So you bought your first 3D printer and just finished assembling it. If you haven’t assembled it yet and need help with that click here <=(insert 3D Printer Assembly link here). Now you want to print your first model but you are having a hard time getting started. I’ll show you step by step what you need and how to get from finding your first design to holding that 3D model in your hands. Now let’s get started…
Let’s start with what software you will need and which ones I recommend will be the easiest for you to understand. 3D printing starts with a digital 3D model which is called an STL file. It’s called that because the file type is a .stl like your photos are .jpeg and so on. There are two ways for you to get an STL file. The first and the easiest way is to download a model that somebody already designed. You can find these models on a bunch of different websites. Some you can download for free and some you pay for the STL file you want. Since you are just beginning and you still need to get used to the process and knowing how your printer works, then let’s just stick to the free sites.
Probably the most popular one is Thingiverse. Here is a link to my profile if want to take a look at some of the models I designed.
You don’t have to create a Thingiverse account to download the STL files but I would recommend you do. With an account you’re are able to message the design if you have any questions like what filament they recommend using or if you need to print with a certain setting. You will also be able to start a collection of files you want to print.
Another website you can get your STL files from is Thangs. This site is a collection of models from a bunch of different websites. A majority of them are from Thingiverse but there are some that come from other places. With Thangs, you need to create an account to download straight from the site.
Eventually, you will you’ll come across the problem of not finding the exact model you are looking for. Maybe you find a model that you want but you want to modify it to fit your style. This brings me to the other option of obtaining STL files. Designing them yourself with CAD software…
CAD design is something that may look extremely complicating but with a little time and practice, you will be able to create simple 3D models that you can print. There is a handful of different CAD software ranging from beginners to expert, free or paid. Let’s stick to the free software for beginners. That’s Tinkercad…
If you ever played building blocks as a kid you will have no problem learning simple CAD design with Tinkercad. It’s as simple as picking the 3D shape you are looking for, cube, sphere, pyramid, cone, then dragging and dropping it on your workspace. Combine multiple shapes to create the shape you are looking for. It may look like a software made for kids but don’t be fooled by its appearance. With enough creativity, you’ll be able to make really complex models. Even some seasoned veterans of the 3D printer world still use Tinkercad to design their models but if you want something a little more advanced then you should take a look at Onshape.
Onshape is CAD software comparable to what the experts use. They offer a free account for personal use but also have paid subscriptions for businesses if you choose to start selling your designs. It’s a little more difficult to use. When I first started learning CAD I jumped straight into Onshape without knowing anything about it. It took a handle full of YouTube tutorials to understand sketches and extruding but it was worth the time. You will be able to design replacement parts for broken things that are hard to find or something that you can’t buy.
Now that you have an STL file that you like, you have to convert it into a file that your printer can read. A Slicer is a software you download to create what’s called a GCODE file. 3D printers stack layers of melted plastic on top of each other to form a 3D object. GCODE is just a roadmap for the printer to read layer by layer. All 3D prints come with a copy of the slicer that they recommend you use but that’s not your only option. CURA is probably the most used slicer software that people use.
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This is the slicer beginners might find easier to learn with because of how much information is out there explaining how to use it. CURA has a wide range of preset printer files from the most popular brand. If you can’t find your printer, then you can create a custom profile with the dimensions and settings for whatever you have. After uploading your STL file to your workspace, there are a couple of settings you need to choose from before generating the GCODE. First is the filament you’re printing with like PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU. They all print with a different nozzle and bed temperature. The second is to choose the nozzle diameter which will most commonly be .4mm. This will make sure the width of the line being extruded is correct. The third is the quality of the model being printed. Think of it as similar to photo quality. The size and amount of the pixels determine how much detail is in the photo. Same with the size and amount of layers printed in the model. You can choose from “Super Quality” that has .12mm layer heights, “Dynamic Quality” with .16mm, “Standard Quality” with .2mm, and “Low Quality” with .28mm. Standard quality is perfect for almost all models you will print. After you slice the model there will be a preview of what the print will look like with each layer.
There’s just one more thing to do before you hit print. Add the GCODE that you just created to the SD card that it came with, transfer the SD to the printer, select the file and PRINT.