An Entire 3D Printer That Fits in the Palm of Your Hand

While there are certainly plenty of exceptions, most 3D printers tend to be of a similar size. The vast majority of FDM/FFF models have build volumes somewhere between 200×200x200mm and 350×350×350mm, which means the physical sizes of the machines themselves fall within a narrow range. That makes sense, because those sizes balance cost, space requirements, and usability. But what if you didn’t care about any of that and just wanted something you could fit in a fanny pack? Then you’ll want to see RobertGcode’s 3D printer that can rest in the palm of your hand.

RobertGcode already posted a tiny 3D printer video a couple of months ago, but it was about the size of a small toaster. This new printer design, called The Quark, is much smaller. Make a fist with one of your hands and you have a general idea of its overall size (it fits in a 100mm cube).

The vast majority of The Quark’s total volume is devoted to the X and Y stepper motors. We’re not quite sure why RobertGcode didn’t use smaller motors — probably because he simply used what he had on hand. Though the Z axis does have a smaller pancake-style stepper. The extruder also uses a pancake stepper.

Interestingly, most of the components are pretty standard. RobertGcode didn’t use a miniaturized hot end or anything like that. The Quark just has all of its parts crammed into a really small space on a 3D-printed frame. Even the linear rails and bearing blocks are the same as what you’d find on other printers, they’re just a lot shorter.

One exception is the control board, which is a Mellow Fly Micro 4. That is one of the most compact control boards on the market, so it helped RobertGcode save space without needing to resort to some kind of cheating, like locating the control board remotely. There is even room for a Raspberry Pi Zero to run Klipper.

The build volume is a mere 24x24x24mm (less than a 1-inch cube), so The Quark can only print really small things. But it is a completely functional 3D printer and its print quality is surprisingly good.