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?
Useful tools for 3D printing
Where do I find things to print?