After My last post, I got some good feedback from the community, for tools they used and thought should have been in my last list. After Reading through the suggestions I decided to make another. I found a few I owned but didn’t use for 3d printing and some others I just overlooked. I Don’t own all of the things on this list so I will make sure to point that out when I get to them but everything on this list is something to consider especially if you plan to do a lot of 3d printing. Here are 5 printer tools you should own.
5 3D Printer tools – An UPS or Battery Backup.
This is one I don’t own personally. Though I do Have friends with them attached to Gaming Pc’s. I don’t really have a recommendation as to which to buy because it depends on what you think you will need. If you are someone who prints more than 13hrs at a time something like this could save a print during a power outage. I don’t think this is for everyone but I do think it is something to consider for sure. Thankfully I don’t live in an area known for its blackouts. You can find it here on Amazon for just 99usd.
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5 3D Printer tools – A good metal Feeler Gauge
This was an oversight on my part I really should have had this in my last post. I used mine a lot until I setup auto bed leveling on my 3dprinters. Used exactly like paper when testing nozzle height only far more accurate and reusable. They are cheap too so why not add a set to your toolbox. I have a few but they aren’t just for my 3dprinters so I overlooked them in my post. If you want a consistent print this is really the best way to go short of setting up auto bed leveling.
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5 3D Printer tools – Infrared thermometer
This I feel is a novelty at best but it is cheap. I do find myself using it more than I need to, though. It’s the tech head in me I know but it is nice to know where the cold spots on your bed are. And how hot the Fry oil is or if the beer is cold enough. From a practical standpoint though you can quickly find out if the software is lying to you about how hot your nozzle and bed are making it easy to track trouble down. Is it necessary? No. Is it useful? Sure.
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5 3D Printer tools – Dry Packs
This is something that I think everyone overlooks. I see lots of people not properly storing their filaments then they complain about inconsistent prints and blame it on everything but the moisture in the filament. If you own lots of filament get some of these and story your filament in something airtight when not in use it will save you lots of headaches.
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5 3D Printer tools – Heat Gun
I honestly don’t know why this wasn’t in my last post. These are very versatile. besides the obvious uses like heat shrink tube and solder reflow, you can do everything from paint and decal removal to Print repair. If you are worried a print might lift you can hit it with the heat gun and soften it back up it can also help with warpage as well by applying some heat and letting a part re cool down you can get it back into the shape you want. For those of you that don’t acetone weld because you use pla, you can use this to heat up 2 pieces of pla and bond them as well. It takes practice but it can be done and leave almost no seem.
Keep the suggestions coming I would love to have a series we as a community can just point beginners at so they can avoid the stumbling blocks we faced.
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Sorry, but I don’t agree. You only ever need ONE feeler gauge not so many. After all, how many different distances do you use between your nozzle and bed? One. just one. This is like buying a full tool set when all you need is a small screwdriver. A slice off a soda can will do just as well and give similar results.
By the way, what has “A layer of concrete used to seal the earth under the ground floor of a house” got to do with 3D printing? That’s what OVERSITE means.
If you only print at say .3 or .15 sure you will need only 1 feeler gauge but if you watch your printer when you slice your first layer using a different height than you normally do you will see it change the first layer distance.I change print mm depending on what I need and if you want a good first layer you need to adjust the height. that means different gauges. They are cheap so keep them around long enough and you will find more uses than you, though.
Sure. I agree with you on that.
But a spell check will not catch the difference between OVERSITE and OVERSIGHT. Only good spelling will. Same with Waist and Waste, Peek and Peak and so on. I see so many of these scattered about now. These are not typo’s but just bad spelling.
I don’t claim to be the world’s best speller. I also don’t go around picking fights for no reason. Instead of just agreeing you had to add in a quip about my spelling due to an internal need to be the best on the internet. You came to my blog to claim that I’m wrong about something I wrote about was wrong even though in this case, it was suggested by readers who obviously use them. Then when I give you a constructive way that they can be used, you agree then turn around and try to pick apart my writing instead. I write as a hobby. I write because I want to add to the community. Next time before you try to fix someone’s faults you should look at your own.
If you have something constructive to add please by all means do.
I will now fix the spelling errors you so graciously pointed out.