3D Printing FAQ

Questions & Answers about 3D Printing

  • General

    1. What is 3D printing?
    2. What to buy a 3D printer for?
    3. What 3D printing processes are there?
    4. What materials can FDM printers process?
    5. Which material is better? ABS or PLA?
    6. Which filament diameter should I use?
    7. Where am I able to download free 3D models in the internet?

    • What is 3D printing?

      3D printers mechanically layer material on top of one another. The steering mechanism is geared by special 3D printer software. This is based on a 3D model, which can either be designed or downloaded.

      A fundamental and distinctive feature is the minimal thickness of each individual layer. The thinner the layer, the smoother the surface. This may vary between a few microns and a few millimeters.

    • What to buy a 3D printer for?

      The 3D printer can be used in many ways. In contrast to mass production, I can also use it to produce individual functional parts.

      3D printers are often used by model builders, hobbyists and, for example, technology fanatics.

      You can easily print the most complex models or spare parts.

    • What 3D printing processes are there?

      There are many different 3D printing processes. The most commonly used 3D printer processes in the household and desktop area are FDM printers because they are relatively cheap to buy and use.

      FDM stands for Fused Deposition Modeling.

    • What materials can FDM printers process?

      The most popular materials used for FDM 3D printers are PLA, ABS and PETG.

      There are many more materials that are suitable for this printing process. However, which materials can be processed depends on the 3D printer.

    • Which material is better? ABS or PLA?

      You can't quite say it like that.
      Every material has its advantages and disadvantages.

      With PLA you have the advantage that there are no unpleasant smells when printing and that they are easy to print.

      ABS, in contrast to PLA, has a higher temperature resistance, but a heated building board or enclosed space is required for processing.

    • Which filament diameter should I use?

      A distinction is made between two diameters of the filament: 1.75 mm and 2.85 mm.

      There is generally no right or wrong diameter. Every 3D printer needs a different filament diameter.
      Which exactly you will find in the description of the device.

      Some printers as an example:

      1.75 mm filament:

      • bq
      • MakerBot
      • Zortrax

      2.85 mm filament:

      • Ultimaker

    • Where am I able to download free 3D models in the internet?

      There are many 3D printing databases found on the internet. Here are a few:

  • Print Quality Problems & Solutions

    1. No extrusion or bad extrusion when printing starts

    • No extrusion or bad extrusion when printing starts

      This problem is one of the most common for newcomers to 3D printers and is therefore easy to solve!

      Symptom:

      The printer does not extrude filament on the first layer.

      Possible causes:

      1. Nozzle temperature set incorrectly
      2. Nozzle too close to the build plate when printing starts
      3. Extruder gears clogged by "filament grinding"
      4. Hotend is clogged