Technology and Gadgets

Need To Know About 3D Print?

Your 3D printer should come with everything you need to get started out of the box. Below we list the essentials, as well as the optional extras it’s good to know about:

A 3D printer – OK, this one’s obvious.

Material – Your printer should include some in the box or it can be bought from 3D printing vendors. You can also create yours 3D Products with the help of professionals from companies like Vizframe. 

Software – Some printer brands supply their own, or you may have to find a compatible program. Note that there are two types of 3D printing software – print preparation (or slicing) software and printer (or print job) management software.

Consumables – In addition to materials, your 3D printer may require or come with other consumables. For example, oil or grease for maintenance, or adhesive aids for the build surface. With Ultimaker, everything you need to get started comes in the box.

Tools (largely optional) – Some 3D printers may require one or two basic tools for configuration changes or maintenance. (Again, with Ultimaker everything essential comes in the box.) 

Otherwise, if you’re going to be using your 3D printers a lot and will need to do some post-processing of prints, it’s useful to keep a few tools handy. We created a guide to tools for FFF 3D printers.

Peripherals (optional) – These can add more functionality to your 3D printer. For example, for some of our printers, you can also add an Air Manager, which encloses the 3D printer and filters up to 95% of UFPs (ultrafine particles), or Material Station which stores filament in an optimal environment and automatically loads material when a spool runs out

Next to this, all you need is a power supply and a clean, safe workspace for your 3D printer.