3D printing
3D printing tools and guides
Tools and guides for people who actually run a 3D printer, whether for yourself or to sell prints. The cost calculator turns filament, print time, and your own rates into a real per-print cost, and the guides come from printing most days, not from a spec sheet. This section is small for now and growing. Free, no signup.
Tools
Filament Drying Calculator Maker drying temps per filament (never averaged), your dryer graded against the published range with measured real-world max temps, weight-check dryness, and staged plans for mixed batches. 3D Print Cost Calculator Enter filament, print time, and your rates to get the true per-print cost: material, power, machine wear, and failed prints.
Guides
Materials and filament
- Which filament should I use? Where the part lives and how hard it works picks the filament, PLA to the engineering tier, tradeoffs included.
- 3D printer filament types compared PLA, PETG, ABS, and ASA: what each is good at and how to choose.
- PLA vs PETG: which should you use? Strength, heat, ease of printing, and when to pick each.
- Best filament for outdoor and heat Why PLA and PETG fail in sun and heat, why ASA wins, and what to buy.
- Does PETG melt in a hot car? I measured 98C on my dashboard. What that heat does to PLA, PETG, and ASA.
Print quality and settings
- 3D print not sticking to the bed? Fix first-layer adhesion: leveling, Z-offset, a clean bed, and bed temps.
- 3D print stringing: causes and fixes Stop wispy hairs: retraction tuning, nozzle temp, and drying wet filament.
- 3D print warping: why corners lift Stop corners lifting: bed temp, an enclosure, brim or raft, and no fan for ABS and ASA.
- 3D printer supports: when and how to use them The 45 degree rule, normal vs tree supports, Z distance, clean removal.
- 3D print infill: percentage and patterns What percentage and which pattern to use, and how infill affects strength, time, and cost.
Buying and cost
- Best 3D printer by budget and use case Budget, no-enclosure, value, and enclosed-for-ASA picks, and what I run.
- How much does it cost to 3D print? Filament, power, machine wear, failed prints, and your time.