When we bought our first printer we didn’t realize that there is a number of essential 3D printing tools to come with it. There are tools for the printing process and also for safety. Day by day we kept filling our toolbox with more essentials and now we have a neat workshop in a spare bedroom. It is important to know what’s needed in order not to overspend money. We have put together a list to give an idea of what’s required and to help find the right items.
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Top 10 Essential 3D Printing Tools
Pre-Made Tool Sets
First of all, we do recommend to explore and search for tool sets. You may need to add more tools in due course. These kits became available just recently and may variate in price greatly. Remember, that bulk price for the set doesn’t always mean it is cheaper than buying particular items separately, some items may never be used and the quality of other items may deteriorate. Available on Amazon
Print Removal Tool – Spatula
Helps to remove newly printed objects from the build plate. A blade easily slides underneath the prints. New spatulas are thin, strong, and durable. Especially good for gently removing the large 3D prints. In some tough cases, all 3 spatulas can be used at once. Available on Amazon
Nozzle Cleaning Kit
Part of 3D printer maintenance routine. The extruder nozzle cleaner is an essential item for any 3D printer owner. Every extruder nozzle must be cleaned regularly as part of maintenance. Available on Amazon
Knife Clean-Up Kit
Multi-blade knife set to clean prints. Easily removes supports, raft and other excess material from your 3D printed objects. Available on Amazon
Tweezers
Helps to remove oozing filament from a hot nozzle and to remove support. Great for removing 3D printed support material or cleaning up 3D Printer hot ends. Fine ends let you easily get to hard-to-reach places. Available on Amazon
Glue Stick
An adhesive is required to keep an object in place during printing. It can be glue or hair spray. Stick glue is recommended for use on a build plate, heated or not heated. Prevents warping. A strong type of glue stick works better. Available on Amazon
Pliers
Must have tools. Preferably a set for all kind of tasks: to cut, clean, adjust, etc. These are used to cut the filament and to remove support. Different size of plier ends helps to get hard-to-reach parts. Available on Amazon
Spanners
A spanner is used when changing the nozzle. Yet again, as you planning to change the nozzle it’s more likely you will need replacement. There are all kinds of sets available (spanners+nozzles) for affordable prices. Available on Amazon
Nozzles
Instead of trying to clean the nozzle, in most cases, it is better just to replace it. There are a few types of 3D printer nozzles that can be bought in bulk. Before buying, make sure that the nozzles are compatible with your 3D printer. For example, MK8 nozzles are compatible with the following 3D Printers: Creality CR10, Ender 3 v2, Ender 5 PRO, Makerbot, Ultimaker 2, Anet ET, Tevo Tornado, Anycubic i3 Mega … Available on Amazon
Desiccant Dehumidifiers
It is very important to store filament correctly. Extra moisture ruins the quality of 3D printing material. Desiccant should be always added to airtight containers where the filament is stored. Excess moisture changes the quality of filament. Available on Amazon
Masking or/and Kaption Tape Sticker Sheets
For those printers, which do not have a glass bed or smooth printing surface or bed got damaged masking tape stickers are essential. Wide range of all kinds of stickers sheets specially for 3D printing available on Amazon
Alcohol Wipes
Helps to clean glass and other printing beds. Available on Amazon
Hex aka Allen Key Set
An important tool for the maintenance of 3D printers. It is needed when changing the extruder, adjusting the belts, fixing the heated build plate, etc. We found that a hex key with a handle is especially comfortable to work with when dealing with a DIY 3D printer kit like Original Prusa i3 MK2. Available on Amazon
The list is sorted by: Essential, Safety and Optional 3D printing tools. As we went along and got deeper into 3D printing there were more and more items that became part of the whole process. We will be adding tools for decorating the prints, photo equipment, scanning stations, acetone vapouring products, etc.
Disclaimer: The links are affiliate links – at no additional cost for you we will receive a commission if a purchase happens.
Safety Tools
Goggles
This is a necessary protection during nozzle cleaning. Blocked nozzle may accumulate pressure inside which can cause a burst of molten filament. Available on Amazon
Smoke Detector
Make sure there is a smoke detector within proximity of your 3D printer. There are both a complex electical device and high temperatures involved in the process. Available on Amazon
Fire Extinguisher
Fire Extinguisher ABC class. Available on Amazon
Dust Mask
Can be used when sanding and spray painting for example. Available on Amazon
Gloves
Disposable gloves good for any sort of dirty work including 3D printed object postprocessing. Spray Painting for example. Available on Amazon
(Photo: 3DWithUs)
Disclaimer: The links are affiliate links – at no additional cost for you we will receive a commission if a purchase happens.
Optional 3D Printing Tools
Cutting Matt
A wide range of self-healing protective mats is available. Sometimes support removing can be hard, that’s when these mats come to rescue. Available on Amazon
Heat Gun
Helps to clean your prints from strings caused by oozing. Especially with a thin focusing nozzle – helps to make curves to thin objects – for example, spiders’ legs. Available on Amazon
Soldering Iron
Easily embeds metal items into your plastic print, for example, bolts. Available on Amazon
Sandpaper
Sandpaper helps to smooth out your prints. Please note that it may discolor and leave dark marks on your object. If a print is decorated further, sandpaper is one of your essential tools. Available on Amazon
Electronic Digital Caliper
Good for measuring filements and objects. High precision measuring device. Offers extreme accuracy. The numbers displayed on the LCD screen are clear, large and easy to read. Can be used to measure length, depth, external and internal scope. Available on Amazon
Phone or Camera Holder
For amazing time-lapse videos. Available on Amazon
Photo Studio
Mini photo studio for the best pictures. Available on Amazon
3D Pen
Good for filling in the holes in your print and for other decoration purposes. Available on Amazon
Deburring Tool
This tool smooths sharp or rough edges after a brim or support is removed. It is less dangerous to use this tool compared to a knife. It is also less messy than sand paper. Available on Amazon
Cordless Rotary Tool
This tool is very useful in 3D print post-processing. Heads with many different shapes allow to clean an object without leaving marks. Available on Amazon
Read More: Settings for 3D Printer Nozzle Sizes
Replacing the nozzle on your 3D printer is one of the quickest ways you can make a major impact to your printed parts without making expensive hardware or extensive software changes …
(Photo: Andrew Sink)
