Question 1

What is 3D printing

Accepted Answer

What is 3D printing?
3D printing is a bit different than regular printing, with the biggest difference being that it doesn't print on paper, but that it sticks layer upon layer on top of each other.
And by a layer I mean a little bit of plastic on top of a bit of plastic that sticks together.
With a small print head it makes the plastic liquid and places it in the desired spot. While the print head is doing something else, the plastic that was printed earlier cools down, and it sticks to the other plastic.
You can almost see it as very small strings of plastic that are laid layer by layer on top of each other. If you look closely at 3D prints you can often see the layers.
Just like you tell your regular printer that you want to print a PDF, you tell a 3D printer that you want to print an STL (often .STL, not always).
STL is a 3D model of whatever you want to print. These models you can often download through different websites OR design yourself!
A well-known example where you can download lots of models is thingiverse.

Question 2

What do you need for 3D printing

Accepted Answer

What do you need for 3D printing
First of all, you obviously need a 3D printer.
These come in many shapes and sizes, but in our opinion the Bambu brand is really good.
Besides your 3D printer, you need the "ink". In the 3D printing world, this is called "Filament".
Filament
Filaments come in a huge variety of materials, think of PLA, PET, ABS, ASA, PA, TPU, etc.
But for most consumers, PLA, PET or ABS is actually the most interesting.
The differences between all materials have to do with how strong they are, how easy they are to print, whether they work on your printer.
But if you're just starting with 3D printing, we recommend starting with PLA. This is because it's the easiest material to print with, it's very forgiving if you make mistakes.
Please note, it's possible that your 3D printer doesn't support the material you want to print. For example, with ABS you often need an enclosed case, not all printers have that.
Software
Once you have your Filament and printer installed at home, you can start with your creativity.
What do you want to make?
The famous 3D Boat? Maybe an Octopus?
Or of course something from your own creative mind!
Once you've chosen something to print, you can download an STL file. STL stands for "Stereolithography", an easy name. But it's a format to describe a 3D object. What does this look like exactly?
Unfortunately, this is NOT enough to send to your printer.
A 3D printer doesn't understand anything about the 3D object. What a 3D printer can do is print layer by layer.
In other words, the STL file needs to be cut into slices. In the 3D printing world, they call this "Slicing".
There's special software for this, sometimes this software comes with your printer itself, or you can download fantastic free alternatives.
Like for example OrcaSlicer
Although these programs seem very difficult, it's actually not that complicated.
You need to set 4 important things:
Set the right 3D printer
OrcaSlicer has a huge collection of pre-configured 3D printers. If you don't deviate too much, yours will definitely be among them!
Right Filament
Every Filament is different, but also not really. With the most well-known brands you'll see that they're in there.
Otherwise there's always a "Generic PLA"
Temperature
This is a part that can sometimes be tricky.
Usually it says on your purchased Filament at which temperatures you can best print. Often you need to set the bed and extruder temperature.
A bed is often around 50 - 60 degrees for PLA, and an extruder between 200 and 220. But especially check your Filament for this.
Supports
If something needs to be printed layer by layer, and the 3D printer has to print something in "mid-air", then that can't work and your print will collapse!
Fortunately, there are solutions for this, these are called Supports.
If something of your 3D print is hanging in the air, like a bridge, then it's wise to print supports. You can set this automatically in practically all slicers!
That's it!
Now that you've set everything up, the only thing you still need to do.
Click on PRINT.
Let's go!

Question 3

Howto set up your first 3D printer

Accepted Answer

How do you set up your 3D printer?
Congratulations, you got a 3D printer at home!  
Now you need to get it ready for the first print.  
This looks more complicated than it is.
Unboxing and checking
First you unpack your printer and check if anything got damaged during shipping.  
Check that all parts are included. Usually there's a checklist in the box.
Following the manual
Every printer brand has its own way of setting things up.  
Follow the official manual of your printer. This differs per brand and model.  
If you have a Bambu Lab there are great tutorials on YouTube.
Calibration
After assembly you need to calibrate your printer. This means teaching the device where the "0 point" is.  
This sounds more complicated than it actually is.  
Usually:
1. You move the print head manually to one corner
2. You enter this in the menu of the printer
3. The printer does this for all corners
Bed leveling
Bed leveling is important! Bed leveling means that the print bed (the surface you print on) is perfectly flat relative to the nozzle (the hole where plastic comes out).
Most modern 3D printers do this automatically, at Easy3DPrint we always offer printers that do this automatically.  
So don't worry about this. If you have a different printer, consult your manual!
If you have to do it manually, follow your manual step by step!  
This isn't difficult, but it does need to be precise.
Network connection
Many 3D printers can connect to WiFi, this allows you to send a print to your 3D printer from your laptop.  
If you don't have this, you'll need a USB stick to be able to print.  
Some printers also have a Camera, so you can monitor your prints, this also requires WiFi.
Set up your WiFi
This differs per printer, but usually:
1. Go to the menu of your printer
2. Look for "Network" or "WiFi"
3. Select your WiFi network
4. Enter your password
5. The printer connects
Printer Android or iPhone apps
With some printers you also have an App you can download, for example for Bambu and Creality.  
Log in with your account and your printer will appear in the app.
Test it once first
Your first print is better done via SD card, not via network.  
If something doesn't work, you'll know for sure the problem isn't your network!
Test your 3D print
Many printers have a small test model already on the SD card.  
Try printing this small model. This helps you see if everything is working correctly.
Watch out!
Don't touch the bed after heating up, the bed is very hot!  
Make sure your printer is on a stable, flat surface.

Question 4

Where to find 3D designs to print

Accepted Answer

Where do you find 3D designs to print?
Your printer is finally ready, and now the most important part, time to print something!  
Don't worry, there are a lot of websites with great 3D models.
Thingiverse
Thingiverse is a website where you can find a huge amount of models.  
From small funny fidget toys to handy tools.  
Here you'll find a lot off free models. From small decorative things to useful tools. Browse around and let yourself be surprised.
Printables
Website: Printables  
A great alternative to Thingiverse, lots of free models but also paid ones. There are some nice ones in there.
MyMiniFactory
Website: MyMiniFactory  
Great for miniature figures, the figures are quite nice, but also harder to print.
How do you download a model?
1. Go to one of the websites
2. Search for something to print
3. Click "Download"
4. You download a file with a ".stl" extension, this is the 3D model.
This STL file is your 3D model.
Tips for choosing
Pick something small for your first print
Try printing something small first, and also make sure it fits on your print bed.  
With something small your 3D print won't take hours right away, and you can check if your printer is working well.
Read the comments
Sometimes comments mention that certain things don't work. Or they say it's perfect!
Look carefully at the photos
Often you can clearly see in the photos whether the end result is what you're looking for.
Check the size
Check how big the 3D model is, because not every printer is the same. So watch out, does it fit on your printer bed?  
The description usually mentions the size.
First suggestions
The most well-known first suggestion is 3DBenchy  
This little boat is super popular, it's small, prints quickly and tests well whether your printer is working correctly.

Question 5

From 3D Model to your 3D Printer

Accepted Answer

From 3D model to your 3D Printer
In our previous article you could read how you can find a 3D design, or of course if you make something yourself it's a different story.
If you're at the point where you have an .stl file, either made yourself or downloaded from one of the many websites on the internet.
Then you're only 1 step away from printing your 3D model.
STL 3D model
Your printer actually doesn't understand stl files, these files describe what your model looks like, like all the geometric data for example.
Your printer wants to know HOW it should print the file, and it can only understand this by receiving the 3D model in layers.
Where each layer works from the bottom up.
To make this happen you need special software, called "slicers".
There are many slicers to find on the market, often also available from your own printer manufacturer.
Like for example FlashPrint for FlashForge printers
Or Bambu Studio for Bambu printers.
We at Easy3DPrint are personally a fan of OrcaSlicer and the reason for this is that it's open source, and it's pretty easy to configure.
Download OrcaSlicer
So in this article we use OrcaSlicer as an example.
OrcaSlicer
To install your printer you need to press the button:
Add your 3D printer
!Add your printer
This brings up a new screen, to search for your printer.
!Select your 3D Printer
This adds a new profile. In my case, the FlashForge Adventurer 5M 0.4 Nozzle
After adding your printer, you'll actually want to adjust a thing or two.
In the case of the Flashforge for example, the "bed type" is a "Texture PEI plate" and not a "Smooth High Temp Plate".
And honestly the rest is fine.
These are settings that differ per printer, can't figure it out?
Get in touch with us! contact
Done!
Setting up your 3D printer is actually done at this point, you really only do this once, and next time everything will already be set up correctly.
Add Filament
Now you basically do the same for your filament:
!Choose filament
For most of the filament we sell the "Generic PLA" profile will do just fine.
When you switch filament, you might need to select a different profile as well, keep an eye on that!
Import
Now go via File -> Import -> Import 3MF/STL/ETC and select your previously downloaded .stl file.
It will now show up on your bed on screen.
Process
In OrcaSlicer you might want to configure some specific settings for your current print, think for example if your print is floating in the air, it'll need support.
Or if it has a small base, your print might slide off the bed. There are some techniques to prevent this.
These are things you set here. Check our Frequently asked questions on how to do this.
Let's print!
Once that's done, you can click Preview. Here you can see for example how much PLA will be used, what the supports look like.
!Preview
Click Print and Upload, and your printer will get started!

Your first print

Other categories

Materials & Filament

Printer Parts

Software & Slicing

When Things Go Wrong