A comprehensive collection of 3D printing tricks – Part 5

This part of the series contains a short summary of the first four parts and it can serve as a cheat-sheet you can use to quickly access the information while printing.

Before you start a print

Make sure that:

• Your printer is clean
• The printbed is level, fat and oil free, and heated (if possible)
• All moving parts are well lubricated
• The filament can move freely and is properly loaded
• Your adhesion agent is correctly applied
• The nozzle is clean and heated up
• The Z-Offset is properly set

When slicing, make sure that:

• Your model is watertight and is printable
• You account for shrinking that’ll happen once the part is printed (usually around 0.2 to 0.5 millimeters in diameter)
• You have the correct layer height set for the level of detail, you want to achieve, and your printer’s nozzle diameter
• Your printing speed is correctly set
• Your support and infill settings are correct

While printing

• Make sure that you check the temperature of the printer’s nozzle and bed, if applicable, regularly
• Control, whether there’s enough filament left and it can still move freely
• Make sure to look out for any printing problems like warping, lifting, a clogged nozzle, etc.
• Adjust the print-speed, if necessary
• Make sure to only print in a well-ventilated area

Once your prints are done

• If you have a heated bed, let it cool down for a while, before removing parts
• Make sure the parts are luke-warm before removing them
• Parts can still get damaged when removing them, so be careful
• Some materials, like PLA, are flexible when they are warm. So you can still deform parts once they are printed. Let such parts cool down completely before removing them
• Remember: Parts shrink while they cool so you might need to rework them once they are printed
• Common woodworking tools can be used to rework the parts
• Make sure not to breathe in the dust while reworking prints

Table of contents

Part 1 – Basics, Maintenance and Cleaning
Part 2 – 3D modelling, slicing, and printing software
Part 3 – Choice of material, layer adhesion, and warping
Part 4 – Removing the printed parts
Part 5 – Short summary and cheat sheet (You are here)