Minimum Feature Calculator — Smallest Printable Details

With a standard 0.4mm nozzle, the thinnest wall is 0.4mm (single extrusion width). The smallest hole is about 0.8-1mm diameter. Features smaller than the nozzle diameter cannot be reliably reproduced.

Yes, significantly. Resin printers have XY resolution of 0.035-0.05mm (pixel size), allowing features as small as 0.1mm. This makes them ideal for miniatures, jewellery, and dental models requiring fine detail.

The nozzle extrudes a bead wider than the hole diameter, causing the extruded material to fill the hole. Holes need to be at least 2x the nozzle diameter. You can drill out smaller holes after printing.

The common FDM design rule is a minimum pin diameter of about 4x the nozzle/line width — roughly 1.6mm for a 0.4mm nozzle — with 3mm recommended for any pin that has to bear load. Below the 4x limit the nozzle struggles to trace a full circle and the pin prints weak or distorted. Reduce print speed and increase part cooling for thin features, and where possible use an off-the-shelf dowel pin instead of printing one. Resin printers can produce pins down to about 0.5mm.

Layer height primarily affects Z resolution and surface smoothness, not XY detail. However, thinner layers mean more precise positioning of features that start/stop at specific heights. XY resolution is mainly determined by nozzle size (FDM) or pixel size (resin).