If you print long enough, you eventually end up with little bags, orange beads, blue beads and random mystery pellets from packages. Some work great, some barely help, and some raise questions you are better off avoiding entirely. Here is a practical overview of the desiccants every filament enthusiast will inevitably run into, plus two next level options for people who looked at humidity and decided to declare war on it. Calcium Chloride ⧸ The salty bad boyCommon NameCalcium ChlorideChemicalCalcium Chloride, CaCl₂Water Absorption Capacity144 % as crystal water Up to >300 % after liquefactionMin. Relative Humidity20 % @ 20 °CRegenerationNot practical, Usually discarded after usePriceVery cheap, 1 to 5 EUR/kgTypical UsageShipping protection, room dehumidifiers One of these bags was probably included with your Bambu Lab printer to keep it dry during its long journey and potentially humid trip across the ocean.This stuff usually comes sealed inside a pouch and, when completely dry and unused, often feels powdery, crumbly like coarse salt or sometimes even like a solid chocolate bar. Calcium Chloride is an extremely aggressive moisture absorbing chemical. As it absorbs water, it starts to "melt", meaning it does not just trap moisture, it actually dissolves together with the absorbed water and turns into a concentrated salt solution. Obviously having salty liquid leaking all over the place would be a terrible idea, so Calcium Chloride products are often mixed with thickening agents. Instead of turning into a leaking mess, the absorbed moisture becomes more like a thick gel that stays contained inside the pouch. The important thing to take away here is this: if you notice liquid, droplets or unexplained moisture inside your printer during delivery, inspect the desiccant pouch carefully and make sure the Calcium Chloride bag was not damaged. If this stuff leaks, it pulls moisture from the air, turns liquid and behaves around electronics and metal like an extended bath in the Atlantic. Rust, corrosion and headaches are basically pre installed at that point. Calcium Chloride is practically a single use desiccant and regeneration is not straightforward.A partial drying step back to the dihydrate is possible at around 150 °C. However, fully driving off the absorbed water requires temperatures of at least 200 °C.At that point the desiccant pouch has usually already surrendered. The adhesive gives up long before the chemistry does, leaving you with a torn bag and a mess that is probably not worth dealing with in the first place. Clay Desiccant ⧸ The Magic Behind Clumping Cat LitterCommon NameClay DesiccantChemicalBentonite, Ca- and Na-montmorilloniteWater Absorption Capacity15 % - 30 %Min. Relative Humidity15 % @ 20 °CRegeneration6 h @ 120 °CPriceVery cheap, 1 to 4 EUR/kgTypical UsageCheap filament Ever wondered why some cat litter suddenly turns into little rocks after your cat paid a visit? The answer is often bentonite clay. Clay is a cheap desiccant that is generally considered environmentally friendly, non toxic and easy to handle, as long as it stays inside its bag. And that is already where things start getting annoying. Clay desiccants are usually very fine grained and absolutely depend on their pouch. Without it, you end up with clay dust everywhere. Unfortunately these pouches are often only moderately temperature resistant, which makes proper regeneration together with the bag rather impractical. And if you only regenerate clay at 85°C, too much moisture remains trapped inside, leaving it with very limited real world capacity for everyday use. In practice, clay is usually treated as a single use desiccant. You will often find it in low cost electronics packaging and occasionally in very cheap filament, or products that want to present themselves with a more environmentally friendly image. The fun little twist: many of these bags will still say "Silica - Do Not Eat" even when there is absolutely no silica inside.So if you are the type of person who hoards and reuses desiccant packs, pay very close attention before dumping random pouch contents into your silica collection. Otherwise you may accidentally turn your nice reusable silica stash into a dusty mystery mix. Ask me how I know. It happened to me already and if you are not paying attention, it can absolutely happen to you too. Silica Gel ⧸ Everybody's DarlingCommon NameSilica Gel DesiccantChemicalSilicon Dioxide, SiO2Water Absorption Capacity30 % - 40 %Min. Relative Humidity15 % @ 20 °CRegeneration2 h - 6 h @ 120 °CPriceModerate, 5 to 15 EUR/kgTypical UsagePretty much anything that should stay dry Silica Gel Desiccant has probably crossed your path more times than you realize. Filament packaging, electronics, food containers, shoes, medicine boxes, if something dislikes moisture, chances are silica was involved somewhere. For everyday use, I simply cut open those little sachets that come with filament, electronics and all kinds of packaging. Been doing this for years and it works great. Just pay attention before dumping random packet contents into your collection. Not every desiccant bag actually contains silica. Some use clay based alternatives instead and I already managed to accidentally create my own dusty mystery mix once. Orange silica gel is another option I trust and use regularly. You can even mix reclaimed packet silica with orange beads and they get along perfectly fine.Now for the part where I become slightly less relaxed. Now here's where I get serious about safety. Blue silica gel might look pretty, but historically many blue indicator systems relied on chemicals with a rather questionable reputation.Examples include Crystal Violet (CAS No. 548-62-9), which is considered a possible carcinogen, or Cobalt(II) Chloride (CAS No. 7791-13-1), which is flat out carcinogenic. I do not care what the marketing says about "eco friendly", "safe formula" or whatever fancy wording ended up on the package. Especially with very cheap no name products, I simply see no reason to gamble when perfectly good alternatives exist. You want to keep your filament dry, not turn desiccant shopping into chemistry roulette.If it is blue, I skip it. You have been warned.Now for some proper nerd behavior.Most sources recommend regenerating silica gel at around 120 °C for 2 to 6 hours. Sounds simple enough. But I wanted to know what happens in the real world with hardware many of us actually have access to. So I stopped guessing and ran my own tests.I regenerated silica gel, weighed it and compared the remaining moisture content after drying at different temperatures.Here is what I personally measured: TimeTemperatureRemainingMoistureHot Air Oven2 h120 °C0 %Print Bed12 h100 °C13 %AMS HT12 h85 °C20 %AMS 2 Pro12 h65 °C37 %AMS 2 Pro12 h45 °C66 %So what does this actually mean in everyday use?First of all, skip the kitchen oven. Use your heated print bed instead. It takes longer, but neither your mother nor your wife will complain about you repurposing kitchen equipment for filament related activities. If you already dry your filament at 85 °C, you can usually skip drying the silica separately. Around 20 % remaining moisture is low enough that it becomes largely irrelevant in real world use. 65 °C gets interesting. Technical filaments are generally not dried here. Materials that want 65 °C are usually less demanding and also do not require absolute desert level dryness to print well. In many cases you can simply dry your silica together with the filament and call it a day. 45 °C is where things start falling apart. At that point regeneration becomes too weak to keep up properly. If you use 45 °C drying cycles, rotate or swap your silica regularly because 45 °C simply is not enough for proper regeneration. Activated Alumina ⧸ Silica's Weird Step DadCommon NameActivated AluminaChemicalAluminum Oxide, Al₂O₃Water Absorption Capacity20 % - 30 %Min. Relative Humidity10 % @ 20 °CRegeneration2 h - 6 h @ 150 °C - 250 °CPriceExpensive, 10 to 20 EUR/kgTypical UsageIndustrial drying systemsYou have probably seen it before. Little white beads, mysterious packaging and absolutely no explanation what the stuff actually is. One thing people tend to know though: this stuff dries aggressively. And that reputation is not entirely undeserved. If regeneration temperature is not a problem, activated alumina is an absolute champion when it comes to moisture control.The catch is simple: drying it properly is a pain. Because of its much higher regeneration temperature, it is not really suitable for drying together with filament inside an AMS HT or on a heated print bed. Below roughly 120 °C, activated alumina becomes surprisingly stubborn and simply does not want to give its moisture back. So while it performs extremely well, it also demands more effort in return. And in everyday filament use, that makes it a lot less practical than it first appears. But if you are willing to declare war on humidity and make desiccant regeneration part of your daily routine, activated alumina absolutely delivers. If maximum dryness is the mission, you are probably going to win that battle. Small warning though: there is such a thing as too dry. Polyamide can actually become hard and brittle when dried excessively. At that point it may print worse than material with a tiny bit of remaining moisture still inside. In cases like that, activated alumina can actually become counterproductive. I even bought 5 kg of the stuff myself and started using it for a while. It works exactly as advertised. The problem was simply that the additional regeneration requirements never really fit into my workflow. Molecular Sieve ⧸ Crimes Against HumidityCommon NameMolecular SieveChemicalSynthetic ZeoliteWater Absorption Capacity20 % - 30 %Min. Relative Humidity< 10 % @ 20 °CRegeneration3 h - 8 h @ 200 °C - 300 °CPriceExpensive, 15 to 30 EUR/kgTypical UsageLaboratories, industrial dryingYou think activated alumina was serious? We are still nowhere near the deep end.Chemistry has desiccants so aggressive they belong in laboratories and industrial systems rather than hobby environments. Molecular sieves sit somewhere in between. Still practical enough to use, but already entering "Crimes Against Humidity" territory. Once you begin looking into molecular sieves, you suddenly run into names like 3A, 4A, 5A or numbers measured in Ångström. Sounds complicated, but the idea is surprisingly simple.Ångström (Å) is just a ridiculously tiny unit of length. 1 Å = 0.1 nm, 10 Å = 1 nm. For molecular sieves, that number describes the pore size. In other words, the size of the tiny openings molecules need to squeeze through.Think of a real sieve. If something is larger than the holes, it cannot pass through.Molecular Sieve 2A, Pore size: ~2 Å Already extremely tiny and mostly a specialty case. Water molecules are already approaching the limit here.Molecular Sieve 3A, Pore size: ~3 Å Absorbs water while blocking many larger molecules. Very common for drying applications.Molecular Sieve 4A, Pore size: ~4 Å The classic moisture destroyer and one of the most common molecular sieves.Molecular Sieve 5A, Pore size: ~5 Å Allows slightly larger molecules to enter.2A turns out to be a bit too ambitious. Water molecules already need roughly 2.6 Å, which puts them right at the edge of what can realistically pass through.That leaves 3A and 4A as the practical options.3A is the more selective and usually slightly more expensive option. 4A is significantly cheaper, although "cheap" is still a pretty generous description when talking about molecular sieves.5A already starts becoming unnecessarily large for simple moisture control. At that point you are opening the door for molecules you never really needed to invite in the first place.For filament drying and moisture control, most people will realistically end up looking at either 3A or 4A. You just dropped 100 EUR on the table and now own a truly unreasonable amount of molecular sieves. The good news: this stuff is ridiculously stable and will probably outlive you. You are not going to destroy it in a household oven, not even with the pyrolysis mode that literally burns grease out of the oven. The downside: molecular sieves demand temperatures where pizzas go to die. We are talking around 250 °C, or 482 °F for the last few nations still holding out against the metric system. That is the tradeoff. Molecular sieves are insanely effective and practically immortal, but regeneration temperatures already live in territory where your kitchen appliances start asking uncomfortable questions. And please do not even think about throwing molecular sieves into the oven inside a 3D printed container. If you insist on ignoring common sense, at least place it inside a fireproof baking dish first. Molten plastic turns out to be surprisingly difficult to remove from an oven rack.And yes, once again, please do not ask how I know this. The oven has since been replaced and is no longer used for filament related experiments. I promise, Lena.

Filament TrackerEnglish: Hello everyone! Since I always wanted to keep a perfect overview of my remaining filament, I wrote a small script to track consumption.I’m sharing this here because I thought it might be useful for the community as well. However, since I am not sure if posting external download links is allowed or if there is enough interest in such software tools here, I’m starting with this post.What it does: Tracks your filament usage and helps you manage your stock.Note: This is a script/software tool, not a 3D model.If you are interested in this tool, please let me know in the comments! If the feedback is positive, I will provide the script/download here.  Deutsch: Hallo zusammen! Da ich schon immer den perfekten Überblick über mein restliches Filament behalten wollte, habe ich ein kleines Skript geschrieben, um den Verbrauch zu tracken.Ich teile das hier, weil ich dachte, dass es auch für die Community nützlich sein könnte. Da ich mir jedoch nicht sicher bin, ob externe Download-Links hier erlaubt sind oder ob überhaupt Interesse an solchen Software-Tools besteht, starte ich erst einmal mit diesem Beitrag.Was es macht: Trackt deinen Filamentverbrauch und hilft dir, deinen Bestand zu verwalten.Hinweis: Dies ist ein Skript/Software-Tool, kein 3D-Modell.Wenn ihr Interesse an diesem Tool habt, lasst es mich bitte in den Kommentaren wissen! Bei positivem Feedback werde ich das Skript bzw. den Download hier zur Verfügung stellen.

Table of Contents:PreambleMy printer and its upgradesPrinterAdd-onFilamentSourceUseStorage3d printing toolsPrinter relatedModel creationPrint cleaning & assemblyOrganisationOtherProcess overview:From box to storagePrinting methodologyPrograms and other toolsImage and vector editingCADMesh manipulationGenerating special models3d scanningProgrammingPostamblePreambleI am a 3d printing hobbyist that shares his created models for free on Printables and Makerworld. People seem to appreciate these models and, while absolutely not planned, started to follow me more and more since the 2 years I am doing this. At this point, I have a bit more than 750 followers on both platforms combined and my hobby is self-sufficient. This allows me to really not worry about it anymore and purely follow the passion. I am open to model suggestions and help users when I can but it can be a bit slow since I don't necessarily have a lot of time. Several times now, users asked me about my setup, so I make this article here as reference for the future as I don't have any social media. I don't claim it is the best setup, it's just the one I use, that developed over time and that seems to work fine since 2 years. I wish I could publish this article privately in my account, needing users to enter my account to discover it, to avoid annoying seasoned 3d printers but it doesn't seem to be possible (yet), sorry for the inconvenience. Being fluent in CAD I tend to fill my 3d model needs myself and while I refer to some of my models in this article, it's neither for my ego nor for clicks so feel free to check out alternatives. All the links pointing to my own models will lead to Makerworld as this article is posted there but would you prefer you can always find the equivalent model on Printables (the title might be slightly different). Here is the equivalent article on Printables if you are interested in that.My printer and its upgradesPrinterI have bought a bambu Lab P1S after watching videos and discussing with a 3d printing veteran who considered he lost years trying to make his previous printers work while this one worked flawlessly from the start. I am happy with it, since two years I only had 1 real issue when the AP board failed resulting in a clog (got replaced for free). I also only made about 6 spaghetti messes resulting in less than 200g wasted filament in total, the X1C wasn't an option in my mind and this confirms it quite well. The first update I made was to add the Bambu Lab PTFE Guide on top of the print head to avoid any friction with the top of the printer. Afterwards I looked at stopping the ptfe tube to slowly sneaking inside the printer by designing a PTFE tube stopper that goes on the ptfe tube just as it leaves the printer and prevents it from moving.For most of the 2 years I used a simple box behind my printer and a wall to catch all the purge material. When I changed my setup temporarily and lost the wall option I made this Purge Bucket for it. When going back, I kept it as the wide variant allows me to really forget about it for a long time.Add-onAfter 9 months I bought an AMS unit for it, I never really use it for real multi color printing (as it's quite wasteful) but it's certainly a nice quality of life update. I don't bother however with trying to keep it dry with desiccants. To keep the option of using a regular spool holder instead of only limiting myself to the AMS, I installed the AMS No-Catch Y-Splitter PC4-M10. It's handy for using cardboard spools and feeding TPU filament for example. To close off the unused ptfe tube when I use the AMS I use this PTFE tube cap with grabber model, now with a grabber instead of a ring for hanging it securely on the tube when not in use.To avoid needing to waste some ptfe tube I made a small PTFE tubes bridge. Depending where the bridge is located, the AMS might be too violent for it and I had to switch some of them to real bambu lab connectors. To ease the use of the AMS I also wanted to upgrade the funnels where the filament go into so that they would be easier to push and more resistant to wear. Sadly, existing models where not compatible with this new version of the ams so I made my own version of them: New feeders for Updated AMS.FilamentSourceI am not limiting myself to only one provider, I simply try and find filament at a good price with a good quality. Over time I used several brands:Bambu Lab (bulk filament)Prusa (special color blends)eSUN (bulk filament)Overture (clear PETG and TPU)Winkle (ASA and Marble PLA [great for lithophanes!])...I don't buy filament from Prusa or Bambu Lab with money anymore, only from the points we can obtain by using their sites. Average filament price is about 20€ for 1kg, it can be significantly less if you buy Bambu Lab filament by 6 (or more during special sales in July/August and December). eSUN filament can also be found cheaper on amazon at around 16€, lower if there is a sale. You can even buy their basic pla at around 12€ but it tends to be weaker than most PLA so I prefer their PLA+.UseThe first time I use a new filament I make a color swatch from it to keep it in mind for the future. Plenty exist but I use my custom design grouped by 20 on a custom holder that I made as well.To keep the spool together I use this nice small filament clip which doesn't impede the AMS and holds quite well. I print them in more heat-resistant filaments than PLA so that they can stay on while drying without issue. I also print them in 3 colors: for PLA+TPU, PETG and ASA to easily distinguish the materials.StorageBefore storing the filament, I dry the filament with my SUNLU FilaDryer S2(Image from the sunlu store) Here is a table with the default values (handy to have as the interface is quite sensitive and prone to changing values) for it and some that I changed over timeFilament TypeDefault ValueChanged ValuePLA50°C55°CPETG50°C60°CTPU55°C/ABS55°C/PA65°C/PC65°C/ASA uses the ABS temperatures as these are similar. For the rare cases when I need PVA I change a setting temporarily to 50°C I dry my filaments till they are in the 25° humidity range, 30-35° if they are in a cardboard spool. This little dryer works really well for it small price. After drying, I let them cool off a bit then I vacuum seal the filament roll in a 30x34mm vacuum bag with a small motorized pump.A motorized pump is essential in my opinion as it quickly becomes too much trouble to do it by hand and you tend to not anymore which voids the point. I use the valve-style bags as they are cheaper than the screw-on ones. To add more flexibility in which pump you can buy for them I remade the suction insert of the pump I bought. To help with this step, I put in each bag a small vacuum bag air disc scaled at 75% width, 75% length and 100% height I also remade the seal clip for them to have replacements in case I lost them. However, now that I bought several packs of vacuum bags, I have accumulated lots of spares so it's less important.3d printing toolsPrinter relatedHexscraper (Bed scraper) A common mistake I see is that people tend to destroy their printbeds with metal scrapers, there is really no need for them in my opinion. I use the original HexScraper personally, I tried the remixes with removable blades but they never were strong enough and broke easily. The original tend to last a long time however, especially as I reform their edge with sandpaper once a while. Isopropanol, soap and microfiber cleaning cloths The best way to clean up your print plate is with dish soap, a sponge and warm water. However you don't always need a deep clean so I keep a small spray bottle of isopropanol (99%) near my printer to quickly clean the plate (nearly after each print). I buy it in bulk to reduce the cost, it's really useful to have around anyway and especially if you are also into soldering and electronics in general. To clean the plate, I spray a bit of isopropanol on it and wipe it with microfiber cleaning cloth. Painters tape To improve the seal on my enclosure I use painters tape when the print is difficult and sensitive to temperature changes. This is for me the case with large ASA prints. The tape helps to keeps the heat from escaping from the seams and leave no marks behind. I also use it to hold the start of filament to the spool when I rewind filament spools. Hex-key set A hex-key set comes handy with 3d printers as they tend to be build using screws with these heads patterns. Having a set that stays together is handier than to keep the loose and cheap ones the machine comes with. Greases and oils For the maintenance of my printer I use grease and oil from SuperLube. I put the oil in a needle nose bottle to be more precise than the regular spout. Rod Cleaner To clean my printer's rods during maintenance I printed and use the Rod Sloth tool P1S or AMS specific tools To disconnect the AMS I use AMS Disconnect ToolModel creationCaliper Probably the most important tool to have for model creation is a caliper (ideally digital with 2-digit precision) as it will allow you to measure what you need precisely. I recommend spending a bit more to have a better quality one as it will be of constant use. I use this Preciva caliper, it's robust and precise enough but the zero-ing button is sensitive and at a bit of an annoying place  Print cleaning & assemblyFlush cutters Useful to cut and pry off supports from models I use simple off-brand ones and made a small cap for them as well. They don't need to be the best quality as even these off-brand versions work very well. Keeping bigger wire cutters around can also be useful to allow you to cut bigger tree support branches. Deburring tool To remove brims of models it's useful to have a deburring tool, one blade will be enough for life I think as these were made for metal pipes and no signs of wear can be seen on my used ones yet. While the 3d printed version can serve as a backup deburring tool, I much prefer the one I bought (off-brand), it's heavier and allows the head to swivel easier which greatly improve its usage. To use it put your finger in the small bend near the body with the blade facing you, place it on the edge of a model and slowly pull towards your thumb. Try to be as smooth as possible in between movements to make a long continuous movement. Exacto knife Useful to open filament boxes and packaging, to clean up connectors, ... an exacto is a handy blade to have around. Contrary to the deburring tool, the blades damage over time and need replacement but get a lot of them. Would you wonder, these are much safer than medical scalpels (but still require caution) and are a nice fit for 3d printing. The cheap off-brand holder that I bought for the exacto blades works, like the deburring tool, better than the one I printed afterwards, over time the plastic weakens and allows the blade to wobble which isn't great. Various screwdrivers Flat ones are useful for support removal, especially to slide between supports and your model to break them apart. They are also great to break small tree supports inside voronoi (and alike) models. Other heads are useful for assembling of models with various hardware. Various tweezers Useful to get into tight space. Both straight and curved can be useful, they come usually in a set. I also use an old set where I broke them in halves to serve as poking tools. Glue and glue spreader Glue can be handy to have around for repairing and locking things in place. I never needed gluestick on my printbed however. I found that Bison universal glue works well to glue plastic parts but there are lots of similar glue brands available. For bigger areas I use a small spreader that I made. Clamps You don't need as many as in woodworking but having a few can be useful for some projects. 2 F-style and duck clamps are already enough for example For smaller use cases I also made some Small Repair Clamps Brass Wire Brush I keep a brass wire brush near my printer to brush the nozzle clean of build-ups without damaging it. It can also be useful to brush some loose residue off your models. Heat gun To reduce blemishes and to bend plastic a bit, a heat gun can be handy but it shouldn't be a priority to buy one.OrganisationHoneycomb storage wall (with add-ons) The Honeycomb storage wall (HSW) is a nice system to hang your tools and other things on the wall to get them out of your way and away from your work area. Having a dedicated place for each tool helps with organisation as you are more likely to put it in place, greatly helping you find it next time. Lots of users have made inserts for it, there are too many to list here as I used lots but it's a great system I made plenty of compatible models for it myself as well over time  (see this collection) Pastamatic (with add-ons) Pastamatic is a great tool for the transfer of filament spools, I use it to move cardboard spools to plastic ones an vice versa I printed some add-ons for it as well to improve its functionality:Leadscrew Pin RetainerRetention ClipsNotched Pins and C-ClipsTPU Wiper + Extra Clearance Wiper MountsScrewing it to a plank made a big difference as, before this, the base wasn't necessarily flat which brought movement problems for the balancer.In the past I used plastic rings around the cardboard spools to make them compatible with the AMS but after some time they loose grip as the cardboard moves, so I stopped. Sometimes, inner plastic rings can still be useful to help cardboard spools spin more easily on a regular spool holder, this is typically needed for TPU as otherwise the printer can struggle to pull the flexible filament in with the added friction. For Filament related tools see “The Filament Section”OtherOther common tools for DIY like a drill, sand paper, hammers, work lights, ...Process overview:From box to storageBuy filamentOpen box and plastic with exacto bladePut on spool if refill, change spool if cardboard or leave as-isCut filament end off (about 2cm) and put clip onDry filament... Printing ...Dry filamentPut in vacuum bag with disc and remove the airStore on shelfPrinting methodologyMy printer came with a textured PEI plate and I never need to change it as it prints all basic filaments (PLA, PVA, PETG, TPU, ASA, ...) that I need.I never touch my printplate with my hands, except the very edges occasionally. Flexing the plate can be helpful but otherwise always use a plastic scraper to avoid leaving oily residues from your hands on the plate.To clean my print plate I use dish soap, a sponge and warm water when it needs a deep clean (every 10 prints maybe and after a ASA print) but otherwise I just wipe the surface with a bit of isopropanol.I never need to use gluestick, every print can be removed with a plastic scraper or by flexing slightly the plate. TPU can stick a bit better but a bit of isopropanol near the edges of the print helps to get beneath it.My printer is fully enclosed, I never open or close the door of my printer during a print, removing the top lid for PLA, PVA and TPU is enough.To print large models in ASA I seal the edges of the door of my printer with painters tape top help print adhesion.Due to it being quite wasteful on my printer I rarely print real multicolor objects. I instead make the model multi-part or use filament swaps.Programs and other toolsImage and vector editingAffinity2 In the past I used photoshop but was always annoyed by their scummy practices and subscription-based payment methods. When I found out about affinity 2 that is 1 payment only to have it forever and had good values, I got curious. I tried it and in practice I would say it's even better that what photoshop has to offer and, for the same price of what I paid for only a month, I got the equivalent of photoshop + illustrator (which I didn't have in my photoshop subscription) forever, so I highly recommend it. It's even worse to think that I had photoshop for quite some years to the point were the new price was double of what I was paying per month so it's even more worth it for your probably. When I left photoshop, their final offer to get me to stay was even worse than what I was paying ... so good riddance.   I use affinity photo 2 for editing all the images related to my makes and publications and I use affinity designer 2 to mostly edit svg before using them in a CAD program (simplifies future work a lot). Using Ai is fully optional compared to photoshop as well.  Inkscape It's a free tool but is really useful to transform regular images into vector format (SVGs), it can also simplify these vectors easily to reduce their complexity (the same principle as decimating/reducing a 3d mesh)CADFusion360 Fusion is my main way of making functional models. It has a free version for non-commercial use which I use as I share my models for free. In practice the only thing I miss from the paid version is an improved stl import but while not as nice this can be managed in the free version.  OpenSCAD It requires to understand programming but is a powerful tool to make easy models in a parametric way. The programming aspect can simplify tasks with automation.Mesh manipulationMeshmixer It's a great tool to manipulate objects in a more organic way. I used it to repair, merge and sculpt models. This also a great tool to start making voronoi-like models as there is a build-in pattern maker. The difficulty of voronoi is not the pattern is how you prepare the model for it, in which meshmixer can also help.  Blender (also used for image covers) It's really useful for model management: grouping, splitting, cutting is really easy in it. You can also easily play with the mesh faces, edges and points with it. Don't try it to use as a CAD tool however, it's not for making connectors or parts that rely on each other. A key concept in 3d model creation is decimation/reduction (reducing the number of polygons of a model), which blender handles really well. I also use blender for it's render capabilities which allows me to make nice images of my models for some cover images.Generating special modelsLithophane maker Lithophane maker allows you to basically make 3d pictures. The principle behind is that the darker the pixel, the ticker the plastic will be at this point so that when you put this model in front of the light it will block more of it and appear darker. With the online tool these are easy to make and are unique objects to give as gifts.  MakerLab MakerLab is a bambu lab tool library that constantly grows and that simplifies the creation of models for less technical users. One of them is a nice Ai imageTo3D generator that allows you to obtain approximate models, there is no point in publishing it directly but you can refine the result for your needs. As my sculpting is self-taught and quite basic for the moment it can help me obtain a rough shape to train on as well.3d scanningI received the 3dmakerpro Moose 3d scanner as a gift, maybe a bit too soon in my 3d printing hobby as it's a bit underused but I already was able to make models with it that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to do. It works really well and I am really happy with the results. As these were mostly private repairs, I didn't post models from it yet but I might in the future if a non-copyrighted opportunity presents itself.To improve the scanning comfort, I use these 3d printed add-ons:Vertical MountLens CoverI found that using Gouache, a water-based paint works well to add texture to an object to help with scanning (for when it has troubles like for dark shiny objects). You don't fully paint the object, you just brush some on randomly to help the scanner locate itself. Once the scanning is done you can then simply rinse the object with water.ProgrammingI know several programming languages (Python, Java, C family, Javascript, ... ), so I create when needed my own small programs. When they relate to a published model, I share them freely on this github repo but they aren't necessarily advanced nor properly made.PostambleThanks for reading through this article, I hope some things were useful to you. I plan to update this along the way my setup develops, so maybe check it out again at a later date (after some months) if you want but with this you already have a good idea. I might also do similar articles later, depending on my time and on repeated questions/topics.

If you've ever dealt with annoying little webs between printed parts, you know how frustrating stringing can be. Whether you’re printing miniatures, organic models, or functional pieces, stringing can ruin detail and waste time.That’s why I designed this Micro Stringing Test — a tiny, ultra-fast calibration model made to help you dial in retraction, temperature, and travel settings with minimal filament and time.⚙️ Why a Micro Test?Most stringing tests are tall towers or full grids. They work, but they take 20+ minutes and use a lot of material. This version does the same job in under 5 minutes, with less than 0.5 grams of filament.You can print several in a row while tweaking just one setting — and immediately see the results.This is perfect for:Testing new filamentsVerifying drying resultsCalibrating retraction distance and speedFinding ideal hotend temperaturesOptimizing travel moves🧪 How It WorksThe test consists of several vertical posts with deliberate gaps between them, forcing the printer to move in open air — ideal for revealing stringing problems.You simply:Load the modelPrint it at your base settingsObserve the resultAdjust retraction, temp, or travelRepeat if neededIt’s a minimal effort, high-feedback tool for any 3D printing workflow.🛠️ Recommended SettingsLayer Height: 0.2 mmNozzle: 0.4 mmMaterial: PLA, PETG, ABS, TPUSupports: NoneInfill: Low or 0%Walls: 2Print Time: ~3–5 minutesFilament Used: ~0.3–0.5 gBed Adhesion: StandardOrientation: Upright, flat base✅ What to Check ForStrings or thin webs between towersBlobs or zits near the top of the postsSmudging or incomplete movesClean snap-back between travel movesThis model shows all of that clearly — making it easy to tune and forget.📢 Share and SupportIf this helped improve your print quality, please consider leaving a make, a comment, or a boost 💬 I’d love to hear what settings worked best for your material, printer, and slicer.Let’s keep sharing tools that save time and filament — and lead to cleaner, sharper prints 🧡

So I've been fighting with some Elegoo ASA I bought, I could just never get the thing to print right.  I followed all the proper step, even drying the filament, but my dryer only went to 65 degrees celsius. Turns out that was part of the problem.  After drying at 80 degrees, I got MUCH better results.  Bottom  : Before drying.Top  : After drying. What was I printing you ask? Read on and find out… Afterwards came my next challenge : I was using it on the external spool holder of my H2D, but now that it's dried, I kind of wanted to use it in the AMS, but it came on a cardboard spool. I did print some rings for it, but they felt kind of average to me. I wanted something better! Then I found some nice posts for adapter “cores” to put inside of larger cardboard spools to use them with Bambu OEM spools. I searched and I searched for a 82mm ID adapter and just as I was about to CAD one… I realized that the answer was in my face all along. The cardboard core was already the right dimension. I just needed to put the Bambu spool on and voilà. Problem solved. Now I just need to print a sticker saying it's actually Elegoo ASA and not Matte PLA and I'm good to go!

I see a lot of questions online about filament drying, and wanted to clear up some common misconceptions. Most filament dryers work by heating the air, not by removing moisture. As the air heats up, its capacity to hold moisture increases, which causes the relative humidity (RH) to drop (even though the amount of moisture in the air remains constant). This creates a humidity gradient which encourages moisture to migrate out of the filament and into the surrounding air, effectively drying the filament out. You don’t need a constant flow of fresh air into the dryer. The air inside the dryer has the same moisture content as the room air (except for what’s added by the filament). Some ventilation is useful to allow the moisture to escape, but a few small holes or a cracked lid are usually enough to maintain low RH inside the dryer. I made the chart below to show the minimum RH values you can expect from your dryer when starting with room temp of 25 C and various indoor humidity levels. If your dryer bottoms out around 15–25% RH, that’s totally normal and the driest condition that heat alone will achieve for your filament.  TL;DR: Filament dryers work by heating the air to lower the RH, which helps moisture escape from the filament. They don’t need a constant flow of fresh air. RH values around 15-25% are about as low as you can expect to see when using heat alone to dry filament.