-PLA, and SPECIAL filaments. By SPECIAL, we mean filaments such as WOOD, METAL, CARBON FIBER, LIGHTING, etc.
What is Filament?
Filament is the plastic used by 3D printers to print models. In a nutshell, it is the raw material used for printing. Our guide on What is a 3D Printer Filament? covers everything you need to know about the material.
We’ve also written more about different types of filaments, their areas of use, properties, specifications and more. Learn everything in our guide on the Types and Uses of 3D Printer Filament.
With that said, let’s look at the best filaments for miniatures.
Best Filaments for Miniatures
You can find the best filament for 3D printers by clicking on the “See price and buy” button for the respective materials.
We have only listed well-proven brands that have received the best in tests in terms of reviews and customer reviews.
In this way, you can focus on the design and creation of your 3D model without having to think about quality problems or which filament is best.
If you want to read more about the respective materials, you can easily click on the filament name below.
| Filament | Price | Strength | Flexibility | Printbed Temp (°C) | Printing Temp (°C) |
| PLA | See Price | 2 | 1 | – | 180-220 |
| PLA + | See Price | 2 | 1 | – | 185-230 |
| ABS | See Price | 3 | 2 | 95-110 | 220-250 |
| NYLON | See Price | 5 | 3 | 70-90 | 245-275 |
| PETG | See Price | 4 | 3 | 75-90 | 230-250 |
| HIPS | See Price | 3 | 1 | 90-100 | 225-245 |
| Flex-PLA | See Price | 4 | 5 | 60-80 | 225-255 |
| PVA | See Price | 2 | 1 | 50-65 | 190-210 |
| TPU | See Price | 5 | 5 | 20-90 | 245-255 |
| PC | See Price | 3 | 2 | 90-120 | 260-280 |
| ASA | See Price | 3 | 2 | 90-115 | 220-250 |
Which Filament Should You Choose?
Which filament you should choose for your 3D printer depends on the project and the goal you have. First of all, not all 3D printers can handle all types of filament materials.
Some materials need a heated plate, cooling, or a enclosure (chamber) on the 3D printer.
Secondly, you must check the area of use of the pre-printed model. Should it cope with outdoor climates and high humidity? Or should it just stand on a desk as an ornament? All these variables make demands on which filament to choose.
For miniatures, you generally want to consider whether you will be printing models with intricate details or those that don’t have a lot of details. In this case, the filament you choose won’t really matter. Instead, what will matter is the 3D printer you use.
The settings of the 3D printer should be adjusted well to ensure you end up with high quality prints. This means reducing the printing speed of the unit.
Still on printers, the type of printer you have will determine what kind of filament you will be able to print. Some filaments have special characteristics that will require them to be printed on units with print heads that can reach high temperatures. Some materials, such as ABS, produce an odor and therefore, would be best printed with printers with an enclosure.
For materials such as TPU (and other flexible plastics), you will need a printer that has a Direct Drive extruder rather than a Bowden extruder. You can learn more about this in our guide: How to Choose a 3D Printer for Flexible Filament.
Special Filament
Filaments made of wood, metal or carbon fiber are examples of special filaments that can be printed with a 3D printer to achieve a unique result.
These filaments are in fact not completely created from wood, metal, or for example carbon fiber. Basically, all these filaments are PLASTIC with additives. For example, a carbon fiber filament can be PLA plastic with a little added carbon fiber to get carbon fiber properties.
There are also luminescent, magnetic, conductive and other types of special filaments.
The use of these filaments will also depend on the type of 3D printer you have.
Conclusion
In the end, the properties of the miniatures you want to print will determine the type of filament to buy. However, remember that most FDM 3D printers do not produce highly detailed models. Therefore, if you plan on creating models that you would like to sell, it would be better to use a resin 3D printer. See our guide on the best resin 3D printers on the market.
However, nothing should stop you from 3D printing miniatures using filaments.
