9 Best DIY 3D Printer Kits (2023 Update)

The big reason for building your own printer is the cost savings associated with it. You might wind up saving hundreds of dollars if you opt for a DIY printer. The hidden advantage is how much you’ll learn about your printer while putting it together. An excellent way to think about it is you’re trading a few hours of your time in exchange for a deep understanding of 3D printing.

The actual process of building your own 3D printer is going to vary from kit to kit. The overall idea is you’re building it from scratch and doing everything except for the coding. The kits will include all of the pieces and detailed instructions for putting them together. It’s a lot like a Lego set.

For most of the kits, you just need to screw pieces together and connect some ribbon cable between pieces. For the most part, it’s no different than building a piece of furniture from IKEA, with some added steps after for troubleshooting.

No matter which kit you decide to go with, it will come with instructions, and there will be videos and blogs online to help you along the way.

As you’re going to see soon, there’s a lot of different options for DIY 3D printer kits. So how do you pick the perfect one? Ultimately it comes down to what you’re looking for in a 3D printer. The criteria for picking a DIY 3D printer kit is the exact same as if you were to buy a printer off-the-shelf, the only difference is that you have to build these printers yourself.

You’ll see that these DIY kits have a wide range of prices, build volumes, precision, and features. Additionally, some printers have added features that lead to more convenient or reliable prints. Before you read some of the product reviews, you might want to think of some applications you’ll be using your printer for.

While you’re reading along, take a look at the highlighted features and consider if they are meaningful to you in your application. Now, there is something to keep in mind. Since these are all DIY kits, there are “assembly times” associated with each printer. This is how long it might take you from when you receive the package to when you make your first print.

Keep in mind that the printer only has to be assembled once, then it will be ready for continued use. In other words, along assembly time shouldn’t deter you from buying a printer that has great specs and features that you’re looking for. Refer to our product review table and take a look at the specific reviews below!