So you got a 3D printer...Now What?
- shannapetsel
- Oct 23, 2022
- 1 min read
Welcome to the exciting world of 3D printing! You may be a bit overwhelmed by all of the things that you are faced with learning, so let me give you some tips for beginners!
What Filament Should I be using?
Odds are, you have at least one roll of filament. This is an obvious first on our list, because without filament, there are no prints!
The usual types of filament that you will come across are:
PLA, PETG, and ABS. Yes, there are others, but as a beginner, I suggest starting with these. First and foremost, I suggest using PLA.
PLA is your friend when you start 3D printing as a beginner because it is widely available and less temperamental than other materials. PLA is typically derived from renewable, organic sources like corn and sugar cane, which make it a nice option for offering environmentally aware products.
Good to know:
PLA comes in a very enticing range of colors and finishes that make beautiful options to have in your inventory, however not all PLA is created equally. Silk PLA, one of my favorites admittedly, is known to be weaker and more brittle overall when it comes to PLA. This is good to keep in mind when you want to print something and maintain strong joints. Another thing to consider is glow in the dark PLA... which has another entire set of problems, such as wear and tear on your nozzle and being more brittle overall.
That being said, I do use PLA nearly daily, and usually this is not an issue; I will link some of my favorite silk PLAs here:
Silk Pastel Rainbow
TRI-Extrusion (so so so cool. Especially for the Cinderwing Baby Crystal Dragon)
Dual Extrusion Red / Orange Silk PLA
Silk "Coral" Rainbow (I tend to love this on the Cinderwing Coral Reef Dragon shown below)
The biggest problems you will encounter with PLA:
PLA is effected greatly by moisture and will absorb it from the air, making it brittle. How does this effect your prints? Well, it depends on the amount of moisture in your filament. At best, you will have increased stringing. At worst, your filament breaks in multiple places, your print fails, and you have a huge mess on your hands.
So what do you do when your PLA dries out? Throw it away? NO.
You can use a basic food dehydrator to remove the moisture and save your PLA.
The one I use is similar to this:
You can also pop your PLA into the oven and set it at the right temperature: 104 to 113°F (40 – 45 °C). The typical melting temperature of PLA is 180°F.
If you're feeling fancy, you can opt for a filament dryer found here:
I have 2 of these, but I am only a week into using them, so I am a bit early to review them fully. So far, they seem to work as advertised.
Do filament brands matter?
This question may cause a war in the 3D printing community. Some creators have a brand they stick to and never waiver from, and others...like me... are all over the map. So, it will depend on what you like and the experiences you have with different brands. I have run into issues with the way the filament is spooled that have caused me to cross certain brands off the list until they can resolve the issues, and I have tried some filaments that seem to string and have too many inconsistencies to print well. Mostly, I tend to find more filaments that I can add to my collection and it all works out okay.
Some of the popular brands:
Esun
FilaCube
Hatchbox
Overture
Many times, if you are printing something specific, such as lithophanes, you will want to find a brand that you like, and stick with that for your product. I will cover lithophanes in a separate post, however for great lithos, I suggest FilaCube or American Filament (who would be my top choice for quality if they didn't have spooling issues.)
Filacube pure white: https://amzn.to/3z6OY3A
AF lithophane white: https://amzn.to/3CZ4Mqa
Useful tools for 3D printing
Glue sticks are your friend. This is a link to 30 of them.
You are going to use glue sticks to help keep your print adhering to your print bed. This is the best method I have found, as using tape, in my experience, has caused the paper from the painter's tape to stick to the print and cause a big mess.
With the glue, just add a thin layer to the bed before you start printing, and use isopropyl alcohol and a paper towel to clean.
Alcohol here:
https://amzn.to/3TQw3lt
Getting the print off the bed:
Usually, you can simply pop the print off the bed (when using a metal bed), however, if your glue works a bit too well, or you have a glass bed, you may benefit from some plastic spatulas like these:
These have also come in handy for me when I have used glue and a print fails on the first few layers, as this can be difficult to remove by hand.
Wire brushes:
You will need a couple wire brushes to clean your nozzle in between prints!
Where do I find things to print?
There are a range of sites for 3D printing that allow you to download STL files and print items non-commercially and ways that you can also SELL your 3D prints.
Let's start with where to find non-commercial items.
For free STL files, try Thingiverse: https://www.thingiverse.com/
For a mix of free and paid files (and what is my current favorite) try Cults3D: https://cults3d.com/en/users/PretzelPrints/creations
My Mini Factory is also gaining popularity, however I haven't really dabbled.
What if you want to sell commercially?
Many creators offer a subscription service though Patreon that allows you to support them with a monthly subscription (usually only $7-$10) and this gives you access to a commercial license, early access to their new models without paying for them on a site such as cults3d, and other bonuses depending on the creator. You can usually find a link to the creator's Patreon in their bio on MMF or Cults3D.
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