3D

It is always a good idea to prepare for the possibility of a fire, so you have the equipment to handle it and don’t panic. This is especially the case when you’ve got equipment that can get extremely hot. 3D printers generally print at between 150 and 250 °C depending on the material being used. This is definitely hot enough to be dangerous, and that’s before you consider any ot … [Read more...] about 3D Printing Basics: Fire Safety Measures

Thermal runaway protection is exactly what it sounds like. It's a protection system against a situation where your printer heats up uncontrollably. To understand this risk, it’s useful to understand how a 3D printer is supposed to manage its temperature. We highly advise that you test if thermal runaway protection is enabled and functioning on your printer. … [Read more...] about 3D Printing Basics: Thermal Runaway Protection

One of the aspects that is important to consider when 3D printing is safety. With traditional FDM printing, this primarily relates to fire safety and air quality. Thankfully, fire safety is not really an issue due to the lack of hot parts. The situation is slightly different with SLA and MSLA resin printers, though. Unfortunately, you have to be careful with the actual resins, … [Read more...] about 3D Printing Basics: Personal Safety from Toxic Resins

Several things are helpful to consider when buying filaments. Several things are helpful to consider when buying filaments. 3D printing can be a fun hobby, but several things can be frustrating. This can especially be the case if you’re a newcomer and didn’t know that the issue you face was something you had to look out forIf you don’t keep these things in mind; they can come ba … [Read more...] about 3D Printing Basics: Things to Consider Before Buying Filaments

SLA and MSLA resin printers both work by hardening a photosensitive resin with a UV light source. The printer then adjusts the build plate and hardens the next layer. This technique has several advantages over standard FDM 3D printing. Both SLA and MSLA printers offer significantly higher resolution than FDM printers, allowing for smooth prints with smaller fine details. … [Read more...] about 3D Printing Basics: Should You Get a Curing Station for Resin Prints?

In any 3D printing, the print is made up of layers of material printed on top of previous layers. Layer height is the thickness of these layers. It is also sometimes known as the resolution of the print or printer. Changing the layer height has two primary effects: the speed and resolution of the print. … [Read more...] about 3D Printing Basics: How Much Does Layer Height Matter?

When working with any mechanical hardware such as a 3D printer, it’s always a good idea to have a set of tools on hand. A well-provisioned toolbox can allow you to quickly fix many issues that would otherwise cause significant downtime or require you to call someone in to perform repairs. … [Read more...] about 3D Printing Basics: What Tools Should You Have Available?

All 3D printing results in gaseous emissions, which generally smell pretty bad. Unfortunately, it’s not just a nasty smell; the emissions given off by filaments when they’re melted for printing are actually toxic and hazardous to your health. … [Read more...] about 3D Printing Basics: Toxic Emissions

Anyone into 3D printing will be aware that it ends up producing a fair amount of waste. Failed prints, support materials, and other discarded parts, such as rafts, result in many used plastic that isn’t wanted. As 3D printing filaments are thermo-plastics, melting them down and re-extruding them into a new filament is possible. … [Read more...] about 3D Printing Basics: Is PLA Recyclable?

There are plenty of methods of improving print bed adhesion for prints that are likely to warp. One of the most commonly used methods is a raft. Rafts, however, end up consuming a lot of filament for something that will get discarded. They also negatively affect the surface quality of the underside of the print. A brim can be a compelling alternative, offering the same … [Read more...] about 3D Printing Basics: What Is a Brim?