A Hobbyist Strapped Lasers to His 3D Printer to Make Parts Stronger
Pre-melting each layer before deposition pushed ABS z-axis strength to 94% of x-axis performance in tests.
Tips & Fixes
79 articles
Two Lasers and a 3D Printer: A Simple Hack for Stronger Layer Bonds
A maker strapped two cheap lasers to his printer to pre-melt each layer before the nozzle passes. The result: ABS Z-axis strength jumped from 60% to 94% of X-axis strength.
Most People Design 3D Printed Holes Wrong
A new guide from Slant 3D shows why most FDM holes come out undersized or misshapen, and what to change in your CAD to fix them without drilling.
PEBA Filament Burns Slow and Low: What the Maker's Muse Test Means for Workshop Safety
PEBA filament outlasted every other material in a Maker's Muse burn test. Here is what that means for storage, ventilation, and overnight printing.
PEBA Filament Burns Longer Than Any Other 3D Printing Material, Test Shows
A Maker's Muse burn test found PEBA filament burns longer and lower than PLA, ABS, or PETG, making ventilation and storage rules worth knowing.
MegCell Pulse: A Pair of 3D-Printed Robots That Play Guitar Together
A maker spent six years building twin 3D-printed robots that fret and pluck an acoustic guitar in sync, with DIY plans now on Kickstarter.
The Best Way to Embed Magnets in 3D Prints Without Glue
A simple friction-fit magnet pocket works until it doesn't. Here are seven better ways to keep magnets locked in your prints, no adhesive required.
Most People Design 3D Printed Holes Wrong: Here Is the Fix
Side holes ovalize, screws strip threads, and clearance holes come out smaller than designed. Three adjustments to your CAD and slicer settings fix all of them.
Sovol's Guide to Heat-Set Inserts: Design Brass Threaded Bosses That Actually Hold
Sovol breaks down the CAD geometry, slicer settings, and thermal installation steps for reliable heat-set inserts in FDM prints.
A Carbon Fiber Skin Makes 3D Prints Stronger Than the Filament Itself
A maker discovered that epoxying carbon fiber cloth between a printed core and shell produces parts stronger than continuous filament printers at a fraction of the cost.
Heat-Set Inserts: The Right Way to Make 3D-Printed Screw Bosses That Actually Hold
A badly installed brass insert pulls out under the first real load. The difference is temperature, patience, and a hole that is the right size.
Elegoo Matrix App Adds One-Click Remote Printing for Centauri Carbon 2
Elegoo's Matrix app now lets you browse models and start prints directly from your phone, no slicing software required.
Filament Fire Test: Which 3D Prints Burn and Which Don't
A controlled flammability test ranked common filaments from self-extinguishing to highly combustible, with clear safety takeaways for makers.
Revopoint's August Sale Takes 20% Off Metrology Scanners
Revopoint's STEM promotion runs through August 31, with discounts up to 20% on scanners that range from metrology-grade to portable hybrid.
How to Hide Z-Seams on Sovol Printers: A Practical Guide
Z-seams are the most common surface defect on FDM prints. Here is how placement, retraction, and slicer settings work together to eliminate them.
3D-Printed Lids That Actually Fit: The Tolerance Trick Most People Miss
A lid that wobbles or locks tight is almost always a tolerance problem, not a design problem. A few hundredths of a millimeter make all the difference.
Brittle Filament Ruins Prints: Here Is How to Stop It
Filament that snaps mid-print or crunches through the extruder is almost always a moisture problem. Here is what to do about it.
SonicMax Slice 10 Is a Cordless Ultrasonic Cutter for 3D Prints
This cordless ultrasonic cutter is built for longer support-removal sessions, with active cooling and a replaceable battery.
SonicMax Slice 10 Is a Cordless Ultrasonic Cutter for 3D Prints
This cordless ultrasonic cutter is built for longer support-removal sessions, with active cooling and a replaceable battery.
3D Printing Could Solve the Heat Problem in Body Armor and Helmets
Conformal cooling channels, textured surfaces, and integrated heat exchangers are turning 3D printing into the best tool for making safety gear that people will actually wear in the heat.
A 13-Year-Old 3D-Printed a Wheelchair for a Toddler in 300 Hours
Zac Waters spent his summer building a custom 3D-printed wheelchair for a 21-month-old girl through MakeGood, proving that entry-level 3D printing skills can produce real assistive devices.
The 4 Most Common 3D Printing Problems and How to Fix Each One
Stringing, bad layer adhesion, sagging overhangs, and bed adhesion failures account for most ruined prints. Here is how to diagnose and correct each one.
Are 3D Prints Flammable? What PLA, ABS, and PETG Actually Do in a Fire
Your 3D prints can burn. Here is which filaments are most dangerous, what fumes they release, and how to print safely.
7 Car Parts You Can 3D Print (And 6 You Definitely Shouldn't)
Some replacement parts are safe to print in PLA. Others can get you killed. Here is the practical guide.
3D-Printed Lens Adapters Let You Pair Old Glass With Modern Cameras
A 3D printer and a few cents in plastic can open up decades of old lenses for your modern camera body.
Common 3D Print Problems and How to Fix Them
Stringing, layer adhesion issues, bed adhesion failures, and bad models all have solutions. Here is how to diagnose and fix the most common issues.
3D Printing Spare Parts Works, But It Is Not as Simple as It Looks
A broken coffee grinder and a Prusa print reveal why 3D-printed replacements look easy on paper but can fail in practice. tolerances and material choice matter more than you think.
3 Desk Upgrades You Cannot Buy on Amazon, So Print Them Instead
A thermal label printer stand, an under-desk MacBook mount, and a wall organizer solved workspace problems no store-bought product could fix.
3D-Printed Lens Adapters Let You Pair Any Old Glass With a Modern Camera
A 3D printer can solve one of photography's most expensive problems: mounting vintage lenses on a modern mirrorless body for the price of a spool of filament.
3D Printing YouTube Videos Promise Easy Prints. The Reality Is Different
Your favorite 3D printing creators edit out the failures, hide the tuning, and pick projects for spectacle. Here is what they are not showing you.
5 Useful Parts to 3D Print for Your ESP32 and Microcontroller Projects
If you're building electronics with an ESP32 or Arduino, these five 3D-printed accessories will clean up your bench and protect your components for pennies.
3D Printing Filaments Burn Very Differently Under Direct Flame
A recent side-by-side burn test of 3D printing filaments shows just how differently PLA, ABS, and PETG behave when exposed to flame.
3D Print Disposable Tools for One-Time Jobs and Save Money
Your 3D printer can make cheap, single-use tools for jobs you would never spend money on at a hardware store.
A 3D Printed Lens Step-Up Ring Cost Six Cents and Works Perfectly
A reviewer used a Bambu Lab P2S to print a camera filter adapter that cost pennies in filament and took minutes to make.
3D Printer Upgrades Can Become a Trap If You Let Them
Spending weeks printing brackets and organizers for your printer feels productive, but it can quietly eat into the time you actually wanted the machine for.
Strengthening 3D Prints With a Carbon-Fiber Epidermis
A maker found that epoxying carbon-fiber cloth between a printed core and outer shell more than tripled the part's yield strength.
Print Multicolor 3D Models Without an AMS for Under $10 in Filament Waste
You don't need an expensive automatic material system to get multicolor prints. A slicer pause and some patience gets the job done.
Three Bambu Lab Tinkering Projects Worth Trying
Free software tools and a simple heater mod can extend your Bambu Lab printer beyond what the official app allows.
Sovol's Guide to Fixing a 3D Printer That Won't Extrude
A clogged nozzle, wet filament, or bad slicer settings can stop extrusion cold. Here is how to diagnose and fix the problem yourself.
5 Car Accessories Cheaper to 3D Print Than Buy on Amazon
A sunglasses clip, a grit guard, and a fry holder cost pennies to print and beat waiting for delivery.
Joliet Junior College Gets $281K to Expand 3D Printing Training
A new Illinois grant will fund commercial-grade 3D printers, powder bed fusion systems, and an additive manufacturing technician certification at JJC.
Makers Turn Smithsonian Fossils Into Life-Sized 3D Printed Dinosaurs
Free CC0 fossil scans from the Smithsonian are letting makers print full-scale dinosaur skeletons at home. One Reddit user spent 1,773 hours on a Triceratops skull alone.
Filament Routing Hacks for the SnapMaker U1 and Prusa INDX
Multi-material printers create a spaghetti problem. Here is how to tame the tubing and spools on the SnapMaker U1 and Prusa INDX.
A 3D Printer Can Organize Your Entire Workshop: Here's How
The Next Layer's latest video uses Gridfinity, RepRack and engineering filament to turn a cluttered studio into an organized space.
Two New Slicer Tricks Turn 4-Filament Printers Into Full-Color Machines
FullSpectrum and ImageMap let you mix colors layer by layer from four spools, cutting purge waste and opening up hundreds of shades.
Six Mechanical 3D Prints That Make Your Weekend Filament Worth It
Not every print needs to be a useful tool. These six small mechanical models spin, crank, and move, and they print in a few hours each.
Four Practical 3D Prints That Quietly Pay for Your Printer
Your 3D printer will never go viral printing storage bins and wall mounts, but those boring prints are exactly what covers the machine's cost.
Filament Routing Hacks for SnapMaker U1 and Prusa Core One INDX
Multi-material printers create a spaghetti problem. Here is how to tame the tubing and spools on the SnapMaker U1 and Prusa INDX.
A 3D Printed Cycloidal Gearbox Hits 92% Efficiency in Testing
A FDM-printed cycloidal gearbox reached 92% efficiency in real tests. Here is what that means for your next robotics project.
Budget 3D Printers That Actually Work: 2026 Buyer's Guide
You don't need to spend a fortune to get reliable prints. After testing dozens of affordable models, these are the ones worth your money.
Six Mechanical 3D Prints Worth Your Weekend Filament
Fidget spinners, card shufflers, and other moving-part prints that teach you something while you wait for the bed to heat.
A New Slicer Trick Cuts Multi-Color 3D Printing Time in Half
A community-built OrcaSlicer add-on rotates colors layer-by-layer instead of swapping tools every few millimeters. The result is smoother gradients and fewer tool changes.
Hi3D V3.0 Automates the Entire Slicing Workflow With AI
Hi3D's latest release chains AI model generation, color optimization and slicer-ready 3MF output into one click, so you can spend less time prepping and more time printing.
Your 3D Printer's Default Profile Is Wasting Filament
Factory slicer settings are designed for safety, not efficiency. Here is how to tune them and stop throwing away plastic on every print.
Why a 3D Printer Is the Best Creative Tool You Can Put in Front of a Kid
A 3D printer turns a kid's ideas into real objects. Here is how to put one in front of them without the headaches.
3D Printed Wall Art Is the Home Decor Trend Worth Trying
Turn a bare wall into printed art with lithophanes, HueForge paintings, and recycled filament shadow boxes.
Clever 3D Prints That Solve Everyday Problems, and Some That Just Entertain
From a splash shaped soap dish to a tiny briefcase that says JUST, makers are printing clever fixes for small daily annoyances.
Empty filament spools: why mailing them back is usually a losing trade
Brands keep floating spool return programs, but the shipping math rarely works in anyone's favor.
3D printed wall art is the easiest way to fill a bare wall
Your 3D printer can make wall decor that beats anything at the home store, from glowing lithophanes to dragon heads.
The Digital Caliper Is the First Tool You Need for 3D Printed Repairs
Before you print a replacement part, you have to measure the broken one. A digital caliper is the cheap tool that makes home repairs fit.
5 household repairs a 3D printer can fix before you toss the item
Before you replace that broken mixer, fridge clip, or chair foot, a 3D printer and a few grams of filament might save it.
5 3D Printed Accessories That Make the Samsung Galaxy S26 Better
From a magnetic charge stand to a phone lantern, here are five simple prints that make a Galaxy S26 more useful around the house.
HT PETG: What It Is and How to Print It Right the First Time
HT PETG promises PETG ease with ABS-like heat resistance. Here is how to dry it, what temps to use, and where it actually beats regular PETG.
5 Household Chores a 3D Printer Makes Surprisingly Easy
Your printer is good for more than toys. These five print-and-forget tools take the sting out of ordinary housework.
5 beginner 3D printing mistakes that waste a whole spool of filament
A failed print costs more than time. These five rookie mistakes burn through filament, money, and patience, and every one of them is avoidable.
Print Your Own Solder Paste Stencils and Skip the Wait
Metal solder stencils cost money and take days to arrive. A free tool and any FDM printer can turn out a working one in an afternoon.
Flex Filament Welded to Your Build Plate? Reach for the Isopropanol
TPU stuck so hard it tears off in chunks? A dab of isopropyl alcohol can release it in one piece, here's how and why it works.
Stop Wasting Filament on Multicolor Prints: Taming Your Slicer's Purge Settings
Multicolor printing's dirty secret isn't the print time, it's the pile of purge 'poop' your slicer throws away by default.
Can You Over-Dry 3D Printer Filament? What Too Much Heat Actually Does
Filament dryers are essential for clean prints, but leave spools in too long and the heat itself can ruin them. Here's the safe limit.
Giving Resin 3D Printers Another Shot in 2026: What Actually Changed
Six years after FDM stole the spotlight, resin printing has quietly fixed its worst habits. Here's what's genuinely better, and what still isn't.
7 Useful Bedroom 3D Printing Projects to Make This Weekend
From no-slip sheet locks to under-sheet coolers, these printable bedroom upgrades solve small daily annoyances for almost no filament.
How to Make Money Selling Your 3D Models Online in 2026 (No Print Farm Required)
You don't need a garage full of printers to monetize your designs. Print-on-demand services like Slant 3D's Portals handle production, packing, and shipping for you.
Design 3D Printed Tabs That Snap Together With Zero Supports
Cantilever snap-fit tabs let your prints click together with no glue, no hardware, and no support material. Here's how to design one that actually holds.
No Drilling? 8 Practical 3D Printed Home Accessories for European Renters This Summer
Summer heatwave solutions for renters: 8 no-drill 3D printed accessories including window fan brackets, AC hose adapters, and curtain clips to keep your flat cool without losing your deposit.
Resin 3D Printing Problems: Quick Fixes Cheat Sheet
Problem → Fix. One line each. Resin printing issues solved fast.
3D Printing Temperature Reference: Nozzle & Bed Settings
Quick reference for nozzle and bed temperatures across all common filaments. Print it, bookmark it, stick it on your wall.
Slicer Settings Quick Reference: Speed, Layer Height, Infill
Essential slicer settings at a glance. Works for Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer, PrusaSlicer, Cura, and beyond.
3D Printing Materials: Strength, Flexibility & Use Cases
Which material for which job? Compare strength, flexibility, heat resistance, and printability at a glance.
3D Printing Problems: Quick Fixes Cheat Sheet
Problem → Fix. One line each. Print this and keep it next to your printer.