There comes a time in every hobby when you’re so engrossed in it that you buy every accessory you can find. Sure, you might move to Johannesburg with a garage full of diving equipment that you just can’t use anymore, but hey, when you were diving, those R1,500 cat ears on top of your head were well worth it.
The same can easily be said for 3D Printing. There are a multitude of accessories you can pick up for the hobby that will make your life easier or the hobby just more exciting. If you find yourself lost, confused or wanting to know more about the following accessories, and any others, remember you can always reach out to the NAG team for some basic assistance, or our fine friends over at 3D Store for a more professional touch.
So, prepare your wallets because we’re going to fill you in on just a few of the accessories and gadgets we love using with our 3D printers at NAG HQ.
Accessories we just can’t live without:
While there are some accessories that we pick up to make our lives a little easier, there are other accessories that we just can’t live without, such as water and oxygen… and taking leave on a Friday for three-day weekends filled with gaming.
Wash and Cure Station
If you’ve got a resin printer, you’ll know that washing and curing the objects after they’ve printed is an absolute must. Without washing them you leave unwanted liquid on the print that muddies the details, and without curing your resin prints will still be toxic, sticky and very unaccepting of any kind of paint.
While you could get away with stealing your boss’s dustbin to wash the prints in and then leaving them out in the sun for hours to cure, a wash and cure station just makes this process a million times easier.
Just pop the prints in the supplied drum for a wash, let it spin for a few minutes, dry them off and then use the same station in cure mode to get the printed objects ready for use.
It may be a costly piece of hardware, but it’s absolutely essential. The Creality UW-01 Washing and Curing Station from 3D Store is perfect for this and is as easy to use as a microwave.
Electric Nail File/Dremel
Sometimes, your resin-printed object will need a little bit of touching up once they’re done curing, but you’ll always need to give your filament-printed objects some love with a bit of sanding when they’re printed. This task can be a bit of a round-shaped-male-organ ache, but an electric nail file, or if you’re lucky enough to have a Dremel, cuts the sanding time down immensely.
We picked up an eclectic nail file from our local pharmacy, and to say it’s saved our butts on more than one occasion is an understatement. You don’t need to spend a lot of money here, any old nail file will do the job perfectly fine.
A Hardy Pair of Gloves
While you should always wear a pair of Nitrile gloves when dealing with resin prints, anything printed on a filament printer doesn’t necessarily need something for your hands. However, removing supports and sanding these filament-printed objects down can get a little rough on the hands.
A cheap pair of builders gloves from your local hardware store will go a long way in keeping your hands free of cuts and scratches, and your partner will love you even more for it when you give them a back massage later.
We picked up a pair of gloves from Leroy Merlin for R60, and it’s been money well spent.
Accessories We Love to Have But Don’t Need:
On the other end of the accessory spectrum are the things we love to have but we could get away without. When you’re confident that 3D printing is now your favourite hobby, pick up a few of these to make the process even more enjoyable.
Filament Drying Station
Sometimes, you’ll get a roll of filament that’s just a little bit more sweaty than the rest. Whether it’s because you live in a humid environment or you just forgot to store your filament in the correct manner (inside its plastic wrap with the little silicone baggy), it’s bound to happen at some stage.
A filament drying station, like the Creality Space Pi Filament Dryer Double Roll from 3D Store, is here to save the day. Just pop your roll of filament inside the station, or even store them in there for later use, hit the beep-beep-boop buttons, and hey, presto, you’ve got yourself a dry roll of filament that won’t bubble, pop and mess up your next 3D print.
A Textured Build Plate
A textured build plate may sound a little weird at first, but if you’ve been printing for a little while now, you’ll have had a few prints that just won’t stick to the build plate.
This is where a textured build plate comes in. The rougher, textured surface creates extra grip between the print and the plate, ensuring that you don’t run into this issue again.
Both resin and filament printers come with these accessories, so just look up the printer you currently have, and you’re bound to find one.
No longer shall we suffer failed prints because of the lack of friction! #Science.
3D Scanner
More than likely, the most expensive accessory you’re likely to come across has got to be a 3D scanner. It’s completely unnecessary to own one, but if you’re looking to create 3D printed object that fit into tight spaces around your house, or to duplicate a figurine you just love on your shelf, you won’t get anything easier than a handy, hand-held 3D scanner.
The Creality CR-Scan RaptorX Professional may cost you an arm, leg and small car, but it’s the ultimate tool in creating 3D objects that you can then edit to fit your needs to the T.
At the NAG office we get away with using an app on our phones, but you can tell it’s just not perfect, and, perhaps one day, we will convince the big boss to drop a small R80,000 on a 3D scanner for us.
A Multi-tool
Arguably more handy than a younger sibling is a multi-tool.
Something you’re likely to have strapped to your jean-pant, and usually including a pair of plyers, a small knife, a tweezer and a file, this handy little gadget should be able to help with most of the support removal and cleaning up process.
If you don’t already have one, it might be a good idea to pick one up. Plus you could always use it for other things, like helping your mates at a braai or fending off snakes on your next off-road holiday.
You’ll likely stumble across countless more accessories during your 3D printing journey, but this list should at least get you the rank of “Best 3D Printer in the Friend Group”.
As always, if you struggle with anything 3D printing related, drop us an email or, better yet, get in touch with our friends over at 3D Store, where either of us will be happy to get you back on your feet and printing to your hearts content.
