3D Nail Printer

People actively use additive technologies not only in manufacturing but also in household conditions. For example, 3D printers can make food or even paint images on nails. What devices that 3D print manicure exist and what are their advantages?

3D nail printer: operating principle

A 3D nail printer works in the same way as the traditional 3D printer – it successively deposits a certain material on the given surface. Moreover, the 3D printer can model three-dimensional items printing them layer by layer. Thanks to this feature, 3D printers can do a manicure: print heads of 3D printers can change position and draw images on curved nail plates (or artificial nails).

Printers intended for manicure and painting images on nails are usually ink jet printers equipped with print heads of special structure and supplemented with the UV technology. The operating principle of a nail printer with the ultraviolet deposition technology is rather simple.

• You can choose an image from a database or upload through your smartphone – it depends on the model of the 3D printer for doing a manicure. The simplest machines offer only standard images.
• You have to cover nails with the UV cure that comes in the kit and give them time to dry. Thanks to it, the printing machine will define the area of a nail plate that has to be covered with paint.
• You put on a fastener on nails prepared to 3D printing. It helps to fix the finger in a certain position.
• You put the hand in the printer and choose the desired image using software. The machine recognizes the nail, assesses its size, scales the chosen image and deposits it. The approximate print time is around one minute.
• After the print, the image is set with a special solution.

There are printers that can deposit an image on one nail only and machines that do a manicure on five nails at once. Such printers can often work in two modes: automatic and manual. In the first case, the printer adjusts settings automatically, and in the second case, the user regulates the position and size of the nail manually.

Printer for nail design: pros and cons

The use of 3D nail printers is quite simple and handy, such machines have loads of advantages. Especially this relates to business applications: in nail salons, beauty studios.

• 3D nail printer allows saving much time. Manual work takes a long time and requires mastery, whereas the machine deposits an image with high quality and very quickly. Manicure takes around 10 minutes.
• A printer deposits images on nail plates with the highest possible accuracy, which a human sometimes fails to achieve. If the customer wants an identical print, he or she will get it.
• A huge choice of image templates. For example, Eget and Nail printers are known for their extensive catalogs. Besides, new images can be added to the list.
• In commercial use, a 3D nail printer quickly pays off, as it allows servicing more customers. Some models can even do a manicure to several people simultaneously.

In the case of high productivity and large capacity of the cartridge, 3D nail printers have quite a high price. You can buy one for personal use, which is usually rather expensive, although you can find relatively affordable printers.

Besides, 3D nail printers have other disadvantages, for example, images are not unique and original, as you upload them from the database or the Internet. Such machines have not gained popularity yet, so not all customers of beauty salons know about their capabilities.

Types of nail printers

3D nail printers differ by the set of functions and productivity. From the standpoint of capabilities, 3D printers fall into two types by the intended purpose and the way of use.

• Professional nail printers. Such models boast a large volume of memory, high resolution, and accuracy of calculations. You can add an unlimited number of images to the database of professional printers. Machines can cater to several customers at a time. Due to the big package of functions, the size of devices can be also rather big.
• Models for personal use. Some 3D nail printers can be used at home (for example, O'2Nails Mobile Nail Printer). They are compact, weigh no more than 2 kg, provide a possibility to choose images from a catalog and add your own images there. Nail artists can use such machines for in-home service.

There is also a budgetary analog of 3D nail printers called stamp printer. In fact, it is a mechanism with a rubber stamp inside rather than a print machine. It allows doing impressions of different colors on nails and costs relatively inexpensive.

Nail printers O2Nails

One of the most widespread 3D nail printers is the machine of the Chinese firm O2Nails. It is a print station that can print an image on one nail at a time and is controlled through a special smartphone app (using Wi-Fi).

This 3D nail printer works very fast. It does a manicure for one figure within 30-40 seconds irrespective of the image complexity. The overall time of the procedure is around 5-10 minutes. Such a printer allows servicing more customers in the beauty salon, as the nail artist does not spend time on thorough painting. The manicure lasts up to 30 days.

You can use any base and top gels and various nail lacquers for this machine. However, before printing you should apply the special O2NAILS PRE-PRINT COAT: you can buy this product when required. Gel polish by O2Nails are water-based, do not provoke allergy and suit for mass use. One cartridge of the professional printer lasts for 80 customers; you can order an extra cartridge online.

The 3D printer kit includes:

• ultraviolet LED lamp;
• manicure set;
• color base;
• base gel;
• top gel;
• print gel (PG4);
• cartridge for 250 nails;
• napkins.

The price of O2Nails ranges from 35,000 to 50,000 rubles. The machine can service 300 customers per month; extra services such as basic manicure or nail extension are delivered by the nail artist and paid separately. The printer pays off in 3 to 4 months taking into account the great number of customers.

Nail printers Transforming and EGET

EGET nail printers have also gained wide adoption. They are new-generation 3D printers. EGET uses ink-jet technology, its extruders can move in four different directions. The advantage of this printer is the fact that it can print images on 10 nails at once, which significantly speeds up the procedure.

EGET 3D printers are produced in China and come with a big number of component parts. The reason is that machines can print images not only on fingernails but also on toenails. Besides, EGET is also used to print images on key holders, souvenirs, mobile phones. It can be used to service customers in beauty salons, nail studios, and at home. All printers of the company are based on HP and use high-quality cartridges. The device costs around 60,000 rubles.

Japanese 3D nail printer Transforming offers 521 options to decorate your nails. This machine does a 3D printed manicure in 90 seconds. The printer was developed by the nail artist Hatsuki Furutani with the support from professional engineers and technicians from Taiyo Kikaku Co Ltd. The device can reconstruct nail images with high accuracy.

Conclusions

Modern 3D nail printers have a number of advantages that one can use both in business and for personal goals. The benefits of such machines include compact size, which allows installing them in small salons and carrying them by yourself to deliver in-home services. Besides, such printers pay off quickly in the commercial use thanks to the speed of operation.

One of the disadvantages of 3D printers for a manicure is the issue of neatness and human factor. If the customer moves or twitches at the wrong time, the images may turn out to be inaccurate. Besides, many customers love customized approach and prefer visiting a trusted nail artist that knows their preferences and expectations.