Filament 3D Printer

Cheat Sheet
Buying a 3D Printer
1 Budget 2 Requirements 3 Features

Your budget determines what Is the 3D printer a hobby or a Popular features for ease of use
features the 3D printer can have. tool? and print quality:
Which filaments should it be
There are now many inexpensive 3D Automatic print bed
able to process?
printers that offer features that leveling
How large do you want the
were previously only found in more Flexible PEI/PC print bed
objects to be?
expensive devices. Direct drive extruder
How much space do you have
Double z-axis
A precise requirements profile is available?
Full metal hotend
worthwhile to save costs. DIY / Plug & Play?

Preparations (more on this in the calibration cheat sheet)

1 Care & maintenance 2 Calibration

To keep the print quality high, the 3D printer must be To achieve perfect results, you need to calibrate the
kept in good condition. most important settings of your 3D printer. These are
mainly the following:
Infrequently & as needed:
Tension the belts
Level the print bed Extruder/flow rate
Adjust the z-offset Stepper motors of the axes
Printing temperature
Before & after each print: Print speed
Clean the print bed Retraction
Clean the nozzle

3D Printing Workflow
1 Find or create a 3D object

The 3D printing community is large. There Popular websites for 3D objects: Popular programs to create
are many users who share or sell their 3D Thingiverse objects yourself:
models. Cults TinkerCAD (browser)
But you can also design your own 3D MyMiniFactory Fusion360 (program)
objects. Thangs

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Filament 3D Printer
Cheat Sheet

2 Slicer 3 Slice the 3D object

The software that prepares 3D The slicer settings determine the print quality and mechanical properties of
objects for 3D printing is called a the finished object. Here are the most important ones:
slicer.
This type of software slices the 3D Layer height:
object into individual layers, hence 25-75% of the nozzle diameter.
the name. Small layers for smoother surfaces and
more detail.
Popular slicers: Thicker layers to save printing time.
Cura
Line width:
PrusaSlicer
60-200% of the nozzle diameter (standard
Simplify3D = 100-120%).
RepetierHost Narrow lines for more details.
IdeaMaker Thicker lines for more stability and to save
printing time.

Wall thickness:
4 Print the 3D object 2 lines for decorative objects
4 or more lines for stable objects
The finished file in the form of G-
code is transferred to the 3D Internal filament (infill density and pattern):
printer. Decoration: 0-15%, Lines, ZigZag
Standard: 15-50%, Triangles, Tri-Hexagonal
Robust: 50-100%, Cubic, Gyroid
If all preparations, calibrations,
settings, environmental and other Print temperature standard values:
influences are correct, the printing PLA: 200 ± 20 °C
will be successful. ABS: 230 ± 10 °C
PETG: 240 ± 10 °C
At the beginning it is normal to need TPU: 235 ± 15 °C
several attempts until the results are
Print bed standard values:
satisfactory. PLA: 60 ± 5 °C
Optimizations and tips can be found ABS: 90 ± 10 °C
on the next pages. PETG: 80 ± 10 °C
TPU: 65 ± 10 °C

Retraction:
Strongly dependent on the extruder.
Calibration recommended.
Print
Supports:
Print overhang test to optimize the
settings.
Increase the distance object<>support for
easier removal.

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Filament 3D Printer
Cheat Sheet
Optimizations & Tips
1 Minimize temperature fluctuations 2 Prevent drafts

Some filaments are sensitive to Drafts can lead to an irregular

temperature fluctuations. print result.

ABS, for example, warps relatively Even with temperature-sensitive

strongly if it cools down too quickly. filaments, drafts can disrupt extrusion
and cause the filament to solidify too quickly.
With such filaments, it makes sense to use a
closed print volume or a 3D printer tent. Drafts during the first layer lead to poor print bed
adhesion.
Especially for long print jobs, this can prevent
annoying temperature fluctuations due to the
day/night cycle.
4 Nozzle choice

3 Filament choice The diameter of the nozzle determines

how thick and wide the lines can be:

The application will determine which filament you Line width: 60-200% of the diameter.
should use. Is the object just decorative, will it serve a Layer height: 25-75% of the diameter
mechanical function, or will it be used outdoors?
Most FDM 3D printers are delivered with a 0.4 mm
nozzle. This means that line widths of 0.24-0.8 mm and
The standard filaments are PLA, ABS, PETG and TPU.
layer heights of 0.1-0.3 mm are possible.

But the material of the nozzle also plays a role.

PLA: ABS: Filaments with abrasive ingredients, such as metal or
Easy printing Good for mechanical carbon, wear out normal nozzles quickly and cause
Perfect for applications stringing or similar printing errors.
decoration Robust and durable For such filaments, a hardened nozzle with a wider
Biodegradable Requires an diameter is worthwhile.
Can be processed by enclosure
all FDM 3D printers Non biodegradable

5 High quality filament

PETG: TPU:
Poor quality filament leads
Good for mechanical Flexible
to various printing errors.
applications Robust and shock
Good for outdoor resistant
Good filament is characterized,
use Difficult to print
among other things, by a consistent
Robust and durable Requires direct drive
diameter, high-quality ingredients, good winding and
Strong tendency to extruder
airtight packaging.
stringing

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Filament 3D Printer
Cheat Sheet

6 Filament storage 7 How to detect brittle filament

To preserve the filament quality for PLA becomes brittle after a

a long time, it must be stored certain time. During printing, it
properly. can then break in the extruder
or hotend and lead to
Most filaments are hygroscopic and draw water
blockages.
from the air. PETG and nylon in particular quickly
become wet and produce printing errors. To test if the PLA filament is still okay, you can bend
it. If it breaks easily, you should replace it.
UV radiation (sunlight) can make filament brittle
over time. Brittle filament can break during
processing.
8 Prevent tangling
Filament should be stored away from dust. Even
small amounts of dust can collect in the extruder and When loading and rewinding the
cause clogging or printing errors. filament onto the spool, the filament
may become tangled.
Here's how to store 3D printer filament properly: To prevent this, you should apply some tension while
Airtight plastic box with silica gel (desiccant). unwinding and watch the winding. When rewinding
Vacuum bag (check regularly for leaks) the spool, try to continue winding as intended.
Special filament storage containers with active
drying (especially useful for PETG and nylon) Print suitable clips or use adhesive tape to fix the
filament on the spool.

9 Increase print bed adhesion Leave filament hot for longer:

The longer the filament of the first layer
remains hot, the better it bonds with the
Clean the print bed:
print bed.
Always before and after a print
Reduce the printing speed of the first
Filament residues, dust, grease and
layer
adhesives
Deactivate cooling of the first layer
Increase the print bed temperature
Re-level the print bed:
Thicker first layer
So that the distance of the nozzle on
the print bed is the same everywhere. Use a raft, brim or mouse ears:
Manually (paper method) or Increases the contact area between
automatically via sensor object and print bed and thus the
adhesion.
Decrease the z-offset:
Use an adhesive:
When the filament is pressed harder
Hairspray, glue stick, blue tape,
onto the print bed, it bonds better
special 3D printing adhesives like
with it.
Magigoo.

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