Most budget 3D printers ship with 24V power systems these days, but if you own an older machine — an original Ender 3, CR-10, Anet A8, or any printer from the 12V era — you might be wondering whether upgrading to 24V is worth the effort. The short answer: yes, almost always. The longer answer…
You’ve decided to print with TPU. You’ve probably heard it’s “flexible filament.” But flexible is a spectrum — and the difference between a phone case that feels like a car tire and one that bends like silicone comes down to one number: Shore hardness. Understanding Shore hardness is the difference between a successful TPU project…
Multi-color 3D printing used to mean pausing your print, swapping filament, and hoping everything lined up. That changed with Automatic Material Systems — AMS units that sit alongside your printer, store multiple filament spools, and feed the right color at the right time. No more babysitting. No more filament swaps at 3 AM. In this…
Resin 3D printing has come a long way from the days of $500+ machines and toxic-smelling workshops. In 2026, you can get a resin printer that produces jaw-dropping detail for less than the cost of a nice dinner for two. But with dozens of budget options flooding the market, picking the right one is harder…
Few things are more frustrating than watching your 3D printer’s nozzle drag across the surface of a print, gouging lines into what should be a smooth top layer. Nozzle dragging — sometimes called nozzle scratching or scarring — leaves ugly marks, can knock small parts off the bed, and in severe cases will ruin a…
Symptoms of Uneven Bed Heating Your first layer looks perfect in the center of the bed but keeps peeling up at the edges. Or you’ve dialed in your Z offset perfectly at one corner, but the opposite corner either scratches the bed or doesn’t stick at all. Before you blame your leveling, check your bed…
What Is Metal-Filled Filament? Metal-filled filament is exactly what it sounds like: a standard thermoplastic base (usually PLA) mixed with fine metal powder. The result is a filament that prints on any FDM 3D printer but produces parts with a distinctly metallic look, feel, and weight. When post-processed with sanding and polishing, metal-filled prints can…
Why ABS Still Matters in 2026 ABS gets a bad reputation in the 3D printing community. It smells when you print it. It warps if you look at it wrong. It demands an enclosure, a heated bed, and more patience than most beginners have. So why does anyone still use it? Because when you need…
What Sagging Overhangs Look Like (And Why They Happen) You’ve sliced a model with a beautiful 45-degree overhang, hit print, and come back to find the underside looks like melted cheese hanging off a pizza. The layers droop, curl, and leave behind a rough, ugly surface that no amount of post-processing can fully fix. Welcome…
Why Your Stock Cooling Fan Duct Probably Isn’t Good Enough If you’ve been printing for more than a few weeks, you’ve probably noticed that some prints come out looking great while others have ugly drooping overhangs, rough surfaces, or curling corners. In many cases, the culprit isn’t your slicer settings or your filament — it’s…