3D printing tips

3D printer to buy in 2024

In recent years, the 3D printing landscape has witnessed the rise of various printer designs, each vying for the title of the best. The Cartesian printer was once a bestseller, while delta printers gained popularity for their exceptional quality. However, in the present, it’s increasingly evident that CoreXY construction has taken the lead as the preferred choice for many 3D printing enthusiasts.

Among the notable brands, Bambu Lab P1P and X1C stands out as the most popular printers of this year. Bambu Lab printers are lauded for their ability to deliver fast, high-quality prints, and, perhaps most importantly, they save you precious time with their streamlined setup.

The 3D printing community is buzzing with the presence of other significant players. In the 3D printing community there are a lot of fans of Voron 3D printers. Creality’s new K1 series aims to combine affordability with advanced features, catering to both beginners and seasoned enthusiasts.Prusa is making strides with its ambitious Prusa XL, targeting large-format 3D printing, which is expected to expand the possibilities for home-based 3D printing enthusiasts. With each brand bringing its unique strengths and innovations to the table, users now have a diverse range of options to explore in their 3D printing endeavors.

CoreXY construction has gained a reputation for its precise and efficient motion system. CoreXY 3D printers have gained favor over Cartesian bed slingers due to their reduced vibration and inertia. With CoreXY, the stationary build platform allows for smoother and more precise movements, resulting in improved print quality, higher speed, and quieter operation.

A solid structure is paramount for any machine, including 3D printers, to achieve higher quality results. These devices, although highly versatile, tend to vibrate when operated at high speeds due to their lightweight nature. These vibrations can significantly impact the quality of the final prints. 3D printer manufacturers like Bambulab address this issue by implementing calibration and vibration compensation mechanisms, ensuring that the printer remains stable even at high speeds. This structural robustness not only enhances the printing experience but also results in more precise and detailed 3D prints.

However, thanks to software enhancements, the new printer from Bambulab, such as the A1, can compensate for vibrations and shifts, even in simpler construction printers, achieving excellent results. However, there is a difference whether you buy a printer from Creality or from Bambulab with a movable bed.

Preparing your 3D printer before printing

(for older 3D printers)

Before using the printer for the first time, it is a good idea to set it up properly at first to avoid unnecessary trouble. If you have basic FFF printer, we recommend at first to set the correct z-height, check the retraction setting with each material you use and don’t forget to spray the bed. For this calibration you will have to export a model to your printer with using Slicer.

Calibrating your 3D printer correctly is fundamental to achieving exceptional results. Your initial focus should be on ensuring the alignment of your print bed with the print head, with detailed instructions typically provided in your 3D printer’s manual.

A well-calibrated printer produces layers that seamlessly adhere to one another, devoid of any gaps or overflow. When there are visible gaps between layers, it indicates that the print bed is set too high, while an excessive amount of material overflowing suggests the bed is too low. If the print appears entirely invisible, it’s an indicator that the bed level is significantly too low.

A noteworthy point to consider: when printing watertight models, you may need to increase the flow rate and allow for slight material overflow between layers. This technique ensures a solid connection between the layers, effectively preventing any gaps in your 3D prints.

Retraction and Flow

Managing retraction and flow settings, along with your filament profile, is crucial for achieving optimal 3D prints. These settings control how your 3D printer handles the flow of filament and retraction, which is the process of pulling filament back into the nozzle to prevent oozing between moves. While some printers, like those from Bambulab, simplify the process by offering pre-configured settings for their materials, it’s essential to understand these settings for other filaments. Adjusting retraction and flow rates ensures precise layer adhesion, minimal stringing, and clean, professional-looking prints.

Retraction settings can vary significantly among printers, primarily due to the distinction between direct and Bowden-style extruders. We strongly advise reading the manufacturer’s guidelines for your specific printer. It’s also beneficial to seek insights from the 3D printing community, learning from other users’ experiences. Conducting test prints is undoubtedly the most effective way to fine-tune your retraction settings. If you notice stringing issues in your prints, consider increasing the retraction distance. On the other hand, if you encounter gaps or imperfections after travel moves, adjusting the Retraction Extra Prime Amount can help address these issues effectively.

Low retraction can result in the appearance of thin hairs during printing, which are commonly referred to as “strings” or “stringing.” Conversely, excessive retraction can lead to holes in the print. For certain materials, fine-tuning the extra material settings after retraction may also be necessary.

Filaments

Filament selection plays a pivotal role in 3D printing, and a wide array of options is available to cater to various needs. Basic PLA, one of the most popular choices, is renowned for its ease of use and versatility.

Matte PLA offers a more refined, non-glossy finish for aesthetically pleasing prints. Composites like wood or carbon filament combine PLA with real wood or carbon fibers to add texture and strength to your creations.

For robust and durable prints, resistant filaments such as PC (polycarbonate) or nylon come into play, withstanding harsh conditions and mechanical stress.

Environmentally conscious users can opt for recycled or compostable filaments that minimize the ecological footprint of their prints.

Meanwhile, flexible filaments introduce a world of possibilities for producing rubber-like, bendable objects, like our travel accessories or shoes.

PC Carbon

Wood

Matte PLA

TPU

Fuzzy skin

You can use fuzzy skin setting to distort the print path and hide the print layers. By default, the preset dimensions are relatively large in relation to the height of the layers for a fantastic grainy textured effect. By adjusting the setting to a finer density, you’ll achieve a nicely fine-grained surface texture.

This finer texture is helpful when using classic semi-gloss materials such as PLA, ABS, or PET-G, as well as with elastic materials. You will get a nice matte-grained surface which can help to mask any imperfections in the slicing software or your printer. It takes a bit longer to print, but we think the result is most definitely worth it. 

Fuzzy Skin Thickness: 0.1 mm

Fuzzy Skin Density: 8.0

Layer Height: 0.2 mmm

Bowls & Vases

The majority of our vases and bowls are in full-body mode, which allows for dynamic slicing. What does this mean? You can print vases in any size with any nozzle diameter. There are also two ways to do it.

One is “Vase mode,” also known as “Spiralize outer contour.” This allows you to print the bottom with your desired thickness and the body in a single perimeter. Typically, you’ll need to use a nozzle size of 0.8 – 1mm to ensure the wall is not too thin. The advantage is that it’s a fast print, consumes little material, and has no seams. However, these results usually won’t hold water.

The second method is turning off Infill and Top layers, both set to a value of 0. This way, you’ll only print the bottom layers and the wall with multiple perimeters. This can help achieve a watertight result. Make sure your flow is higher and the layers are overlapping. For our iconic Embodied ideas, we recommend setting the seam through the paint seam feature and manually drawing the start and end. Print with larger nozzle diameter to save the time.

Seam Painting

Vase Mode

More Perimeters | Infill & Top Layers 0

Watertight 3D Prints

One crucial pro tip: avoid high-speed printing. Slower printing speeds consistently yield more accurate results, especially when aiming for a watertight finish. The primary objective is to maximize the density of the walls. If your 3D printer lacks the necessary weight for stability, the vibrations generated at higher speeds by most printers can compromise the watertight seal.

Achieving a proper bond between the layers is vital for watertight prints. To ensure this, print your design at the filament’s highest recommended temperature. You can even increase it by 5 degrees Celsius to enhance layer fusion.

When using the common 0.4 mm nozzle, it’s advisable to print with a layer height of 0.16 mm, or even lower. Thin layers adhere more effectively than thicker ones, enhancing the sealing capacity of your print.

When creating watertight bottom layers, forgo using infill. Instead, employ a classic linear pattern that overlaps individual layers. This approach minimizes the risk of gaps in your print.

To ensure there are no gaps between the perimeters and layers, increase the Flow (in Cura) or Extrusion Multiplier (in PrusaSlicer) to 105-110%. This adjustment won’t alter the design’s appearance but significantly improves its waterproofing qualities.

Shoes

Printing shoes is one of our latest fascinations. What’s really amazing is that you can customize the shoe to your needs, scale it to fit your foot, and choose how soft it will be.

For their printing, you’ll need a flexible material such as TPU, TPE, or, for example, TPR. However, it’s important to pay attention to the shore hardness – a shoe with 95A is very hard; our experiences so far suggest sticking to 40D or 88A.

Our shoes should be printed from the heel upwards. You don’t necessarily have to print them vertically; it’s possible to orient them differently in the space, but you’ll have different structures and may need more supports.

It’s necessary to have enough space in the printer according to the shoe’s size. Measure the size of your shoe and check if it would fit within your printer’s space. The “Laces cocoon” in men’s size 43 is 32 cm in height.