The world’s smallest 3D printer can fit in your wallet, but still works

The force behind My N Mi, a hobbyist YouTube channel for “technical experiments”, claims to have built the smallest and lightest 3D printer in the world.

At 18 x 31 x 41mm (0.7 x 1.2 x 1.6 inches), coming in as about as tall as a matchstick and as wide as an SD card adapter (per My N Mi’s own comparisons), and weighing just 17g (0.03 pounds), this isn’t just bluster. 

Showing off the build in a video (opens in new tab) (via Tom’s Hardware (opens in new tab)), there are some drawbacks to the build as a result of its size. My N Mi notes that the project has a maximum build volume of 11 x 11 x 17 mm (0.4 x 0.4 x 0.66 inches).

Compact 3D printers

Despite the smaller scale, this printer works like any other. A motor moves a build plate as a well-obscured LED imprints light on resin material stored in a tank.

My N Mi managed to print a small (and admittedly very detailed) robot figurine with their printer, but for all its compactness, you wouldn’t be printing a great deal with a machine like this in practice.

While it’s true that 3D printers are slowly but surely being dragged into the mainstream, even the Original Prusa MINI+, a 3D printer TechRadar Pro recommends for being compact and light, comes in at 33 x 33 x 38 cm (13 x 13 x 15 inches), and weighs 4.5kg (10 pounds).

So, even if you could find an ongoing use for a device like this it’s worth noting that you’ll probably have to wait a long while before 3D printers of this size become widely commercially available.