4 Skills To Learn When Getting A 3D Printer To Maximize Your Investment
When your first 3D printer finally gets home, most people jump straight in and print free online files.
But after the obligatory Benchy, articulating fidget, and first round of gridfinity organizers have been printed, what's next? Maybe your workspace needs some strong supports or your drawers have some odd shapes you can't find online. Whatever the case is, 3D printing can be the solution, if a few specific skills are developed a little.
The best and worst part of owning a 3D printer is that it can do just about anything, which makes deciding what to do difficult without these skills.
Skill 1: Basic Filament Type Selection
Beyond colors, understanding which filament to print with can be the determining factor in print success.
Dozens of types are available and I will not pretend to understand all of them, so will only cover the top 3 pretty much any printer can use. Use PLA for most prints due to cost, PETG for stronger prints with heat resistance or translucent needs, or TPU for some flexibility.
Skill 2: Print Orientation For Strength
Assuming the model itself is designed well for strength, we can adjust how the print is oriented to optimize strength.
The weakest area of any print is between layers. Once you identify what area needs to be the strongest (if necessary), orient the print in the slicer so each layer goes across that part, not vertically, so that every layer provides strength and does not introduce weaknesses.
Skill 3: Slicing Large Parts Into Pieces
Print areas are getting bigger, but unless you have access to an industrial, large-scale printer, you'll inevitably need to cut large prints into multiple pieces.
Fortunately, every major slicer has this ability, but there are somethings to consider for the best results. Add some interior registration pins to keep alignment during glue up and try to keep each part similarly oriented so the layer lines in the final pieces don't give your seams away.
Skill 4: Scale CAD Modeling
Finally, when the online models just don't slice it anymore (see what I did there), it's time to create your own models.
With tools like Fusion 360, anyone can make scale models of whatever is in their head for free. With some basic skills, modifying existing models to suit specific real-work constraints can become easy as well.
