Help choose an "extruder" printer for Zbrush artist?

[Jean-Luc-Picard]

Hello,

I am new to this forum as well new to 3D printing and I am seeking some advice.
I typically work in Sculptris & Zbrush and I am having a hard time finding a 3D printer. I love the results of the FORM 1+ However it is a bit messy in comparison to an extruder printer. I rather go with a filament printer for its ease of use. However, with the extruder the lack of detail and layer-lines are a bit concerning. I would like to capture as much detail as possible. Looking in the $1,300 to $2,500 range.

Is 50 Micron Resolution enough for a highly detailed figure?
For example the - LulzBot Mini Desktop 3D Printer?

~Make It So

[curious aardvark]

well it depends on the size of the model and what you personally term highly detailed.
Would 20 layers per millimetre be what I considered highly detailed - hell yeah.
It would also take a very long time to print.

Did you mention you were going to paint them ?
In which case any visible lines at that resolution would disappear as soon as painted.

My suggestion to you would be to find someone local to yourself on 3d hubs with a printer capable of 0.05 layers and get a figure printed.

No substitute for a piece you can hold in your hand.

[Jean-Luc-Picard]

I do plan on painting them, however in some cases it would be just a soft airbrushed coat. I don't mind if it takes 8-12 hours to print. So when shopping for a printer I look more at layers per mm vs micron resolution?

The LulzBot mini Layer Thickness is

From 0.05mm to 0.50mm (0.002in - 0.020in)

[curious aardvark]

same thing. 50 microns is 0.05 mm
I just find it easier to visualise if I break it down into fractions of a millimetre :-)

That's one aspect of print resolution.
For fine detail you'll also need a non-standard nozzle diameter.
Usually it's 0.4 mm.

So for fine printing you could go as low as 0.2 mm. This will give you the ability to create thinner walls and sharper creases.

Something else you might want to consider is the peachy printer as well as a filament machine.
http://www.peachyprinter.com/
$100 and super fine resolution.

0.1mm is easy to achieve with most machines. Can't recall anyone actually printing at 0.05 though.
Again get a model made with 0.1mm resolution and see just how good that is before setting your heart on something finer.
And get a peachy - hell at that price, why not ? :-)