Introduction

It is time to face the facts and one of those facts is 3D printers are here. While they have been around for some time, they are rapidly becoming plentiful and popular enough that anyone with a modest budget can afford and enjoy them. They are no longer relegated to the dark subbasements, garages, and poorly lit workshops of the nerdy—almost maniacal—tinkerers.

Intended Audience

I wrote this book to share my passion for 3D printers with everyone who wants to join the 3D printing world but isn’t prepared or has the time to devote to digging through thousands of web posts and poorly written wikis, and slogging through fact and fiction in order to learn the skills needed to use and maintain a 3D printer. It is my hope that this book fills the gap from the thin and in some cases nonexistent user’s manual to the accumulation of knowledge and experience of the expert.

This book therefore is for novice and intermediate 3D enthusiasts who want to master their 3D printers. Even enthusiasts who have been using their printers for several years will find information in this book that will help further enhance their skills.

More importantly, I wrote this book to help those who have become frustrated trying to learn how to use their printers. I have talked with and read the remorseful laments of those who have thrown the towel in after failing to get their printers to print more than a useless pile of tangled filament. If I never again see for sale a partially assembled or new printer with less than 10 hours on it, I will have achieved this goal immeasurably. Perhaps that is too much to wish for, but if I get one person to turn his or her lament to enjoyment, I’ll be happy.

How This Book Is Structured

The book is divided into four parts. The first part covers general topics, including a short introduction to 3D printing, build tips, configuration, and calibration. The second part covers troubleshooting hardware, software, and print problems. The third part covers printer maintenance and improvements. The fourth part includes topics on designing parts, working with parts after they are printed, and contributing to the growing 3D printing community.

Part I: Getting Started

Part I of the book is designed to get you started in 3D printing and includes a short introduction to 3D printing technology, software, and hardware. Topics include choosing the right filament, getting and building a 3D printer, calibrating and setting up your printer, as well as configuring your software and helpful tips on printing your first objects and fine-tuning your printer.

• Introduction to 3D Printing. Chapter 1 presents an introduction to 3D printing, including the anatomy of a 3D printer and the software used in printing and filaments types.
• Getting a 3D Printer. Chapter 2 covers the classes of 3D printers, a description of the features found on 3D printers, as well as a discussion on whether to buy or build your own 3D printer.
• 3D Printer Building: Tips for a Successful Build. Chapter 3 includes a comprehensive discussion on the types of tools needed to build and maintain 3D printers. It also includes a section on building your own 3D printer, in the form of helpful tips for a successful build.
• Configuring the Software. Chapter 4 presents how to install the software on your computer and printer. It also presents a detailed look at how to configure the Marlin firmware for your printer.
• Calibrating the Printer. Chapter 5 presents the most vital tasks for preparing your printer, including calibrating the hardware to function properly. From axes, endstops, and electronics, this chapter will help you get your printer calibrated correctly.
• Printing for the First Time. Chapter 6 will help you prepare your print surface for printing by closely examining the types of print surface treatments, including which to use for each filament type. It also covers setting the Z-axis initial height, configuring the slicer to generate print files, and ideas for some things to test your printer.

Part II: Troubleshooting

Part II provides a look into the sometimes baffling world of troubleshooting 3D printers and print quality. It includes chapters on diagnosing hardware and software problems. You will learn how to diagnose print quality issues like first-layer adhesion (lifting) and other anomalous print artifacts. Also included are many tips on getting the most out of your hardware.

• Solving Hardware Issues. Chapter 7 provides an introduction on how to conduct troubleshooting, including tips on how to observe and diagnose problems. Specific problems related to hardware issues are examined in-depth, including those related to the filament, extruder, and axes mechanisms.
• Solving Software Issues. Chapter 8 presents those problems that have a software-related cause and include such things as problems generating the .stl file, as well as problems related to incorrect calibration settings in the firmware introduced either by accident, hardware changes, or upgrades.

Part III: Maintenance and Enhancements

Part III will get you familiar with the concepts of maintaining a 3D printer. This includes alignment, adjustment, cleaning, and repairing the components of your printer. You will also learn how to extend the life of your 3D printer by upgrading and enhancing features.

• 3D Printer Maintenance: Inspection and Adjustment Tasks. Chapter 9 includes an introduction to performing maintenance, as well as a list of things you can do to spot problems before they occur. It also presents a number of routine things you should do before each print to ensure your printer is working correctly.
• 3D Printer Maintenance: Preventive and Corrective Tasks. Chapter 10 presents a detailed look at those maintenance tasks you need to perform periodically to correct wear and alignment issues, such as cleaning and lubricating the moving parts. It also presents topics on how to fix things that go wrong, including several examples of common failures in 3D printers.
• 3D Printer Enhancements. Chapter 11 presents a look at how you can improve your printer through the enhancement of existing features, as well as upgrading the printer by adding new features. It also presents a look at several key upgrades for some of the most popular printers.

Part IV: Mastering Your Craft

Part IV concludes the journey through the 3D printing world by presenting how you can become a productive member of the 3D printing community. It also includes topics on how to finish your 3D prints with a surface treatment, as well as how to get started designing your own objects. Finally, examples of solutions to real-world problems are presented to give you fuel for sparking your own creativity.

• Working with Objects. Chapter 12 will get you started on working with objects, beginning with a tutorial on how to use OpenSCAD to design your own objects. Included is a section on how to modify existing objects by combining it with your own OpenSCAD code to further enhance the object. You will also discover how to refine your printed objects with paint and other surface treatments.
• Taking it to the Next Level. This final chapter presents suggestions and etiquette on how to join the 3D printing community. It also presents some advanced projects for your 3D printing, including how to spawn your own 3D printer and some examples you can use with your 3D printer to solve real-world problems in your home.

Appendix

The appendix contains diagnostic charts to help you zero-in on the cause of a print quality issue, a failure, or other problems with hardware and software.

How to Use This Book

There are several ways you can use this book, depending on your experience level and, of course, the time you have to devote to study. After all, you want to enjoy your new acquisition, yes? The following sections describe some likely levels of experience. You may find that you fit into several categories—that’s OK. The sections are not intended as the only ways to read and apply the material presented. Indeed, you can read this book cover-to-cover or a single chapter at a time in any order. Only you know your needs. However, if you want some guidance, I provide such next.

New to 3D Printing

This section is for those who are new to 3D printing and have either just bought a printer or plan to in the near future. It also covers those who want to learn to build their own 3D printer. You will learn all about 3D printers, including the hardware used to build them and the software to run them.

If this fits your needs, I recommend you read through the first two parts of this book before trying to spend a lot of time with your printer. This applies even to those who have purchased a commercial printer. The time you spend reading about and later executing calibration and proper setup may make the difference between buyer’s remorse and enthusiasm.

Once you have your printer going and have had success printing several things, you can move on to the third part of this book, which will help you understand the maintenance needs of your printer. There is also a chapter on adding features your printer is missing. When you are ready to learn what more you can do with your printer, including post-print finishing your things, you can dive into the fourth part of the book.

You Own a 3D Printer, but Need Help Getting it Working Well

This section covers topics for those of you who have had some experience with a 3D printer but want to learn about how it works, and more importantly, how to tweak your printer to improve its print quality.

If this is you, I recommend skimming through the first part of the book to ensure that you have learned all of the key concepts of 3D printing. Even if you already have your printer set up and have software installed, it is a good idea to read about those topics in a more general aspect. If nothing else, you will see some of the choices you could make concerning filament, hardware, and software solutions.

From there, I recommend reading through the second and third parts of this book, one chapter at a time, to apply the techniques you’ve learned. This includes proper calibration, setup, maintenance, and troubleshooting your prints. The troubleshooting chapters alone are the one area where intermediate enthusiasts have a lot of frustration. As I mention in one chapter, there are a lot of opinions and solutions out there for common maladies; some are no more than voodoo or wishful thinking, some work for a few, and most are too specific to a particular model or situation to be a general cure. If you are having print issues, you will learn many solutions that can make almost all of your problems vanish.

Once you have your printer dialed in and your printing woes cured, take a look at the fourth part of the book to learn how you can take your hobby to the next level by finishing your prints with surface treatments, learning to become a member of the 3D printing community by sharing your ideas and designs.

You Own a 3D Printer, but Want More

This section is for those who have been using a 3D printer but feel there is something more out there.¹ In other words, those of you that want to further immerse yourselves into your 3D printing hobby and become more than a user—you want to become a true 3D printing enthusiast.

If you find that you are in this group—and since you are likely to have some experience in most areas, I recommend starting with the table of contents and reading each chapter in which you would like to learn more or perhaps recap your existing knowledge. This applies mainly to the first part of the book.

However, I recommend that you read the second and third parts carefully because good troubleshooting and maintenance are key skills that you must master to achieve the level of enthusiast. Furthermore, the fourth part should become your call to reach out with your newly refined skills to help others.

Downloading the Code

The code for the examples shown in this book is available on the Apress web site (www.apress.com). A link can be found on the book’s information page under the Source Code/Downloads tab. This tab is located underneath the Related Titles section of the page.

Contacting the Author

Should you have any questions or comments—or even spot a mistake you think I should know about—you can contact me—the author—at [email protected].

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¹I was there once a few years ago so I know exactly what you’re thinking!