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Three 3D printing rules I learned the hard way

Alan

Alan

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If you had to teach someone 3D printing using only three rules you learned the hard way, what would they be and why. I’m talking the stuff you wish someone drilled into your head before you burned a weekend on spaghetti prints and mystery clogs.

Try to keep it to three, even if it hurts. Also curious if your rules change depending on your setup like bed slinger vs CoreXY, PLA only vs you mess with PETG and ABS, stock printer vs heavily modded.

Drop your three rules and a quick why behind each. Bonus if you mention the one rule you broke recently and instantly regretted.
 
My three rules are: leveling and Z offset are not the same thing so don’t treat them like one knob; drafts and room temp matter way more than you think on a bed slinger; and do a small test print before you commit to an overnight run even if it feels annoying. The rule I broke was printing near an open window and then acting shocked when corners lifted.
 
I’m still new, but my three are: level or mesh check when something feels “off” instead of rage-printing the same file again. Use a simple baseline profile per filament type, because my PLA settings did not magically work for PETG. And do basic maintenance before upgrades, because I bought stuff thinking it would fix my prints and it was just a dirty nozzle and loose belt.
 

Supports aren't the worst​

When I started printing, I avoided supports almost entirely because I hated to waste filament. I found that never using supports really hindered my 3D printing capabilities. If you can't eliminate supports from your design, try to plan for them.

Never forget tolerances​

I don't know how many times I've had to drill out holes made to the exact diameter of the bolt that is supposed to go in them.

Level where you use the print bed​

Before I had mesh bed leveling, I suspected my bed was warped. I fixed the problem by leveling the bed relative to a 4" square in the center rather than all the way to the edges. When I upgraded to mesh bed leveling, I found that the corners, one especially, caused my leveling woes.
 

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