3d Printing Tips for Beginners and Experts

10 lessons learned over 3 years of reviewing and using 15 different 3d printers.
Sites Mentioned in this Video
Models for to Print
models.makewithtech.com
Discuss this Video and Ask Questions
forum.makewithtech.com
Calibration Tool for 3d Printers
3d-printing-tools.makewithtec...
Content:
00:00 Introduction
02:46 A 3d printer is like a sewing machine
05:32 Do not rely on auto bed leveling alone
06:59 FDM vs Resin 3d Printers
13:14 Types of FDM 3d Printers
16:21 Learn about filament
21:55 Slicers are not magic
26:24 Enclosed 3d Printers -- Not for me
28:10 It is not cheating
29:13 Calibrating 3d Printer Firmware
32:38 3d Printer Maintenance
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The MakeWithTech channel teaches people how to use desktop technology to create, innovate and make things. If you are a "maker" and want to learn more about 3d Printing, 3d Printers, 3d Printing Slicers, Computer-Aided Design (CAD), or 3d Modeling, this is a place you should visit often. The channel includes additional content about using a wood lathe, woodworking, and programming single-board computers such as the Raspberry Pi, Adafruit Circuit Playground, ESP32, and Python. Available reviews are about Prusa, Creality, Monoprice, ANET, Flsun, Fokoos, JG Maker, and Flashforge 3d Printers. Slicers covered include MatterControl, Cura, PrusaSlicer, Flashprint, and IdeaMaker. CAD design videos cover TinkerCAD, FreeCAD, OpenSCAD, and Shapr3D. Slicers covered include MatterControl, Cura, PrusaSlicer, Flashprint, and IdeaMaker.
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Let's continue to learn together. Irv
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The following links are to products I have used, reviewed, or evaluated for the MakeWithTech community. Some of the links below are affiliate links that provide commissions, at no cost to you, and help support the MakeWithTech video production, purchase of products for reviews, lab, forum, and website.
I have reviewed the following printers or similar printers:
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These are some of the tools I use for 3d printing day-to-day:
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I have reviewed or used the following 3d printer upgrades:
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Here are the 3d printer filaments I use to evaluate prints, software, and techniques:
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I will be covering basic electronics and software in future MakeWithTech segments, and here are the products I am using:
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Some of the Woodworking products I use:
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[@davebarkerdesign]

Thanks Irv. I have been 3d printing printing for a few years but I always learn something new when I watch your videos (even the basic info ones). You do an excellent job making tech stuff easy to understand. Your step by step instructions are invaluable. Keep up the good work!

[@jaystevens7092]

This was the most helpful video I have watched for a beginners guide to 3D printing. Thank you so much for convincing me that I have made the right decision to take this thought and run with it. Thank you for your wisdom

[@EdGodoyPlana]

Excellent video! I have followed your KZbin videos since I started 3d printing and simply love how well you explain everything! Thanks again for your help to the 3d printing community! This is an excellent summary and refresher !

[@TyWooly42]

The effort you put into enunciation is much appreciated. Thank you.

[@danieltemkin9768]

I just discovered your channel today and bought my very first 3d printer, a cr-10 v3 a few days ago. Your 3d printing shul is incredible. The best on the internet. You have remarkable talent.. Thanks!

[@busivantiger9375]

I have been following you since I started 3d printing and have learned so many things from you (and to be fair other youtubers as well 😉). Your style of explaining things as enthusiastic as you do is something I look up to. Just wanted to say thank you.

[@slowpilot6817]

Thanks Irv for another helpful and instructive video! At 75 I have to work at staying a step ahead of my grandkids 😊

[@braddixon3338]

Another great video by the Dr in impeccable format and presentation. Yup learned a few things here, others were review, from watching your other videos. You're my 3D printing sherpa guide, thanks for all the work you do helping the 3D community!

[@PrintableLife]

Thanks for your informational videos. I'm a new 3D printer owner and appreciate your helpful videos. I like how you break things down and explain many details. It really helps this newbie!!

[@KeithFolske]

Thanks for all the great information! This is incredibly helpful stuff. The way you explain these topics is fantastic!

[@gregruckstuhl4268]

I really enjoy going back on some classic videos 😃 it's always nice to have a refresher 😁😎 looking forward to seeing your next topic 👍 sending positive vibes your way 😎 Thanks very much for the professional content 🤠

[@SteveH-TN]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences. Each video I learn something useful.

[@carlbukowsky1931]

As a novice, new to 3D Printers and printing, I want to say Thank You for sharing your insights and knowledge.

[@twojags55]

Absolutely brilliant, many thanks for a very informative video. As an absolute beginner this info is priceless. Already subscribed and working through all the tutorials. Again, thank you very much, please keep the info coming :)

[@mattghoward]

as always exceptionally clear and sensible information - keep up the good work

[@tomstanley1404]

Thanks you so much, i'm a complete novice and don't even own a printer yet, i have learned so much from your video that has encouraged me to take the plunge and go ahead and buy a printer, you simplified to me what has almost seemed a 'black art' to me. keep up your great work, ill be watching all your videos with great interest.

[@yeroca]

This is a super useful video! I'm going to save it for reference.

[@stephenoran2019]

Great video, as usual! Thanks for all you do!

[@symbolicsin]

I always enjoy watching your videos, this one was another good one! Liked and Shared. Keep it up.

[@calico1618]

Thanks for the info! Helped a lot

[@gentillidiego]

Congratulations on the excellent teaching didactics! I watch your videos from Brazil! my english is basic but because of the speed and didactics I can follow and understand completely! That said, I would like to thank you especially for the explanation about the resin printers, it was enlightening and definitive! thanks

[@stephaniekaiser5605]

Thank you for your videos, they are very helpful and I learn a lot.

[@stewartg2101]

Great video. I am very new to 3d printing and this explains a lot. keep up the good work and thank you for sharing.👍👍

[@edwinkorteweg3612]

Your happy face always makes me smile. Aaand ... yes I learned something ... again! Thank you very much.

[@dmark6699]

Very good channel Irv, excellent content.

[@Pongant]

Love this channel. Your presentation style just clicks with my brain, must be the rhythm and spacing of topics. I've got ADHD and just cannot learn from everyone. Edit: One very, very important thing to consider regarding filaments should be ecological impact/recycling. PLA is likely the most "green" material, although it's compostability is highly debatable. There is also real rPLA on the market, albeit rarely. PETG can also be readily recycled. All the other stuff is really bad for the environment.

[@conoromeara8974]

Greetings from Ireland 🇮🇪 Excellent video, thank you 🙏

[@RevJimmy69]

Thank you!

[@GreenAppelPie]

I use the 3d printing glue stick. Before every print, I mist the bed with water in a spray bottle and spread the glue with a 3 inch wide paint brush. It makes for great and simple adhesion. I’ve even tried PEI sheets, but you gotta squish into the so much the you get elephants foot.

[@BennyCFD]

Wow,.....................There are Sooooooooooooooooooooooooo many parameters, configurations, calibrations, software, 3D cad programs, different filaments, that 3D printing is anything but simple and easy

[@HuFlungDung2]

A friend of mine has endured a lot of frustration with some of his cheap FDM printers. Mainly the issue seems to be the fact that the machines cannot home in Z at exactly the same height. So he'll print a successful print after a careful levelling session, then go to print another copy and it won't stick and he'll check only to discover that the first layer gap is no longer what it was set at. These cheap printers use mechanical lever arm micro switches for the Z home and these are likely not precision enough to be called repeatable. My first printer was a dual IDEX called a Hictop 3d Hero. Yeah, its a $700 printer and I knew NOTHING about how it was built, but the feature it has on Z is the fact that it has optical home switches on Z, so when the machine homes it is always exactly the same height as it was originally set to when original levelling was done. I can start it up and give the bed an alcohol wipe and away it goes every time. No glue, no tape. I use a flex PEI sheet on a magnetic substrate, works great, although the PEI surface can get damaged if I'm not very careful to keep tools away from it.

[@webslinger2011]

I have the CR10s pro v2. My work around is to do leveling at best I can. Then save it to EEPROM(Memory). Using Cura slicer, I've edited the start gcode to use the saved mesh everytime I do a print. Avoiding the need to probe on every print since I'm not changing the flex bed.

[@carlbroker]

Are you a teacher? Or executive? Your speaking has an extremely strong presence.

[@AstonJay]

You are like the Bob Ross of 3D Printers😄

[@barral69]

I just got an Ender 7 a couple days ago. I can't find anything but reviews. (I should have watched them before buying it....) From what I can tell, it's been out for over a year. Why has nobody done any in depth tutorials for this thing yet? I would do it on my channel, but I am; A)Unqualified to make any content for this amazing hobby/profession. B)In waaaaaay over my head already. lol

[@c0mputer]

Great video, I'm new to 3D printing and also a Mac user and I have been trying to find a way to connect my printer to my Mac. Most other software for OS X is way too old. Repetier Host's latest build mentions the "NEW OS X Mountain Lion" for god sakes! Tomorrow I'll try out yours. Also Cura for me doesn't work well. It makes my mouse not work after about 30 seconds of using it. Do you have this problem too?

[@yeroca]

Regarding maintenance, I think silicone-based grease is not a good lubricant to use. That grease is design for keeping o-rings and other types of flexible seals from drying out (for example in plumbing) and thus maintaining a good seal. They are not for lubricating metal-to-metal contact. From what I've read, "dry-film PTFE-based lubricants" are preferred for lubricating lead screws. This kind of lubricant is readily-available at hardware stores, and is easy to find on amazon.

[@oneheadlight8000]

I learned after 300,000 hours and 100s of printers that it is best to pick a machine for the majority of your work and keep buying that same machine. We had so many sovols, ultimaker, artillery, creality, prusa, raise3d, etc and it’s so difficult to quickly repair and upgrade when they are so different (in a farm setting).. We recently started selling all our printers and going to an all prusa farm with a few exceptions.. this way all the hardware is reliable and the same.. it also allows for quick repairs because you intimately know the machines you have.. the other nice thing is the same gcode works everywhere in your farm.

[@tomhigley680]

I would love to see a video of you Leveling the LNL TL-D3 Pro Dual Extruder 3D Printer - bed, gantry, and hot ends. Same with other idex printers. Most of the videos don't do it because most of it Is done in the factory but what happens when you get one that has not been done and your a new bee

[@c0mputer]

Hi Irv, no one I ask has answered this question for me. Hope you can! What is the tolerance one should shoot for when calibrating the extruder? For example, if you tell it to feed 100mm of filament and it feeds 109mm, then I know that's too much and it needs to be corrected. But what if it feeds 101mm? Or 99.65mm? Is that close enough? Are we looking for EXACT precision?

[@shadbonen]

Erv you the man

[@queens.dee.223]

I just signed up for your forum. I'm getting into 3D printing. I am using online printing services for now, and I'm looking at options for my first 3D printer. Does your forum have an "Introduce Yourself" type area? I didn't see one when I signed up.

[@kandiceweaver1737]

I have an anycubic kobra and had to replace the extruder. I followed your instructions on Repeiter and its a different layout than the version you used. I think that's where I'm getting confused. I load the filament to do the length test and it sounds like a really old lawnmower or leaf blower and wont pull filament unless I push it through by hand, and i still get the grinding noise. This kobra is not even 4 months old yet. I've never used gcode before. Can you possibly do a video of newest version of Repetier. I have V2.3.1 It would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[@irgski]

Is there a way or preferred method for copying an existing part on a 3D printer?

[@escultormariopitanguy]

Irv is the BEST! Long land prosper life!

[@DianosAbael]

Most printers nowadays have PID Tuning tests included in the printer firmware. No need of PC connection

[@ram_morey]

I have a doubt unrelated to this topic, I've been doing 3D printing for about 2 years now. In this specific video ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/i6eyloiEgbiKjZo ) at 4:20 this guy says, "It takes about 2 hours to print one shade" and I've tried every possible way to test that. I have a lamp model that is correctly sculpted to be hollow, it won't require any supports and it is comparable to the one in the above-mentioned video. With infill 0% its taking 14hours with 0.5 Line width and in vase mode it won't print the inner surface even when in Surface-"Both" mode but takes 4.5hrs to print the outer surface. Can we realistically print a model as intricate as the one in the video, which has two surfaces, in under three hours? Since I was unable to locate a technique to obtain their numbers!

[@Bart_Depestele]

22:03 Slicers are not scary

[@thenonchalant172]

I have a samsung galaxy s8 ultra tablet will that work in the place of a computer for 3d printers? From the question you can guess my knowledge level on this subject 🤣🤣

[@hatschmolo2923]

There are some apps like astro print, but i have not found a good solution that compares to pc software. You wont have full controll over the slicer engine

[@daviddrumm3673]

Your phone can run Octoprint, but you will need a slicer to create the G-Code

[@thenonchalant172]

@@hatschmolo2923 thanks

[@thenonchalant172]

@@daviddrumm3673 thanks

[@philnelson2364]

You forgot about us delta printer users.

[@mamatuja]

How many more beginner videos will you make in the future? Cause you made quite a few in the past. Time to progress, thank you.😁

[@MakeWithTech]

I try to make a combination of beginner and advanced videos since technology is always evolving and I need to revisit the material to break the videos up to date. I have combined information for beginners and more advanced users in this video. Not sure that is a good strategy. I'll see how it does and in the future, I may break up "tip" videos into separate advanced and beginner material.

[@KT-lh9gp]

His channel he can do what he likes

[@ACupid-ej7nv]

@@KT-lh9gpit amazes me that people will always find something to complain about. Like you said, it’s his channel. And his videos are extremely informative!

[@snax_4820]

Long story short: buy a Prusa!

[@yeroca]

That has nothing to do with the content of the video.

[@spaz13b]

Comment

[@jordancossette2192]

Response

[@spaz13b]

My job here is done

[@whitewittock]

Sorry you're so wrong I started with resin printing and it's so much easier, leveling is easy, think about how few components are involved - 1 axis (z) a bed a screen and a vat. FDM you need to know G code ffs it's Only easier for you because you know it already

[@MakeWithTech]

Everything you have said is correct. For me the real issue is dealing with the messy and dangerous resin. This is from All3dP: "Irritating to the skin and respiratory system: You should never expose your bare skin to the liquid chemicals of 3D printing resin. They can create contact dermatitis, which is a surface rash that could develop into an allergy if you expose yourself to resin for long periods of time. Resins also naturally give off fumes, and unless you work in a well-ventilated area, molecules from the fumes will get into your lungs and cause irritation there, too." My personal experience with a Resin based 3d printer was a very low end model and I was never able to get consistent bed adhesion. Finally Resin 3d printers get quite expensive as you scale them up to FDM printer sizes. At the end of the day you need to select the correct tool for the job. Each 3d printer technology has it place. If I was printing small highly detailed models I would revisit resin based 3d printers. I tend to print functional parts and larger items so FDM printers are a better match for my needs.

[@whitewittock]

@@MakeWithTech that's true too a lot of people are unaware if they are harming themselves with resin printing even with reasonable PPE I hope they come out with better resins because it's just a much better way to print I think 😜

[@StewKeto3DPrinting]

I enjoy your videos, but your pace is extraordinarily slow for me. I realize that your goal is to provide comprehension to a majority of your viewers. That's why I use a Chrome extension that allows me to speed up your videos to a pace where I have full understanding of your points, but without all the extra time. I hope this does not mess with your metrics too much.

[@mpoT3CHY]

He’s a professional, thus why you don’t see a bunch of unnecessary slide transitions, loud songs or annoying sounds like 90% of other channels.

[@yeroca]

Keep in mind that some of the viewers are kids, and some are non-native speakers of English who may appreciate the slower style of his videos. That said, I do watch these videos at 1.5X, and it doesn't require any extension... you can do speed changes right in KZbin via the gear icon.

[@StewKeto3DPrinting]

@@yeroca The purpose of my comment was to LET IRV KNOW that I was speeding up his video and that I hoped it didn't mess up his metrics, which is important to a KZbinr. If he responds and says that hurts his viewer metrics, I will watch at 1.0x speed. I wasn't criticizing in any way. I typically watch his videos at 1.6x, and can alter that in 0.1x increments all the way up to 16.0x. The built-in 1.5x is too slow and 1.75x is just a bit too fast.

[@driveparty]

First dislike to a, generally speaking, Intelligible presentation of a rather complicated subject of 3d-printing. And that's for... SILICONE GREASE! Should you ever bother to read about grease-oiling a metal to metal or a metal to plastic, you'll easily find out that silicone oils (yes, that's named after b a s e o i l thickened by a so-called soaps) won't stay on a metal surface, tenting to drip off of it. And, as most plastics are +/- hygroscopic, silicon oils are rather thin get soaked into the plastic parts too. For the sake of simplicity, I'd recommend one to go with a GREASE based on polyalphaolefin (PAO) oils. Those are mostly compatible with both plastics and metals, don't tend to drip off of a metal surfaces, won't soak in the plastic parts (not as much as silicone oils), won't evaporate as fast and etc etc etc. PTFE-filled suits the purpose best.

[@ranchranchers9587]

Will i can't see your posts. Silence is the biggest worst problem in the 3d print community. Hiding critical info is not helping newbs nor community. What say you Mr Vax?