3DPrintscape
3DPrintscape

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Practical solutions to common printing problems — layer adhesion failures, stringing, warping, bed leveling, and everything in between.

How Can You Hide Z-Seam Imperfections In Cura?Education

How Can You Hide Z-Seam Imperfections In Cura?

One of the most common challenges that many makers face is the appearance of Z-seam imperfections. The goal of this article is to help you minimize the visibility of the

SEP 2023
Cura Vase ModeEducation

Cura Vase Mode

Vase mode, referred to as “spiralize outer contour” in Cura, is a fascinating feature that offers a unique printing method. It allows you to create hollow objects with a single

SEP 2023
What is Stringing in 3D Printing and How to Avoid ItFix It

What is Stringing in 3D Printing and How to Avoid It

3D printing is an exciting technology that has revolutionized various industries, from manufacturing to healthcare. However, like any technology, it comes with its challenges. One common issue faced by 3D

AUG 2023
What Causes Over-Extrusion?Education

What Causes Over-Extrusion?

Over-extrusion in 3D printing occurs when the printer deposits more material than is needed to create the desired object. This can happen for a number of reasons, including high-temperature settings,

JUL 2023
Common Mistakes Beginners Make In 3D Printing And How To Avoid ThemEducation

Common Mistakes Beginners Make In 3D Printing And How To Avoid Them

Learning through trial and error is very effective, but if you can avoid the errors by doing a bit of extra research, you’ll save yourself time and money. Here are

JUN 2023
Why Is My 3D Printer Printing Above The Bed?Education

Why Is My 3D Printer Printing Above The Bed?

One of the most irritating things for me is when I’ve set everything up for a new print, only to find that the nozzle is too high or the bed

MAY 2023
3D Printing In A GarageEducation

3D Printing In A Garage

A garage makes for an excellent 3D printing room because you can close it off from pets and children. You’re also less likely to hear it if you’re printing a

MAR 2023
Why Is My 3D Printer So Loud?Education

Why Is My 3D Printer So Loud?

Very silent printers can be as quiet as 30 decibels and others can be over 60dB. Sometimes, if your printer is getting progressively louder, there could be a part that’s

FEB 2023
How Do I Get Rid Of Layer Lines In 3D Printing?Education

How Do I Get Rid Of Layer Lines In 3D Printing?

3D-printed layer lines ruin the whole look of any 3D model. But there are some trusted methods to remove them. Methods that are faster than tinkering with the printer settings

JAN 2023
How Do You Unblock A 3D Pen?Education

How Do You Unblock A 3D Pen?

3D pens block up just like 3D printers do because they share so much in common. Cleaning out your 3D pen helps prevent it from blocking, but it’s still possible.

OCT 2022
3D Printer Wheels – Detailed Overview!Education

3D Printer Wheels – Detailed Overview!

When it comes to guiding the movements of your printer, wheels running on linear rods is the cheapest solution and gets the job done well. But if the wheels aren’t

SEP 2022
3D Printer Stepper Driver – Detailed Overview!Education

3D Printer Stepper Driver – Detailed Overview!

Without stepper drivers, the motors on your printer wouldn’t rotate smoothly. 3D printer stepper motor drivers regulate the voltage supplied to the motor to move it fractions of a step

AUG 2022
Cura Won't Open  Potential Causes and Fixes!Education

Cura Won't Open Potential Causes and Fixes!

Cura is one of the most popular 3D printing slicers. But, many apps and programs can have a glitch from time to time and not open. In this article, I

JUL 2022
3D Printer Hotend – Complete OverviewEducation

3D Printer Hotend – Complete Overview

The hotend is the one of the most important parts of a 3D printer because it melts and transforms filament into printed parts. But you don’t put the hotend together

MAY 2022
Is PETG Always Stringy? 5 Important FactsEducation

Is PETG Always Stringy? 5 Important Facts

Polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG)is a plastic material popularly used in the 3D printing of things like toys, food containers, and robotic parts. PETG is now preferable to ABS and PLA

MAY 2022
5 Best Things To Do With Bad PLA FilamentEducation

5 Best Things To Do With Bad PLA Filament

PLA filaments can go bad if you do not store them properly. Moisture, heat, sunlight, and ultraviolet radiation can damage all PLA filaments to varying degrees, not to mention that

MAY 2022
At What Temperature Does PETG Start to Warp?Education

At What Temperature Does PETG Start to Warp?

PETG has made its mark as the run-to printing material for hobbyists and experts in the past few years. It's resilient, durable, and versatile. However, even the most popular filament

APR 2022
What Purpose Does Support Material Serve In 3D Printing?Education

What Purpose Does Support Material Serve In 3D Printing?

Certain parts have to have supports to print properly, while others might not need any supports at all. I’ll explain the basic purpose of supports, cover different support types, and

APR 2022
Is PLA Water Soluble?Education

Is PLA Water Soluble?

PLA and other 3D printing materials can be used to print objects that can be used both inside, and outside. As well as, objects that can be used to hold

APR 2022
How To Waterproof 3D Printed VaseEducation

How To Waterproof 3D Printed Vase

Waterproofing a vase for flowers can be as easy as adding extra perimeters in the slicer or lining the inside of the vase with candle wax. However, if you want

MAR 2022
Are Higher Resolution 3D Prints Stronger?Education

Are Higher Resolution 3D Prints Stronger?

Resolution in 3D printing is the minimum distance the nozzle can travel from one point to another on a certain plane. The X and Y planes run across the bed

MAR 2022
Should You Remove 3D Printer Filament Between Prints?Education

Should You Remove 3D Printer Filament Between Prints?

Taking your filament out every time can be a massive hassle if you print a lot. However, many people wonder if leaving the material in the printer can damage it

MAR 2022
How To Know if Your 3D Printer Nozzle Is Worn OutEducation

How To Know if Your 3D Printer Nozzle Is Worn Out

The nozzle of a 3D printer is closely responsible for how the 3D object turns out at the end of the day. When your nozzle gets worn out, it could

MAR 2022
Does PLA Filament Need To Be Dried Before Use?Education

Does PLA Filament Need To Be Dried Before Use?

PLA, or polylactic acid, is one of the most popular FDM filaments available since most printers take it, and it's a cheap, reliable material. However, PLA tends to absorb moisture

FEB 2022
6 Ways to Reduce 3D Printer Table WobbleEducation

6 Ways to Reduce 3D Printer Table Wobble

A 3D printer is much more stable and reliable if its table is flat and level. A sturdy table is important because if the build platform isn’t stable, your results

JAN 2022
How To Tell if PLA Filament Has Gone BadEducation

How To Tell if PLA Filament Has Gone Bad

PLA filament is one of the most basic, easy-to-use filaments for 3D printing. However, it can become brittle and weak if you expose it to moisture or if it’s too

JAN 2022
What Is the Best First Layer Height?Education

What Is the Best First Layer Height?

3D printing is an innovative way of manufacturing structures and shapes that can otherwise be impossible to achieve. While 3D printing has many great applications, it's not without its flaws.

JAN 2022
What Causes Blobbing On 3D Prints?Education

What Causes Blobbing On 3D Prints?

This is a common defect in 3D printing, also known as Z-scaring, Z-seam, and zits. There are many causes of blobbing and most times you can get rid of them

JAN 2022
What Happens If Resin Printer Runs Out Of Resin?Education

What Happens If Resin Printer Runs Out Of Resin?

Printer resin is extremely expensive compared to plastic filament, so the last thing you want is a failed print due to the vat running dry. This is a problem for

JAN 2022
Do You Need a Skirt for 3D Printing?Education

Do You Need a Skirt for 3D Printing?

Those new to using 3D printers often struggle to create solid, high-quality items with their printer. Fortunately, 3D printing enthusiasts and hobbyists can familiarize themselves with several printing techniques, such

JAN 2022
What Kind of Light Do You Need for UV Resin?Education

What Kind of Light Do You Need for UV Resin?

If you’re doing a DIY project with UV resin, you may think it only requires an application and some additional drying time. But without the right light, your resin will

JAN 2022
What Is the Best Filament for Printed Lithophanes?Education

What Is the Best Filament for Printed Lithophanes?

There are only three things to focus on when choosing the best filament for printing lithophanes, color, material, and dimensional accuracy. The best filament for printing lithophanes is white PLA

DEC 2021
What is 3D Printer Shell Thickness?Education

What is 3D Printer Shell Thickness?

The thickness of the shell greatly determines the strength of the part. In FDM printing, the best shell thickness needs to be a multiple of the line width. The line

DEC 2021
Does PLA Need a Heated Bed?Education

Does PLA Need a Heated Bed?

Nowadays, many 3D printers come with a heated bed. But if you're working with PLA, would you even need one? Polylactic acid (PLA) doesn’t need a heated bed. Heated beds

DEC 2021
How Often Do I Need To Calibrate My 3D Printer?Education

How Often Do I Need To Calibrate My 3D Printer?

A 3D printer needs to be calibrated so that you don’t get failed prints, and you get the most perfect print you can. When you first got your 3D printer

DEC 2021
Strongest Infill Pattern  We Have the Answer!Education

Strongest Infill Pattern We Have the Answer!

Depending on what you’re printing, there are a few infill patterns that are considered to be the strongest overall. Some patterns are the strongest on the Z plane while others

DEC 2021
Why Wash and Cure Resin Prints?Education

Why Wash and Cure Resin Prints?

If you’re getting more comfortable with the process of 3D printing, you may be questioning pieces of the process your manual told you are mandatory. Some hacks will help you

DEC 2021
3D Printer Under-Extrusion – Common Causes and FixesEducation

3D Printer Under-Extrusion – Common Causes and Fixes

The biggest symptom of under-extrusion is missing layers in your parts. Under-extrusion can also cause parts to be weaker than they’re supposed to be. If you’re having problems like these,

DEC 2021
Can I Dry Filament in Microwave? (Details Inside)Education

Can I Dry Filament in Microwave? (Details Inside)

Drying your filament is often necessary to maintain 3D print quality. You may be wondering if it’s possible to dry your filament in a microwave since it’s so similar to

DEC 2021
How Long Will It Take for 3D Prints to Cool?Education

How Long Will It Take for 3D Prints to Cool?

3D printers are amazing tools that many different people use to create their own 3D designs without having to manually do so. What 3D printers do is that they use

DEC 2021
3D Printer Nozzle Hitting Prints or Bed  Common Causes and FixesEducation

3D Printer Nozzle Hitting Prints or Bed Common Causes and Fixes

There are many reasons for a nozzle hitting the prints or bed. Together, we’ll look at all the most common reasons and then go through possible solutions. The main cause

DEC 2021
How Often Should Level a 3D Print Bed?Education

How Often Should Level a 3D Print Bed?

Having a level 3D print bed is essential for doing prints that turn out without any imperfections. Although minor imperfections are sometimes unavoidable, one such factor you can directly control

NOV 2021
Can You Pause A 3D Print And Then Turn It Off?Education

Can You Pause A 3D Print And Then Turn It Off?

3D printers are amazing machines that are capable of printing an entire object seemingly out of nothing. However, 3D printers do take a lot of time to finish one printing

NOV 2021
3D Printer Flow Rate Calibration  The Easy Way!Education

3D Printer Flow Rate Calibration The Easy Way!

If your printer’s flow rate isn’t adjusted properly, you’ll end up with wall thicknesses that don’t match up to the preview in your slicing software. The same applies to the

NOV 2021
OctoPrint Bed Level Visualizer – Complete Setup Guide!Accessories

OctoPrint Bed Level Visualizer – Complete Setup Guide!

OctoPrint has been in development since 2012 and has a huge community to learn from. Plugins like “Bed Level Visualizer” make it possible to check how level the bed is

NOV 2021
Ender 3 Pro Glass Bed Upgrade – Complete Guide!Accessories

Ender 3 Pro Glass Bed Upgrade – Complete Guide!

Some people have asked me whether a glass bed is actually an upgrade. In my opinion, the answer is yes for a few reasons. One of the most obvious reasons

NOV 2021
Does PLA Need to Be Kept Dry?Education

Does PLA Need to Be Kept Dry?

PLA remains one of the most popular materials used for 3D printing because it's easy to work with and cheap. What most people tend to overlook is how to store

OCT 2021
Guide to Changing Filament Mid-PrintEducation

Guide to Changing Filament Mid-Print

There are a few reasons you’d want to change filament mid-print. Swapping out to a new spool or changing colors are two of the main reasons, but you may want

OCT 2021