Technologies
Best 3D-Printing Accessories: Make the Most of Your 3D Printer
From tiny 3D-printer scrapers to giant machines, we have everything you need to level up your 3D-printing experience.
With some hobbies, extra tools and accessories can make them even more fun. 3D-printing is one, and the addition of a good set of extras will make your 3D-printing time much easier. Often these accessories are simple — a set of snips for cutting filament or a bit of glue to help bed adhesion — but there are also new pieces of hardware that can significantly improve your print quality or give your 3D printer powers it never had before. More than that, though, good accessories can make even the best 3D printers run above and beyond their normal scope.
I’ve amassed a huge number of helpful accessories after nearly a decade of 3D printing and have researched many others. Amazon is a great resource for finding basic 3D-printing accessories, and California-based MatterHackers has everything you need for more advanced upgrades and gear.
Best accessories for beginners
While every 3D printer comes with a paint scraper that you can use to remove models from the build plate, not all are created equal. Most 3D printer scrapers don’t allow you to get the blade low enough to lift a model without damaging the build surface. I use the Buildtak 3D printer scraper because it can swipe under the model without gouging down, making them pop right back up.
These little storage caddies are incredibly helpful for more than just storing shower products. The separate compartments make it easy to store all of your hex key wrenches, scrapers and filament cutters in a way that makes it easy to move them around your workspace with the handy handle. I have three of these in my workshop and I use them for 3D-printing tools, assorted glues and sandpaper. It makes life a lot easier.
A digital caliper is a helpful 3D-printing accessory, especially if you’re creating your own models. Most can measure details down to a thousandth of a millimeter, which lets you design with a high degree of accuracy.
Having a set of calipers also helps you measure your prints to make sure they’re printing in the correct size and shape.
Having a central place to store your materials is important to keep them safe and dry. These cabinets from Home Depot are expandable and easy to build. They’re perfect for stacking your filament or resins safely, and if you add a small dehumidifier or desiccant packets, you can keep everything dry, too.
Most 3D printers come to you with a 0.4mm nozzle, which is fine for most uses. There are a lot of cool projects you can make with larger nozzles, though: Try making thick vases using a 0.8mm nozzle or detailed miniatures with a 0.2mm nozzle. Having a variety of nozzles will expand your horizons to no end.
These Mk8 nozzles are designed for the Creality Ender 3, but many printer companies either use the same Mk8 nozzles or variety packs of their own.
Magigoo is like a glue stick on steroids. It is specifically designed to hold 3D prints to the build plate while printing but comes loose easily when the bed is finally cooled. It’s incredibly satisfying to print models that are barely touching the build surface that act like they are held down with cement. A small bottle goes a long way too, so it’s worth the price.
Did you know that the 3D-printing community uses so much Aqua Net hairspray that Amazon’s «Frequently bought together» section shows filament and replacement printer beds? Aqua Net is used as a transition adhesive that both helps your filament stick to the build plate, and when it gets cold, makes it easier to remove. You have to be careful not to spray it onto any moving parts, but if you take off your removable build plate and spray it gently and evenly you will see better results immediately.
Models often have sharp edges when they first come off of the build plate, especially if you’ve used a brim to anchor them down. A deburring tool like this smoothes those edges with a simple swipe across the corner. It takes a little getting used to, but if you’re making something for people to handle, a deburring tool is a must.
If you live here in the US, you may well have a set of hex wrenches that you use for most things. However, 3D printers are made using metric measurements, and not inches, so they will either be loose and damage the nut or not fit at all. A good set of metric hex wrenches are affordable and make 3D printing easier.
Desiccant is a much needed tool in the fight against moisture. Even the best 3D-printing filament can be degraded by absorbing too much moisture, and if you live in a damp climate, storing your filament in a cool dry place with a desiccant pouch is a great way to keep it usable for longer. These pouches are a little pricier than some, but they can be recharged by heating them up so you can use them again and again.
Like the hairspray, glue sticks help hold a print down, while also adding a barrier between the print and the plate. Some materials stick a little too well to a build plate and can tear a mat or even crack a glass plate. Glue sticks are water soluble too, so it’s easy to wash off with soap and water.
Accessories for intermediate and advanced users
If you’re hoping to print a filament like ABS, you’ll need your 3D printer to be very hot with no breezes. If you live in a particularly cold climate an enclosure is a helpful way to warm up the area around your 3D printer without having to pay a fortune on heating bills. The Wham Bam HotBox has two sizes, so even if you have a bigger machine you can reap the benefits of a warmer build area.
One of the best upgrades to be released in recent years is the Revo rapid change system from E3D. Available for a huge number of 3D printers, this hotend replacement adds the ability to quickly swap out your nozzles without the use of wrenches and pliers. You can remove the filament, let the nozzle cool down and twist it off with your fingers.
Being able to easily swap nozzles opens up new printing techniques with larger nozzles for strength and smaller ones for detail. It is a must-do upgrade for any compatible machine.
Nozzles are consumable in 3D printing and you can expect to use them up fairly frequently. If you print materials with abrasive materials such as carbon fiber, wood or even glow in the dark, your nozzle could be destroyed in just one eight-hour session. The ObXidian nozzle is specially hardened to reduce wear and tear and keep your nozzle printing for much longer.
It’s also a part of the Revo system I just mentioned, so can be easily swapped out for different sizes or other nozzles easily.
The Palette 3 is a multimaterial unit that lets your standard 3D printer print multiple colors or types of filament. It opens up a huge amount of variety in your 3D printing and can help you create a truly unique model. You can even take an existing digital model and «paint» colors onto it so that when it prints, it is a multitude of — well up to eight — colors.
The RepBox is a community favorite for a number of reasons. The creator is an awesome advocate for 3D printing and the box itself is a fantastic design that can be mounted or sat on a workbench. The RepBox holds six 1kg rolls of filament and comes with several dehydrating cases to keep them fresh. The filament is fed out of the box directly into a Palette system or multiple printers without ever touching the moist air.
3D printer accessories FAQ
What’s the best 3D-printing tool for beginners?
When you first start 3D printing, the most important thing to get right is your first layer. It takes time to get the build plate level enough to print consistently, so any tool that can help with that is important. Any of the bed adhesives in this list will help your first layer lay down better, and make it easier to remove the print once it is done.
Glue sticks and hairspray may seem like low-tech solutions for a high-tech machine, but they work and they’re cheap.
How does nozzle size affect 3D printing?
Nozzle size determines how much material you can push through at any given time. The standard nozzle has a 0.4mm hole in it, but there are nozzles available from 0.2mm to 0.8mm and beyond. A good rule of thumb is that if you want a stronger print, go big, and if you want detail, go small.
I would say that there is a move to replace 0.4mm nozzles with 0.6mm nozzles as a standard, as you lose very little detail in the change, but the models print quicker and tend to be stronger too.
More on 3D printing
Technologies
Google races to put Gemini at the center of Android before Apple’s AI reboot
Google is using its latest Android rollout to position Gemini as the AI layer across phones, Chrome, laptops and cars.
Google is using its latest Android rollout to make Gemini less of a chatbot and more of an operating layer across the phone, browser, car and laptop, just weeks before Apple is expected to show its own Gemini-powered Apple Intelligence reboot at WWDC.
Ahead of its Google I/O developer conference next week, the company previewed a number of Android updates, including AI-powered app automation, a smarter version of Chrome on Android, new tools for creators, a redesigned Android Auto experience, and a sweeping set of new security features.
Alphabet is counting on Gemini to help Google compete directly with OpenAI and Anthropic in the market for artificial intelligence models and services, while also serving as the AI backbone across its expansive portfolio of products, including Android. Meanwhile, Gemini is powering part of Apple’s new AI strategy, giving Google a role in the iPhone maker’s reset even as it races to prove its own version of personal AI on the phone is further along.
Sameer Samat, who oversees Google’s Android ecosystem, told CNBC that Google is rebuilding parts of Android around Gemini Intelligence to help users complete everyday tasks more easily.
“We’re transitioning from an operating system to an intelligence system,” he said.
As part of Tuesday’s announcements. Google said Gemini Intelligence will be able to move across apps, understand what’s on the screen and complete tasks that would normally require a user to jump between multiple services. That means Android is moving beyond the traditional assistant model, where users ask a question and get an answer, and acting more like an agent.
For instance, Google says Gemini can pull relevant information from Gmail, build shopping carts and book reservations. Samat gave the example of asking Gemini to look at the guest list for a barbecue, build a menu, add ingredients to an Instacart list and return for approval before checkout.
A big concern surrounding agentic AI involves software taking action on a user’s behalf without permissions. Samat said Gemini will come back to the user before completing a transaction, adding, “the human is always in the loop.”
Four months after announcing its Gemini deal with Google, Apple is under pressure to show a more capable version of Apple Intelligence, which has been a relative laggard on the market. Apple has long framed privacy, hardware integration and control of the user experience as its advantages.
Google’s Android push is designed to show it can bring AI deeper into the device experience while still giving users control over what Gemini can see, where it can act and when it needs confirmation.
The app automation features will roll out in waves, starting with the latest Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones this summer, before expanding across more Android devices, including watches, cars, glasses and laptops later this year.
The company is also redesigning Android Auto around Gemini, turning the car into another major surface for its assistant. Android Auto is in more than 250 million cars, and Google says the new release includes its biggest maps update in a decade and Gemini-powered help with tasks like ordering dinner while driving.
Alphabet’s AI strategy has been embraced by Wall Street, which has pushed the company’s stock price up more than 140% in the past year, compared to Apple’s roughly 40% gain. Investors now want to see how Gemini can become more central to the products people use every day.
WATCH: Alphabet briefly tops Nvidia after report of $200 billion Anthropic cloud deal
Technologies
Waymo recalls 3,800 robotaxis after glitch allowed some vehicles to ‘drive into standing water’
Waymo issued a voluntary recall of about 3,800 of its robotaxis to fix software issues that could allow them to drive into flooded roadways.
Waymo is recalling about 3,800 robotaxis in the U.S. to fix software issues that could allow them to “drive onto a flooded roadway,” according to a letter on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website.
The voluntary recall is for Waymo vehicles that use the company’s fifth and sixth generation automated driving systems (or ADS), the U.S. auto safety regulator said in the letter posted Tuesday.
Waymo autonomous vehicles in Austin, Texas, were seen on camera driving onto a flooded street and stalling, requiring other drivers to navigate around them. It’s the latest example of a safety-related issue for the Alphabet-owned AV unit that’s rapidly bolstering its fleet of vehicles and entering new U.S. markets.
Waymo has drawn criticism for its vehicles failing to yield to school buses in Austin, and for the performance of its vehicles during widespread power outages in San Francisco in December, when robotaxis halted in traffic, causing gridlock.
The company said in a statement on Tuesday that it’s “identified an area of improvement regarding untraversable flooded lanes specific to higher-speed roadways,” and opted to file a “voluntary software recall” with the NHTSA.
“Waymo provides over half a million trips every week in some of the most challenging driving environments across the U.S., and safety is our primary priority,” the company said.
Waymo added that it’s working on “additional software safeguards” and has put “mitigations” in place, limiting where its robotaxis operate during extreme weather, so that they avoid “areas where flash flooding might occur” in periods of intense rain.
WATCH: Waymo launches new autonomous system in Chinese-made vehicle
Technologies
Qualcomm tumbles 13% as semiconductor stocks retreat from historic AI-fueled surge
Semiconductor equities reversed sharply after a broad AI-driven advance, with Qualcomm suffering its worst day since 2020 amid inflation concerns and rising oil prices.
Semiconductor stocks fell sharply on Tuesday, reversing course after an extensive rally that had expanded the artificial intelligence investment theme well past Nvidia and driven the industry to unprecedented levels.
Qualcomm plunged 13% and was on track for its steepest single-day decline since 2020. Intel shed 8%, while On Semiconductor and Skyworks Solutions each lost more than 6%. The iShares Semiconductor ETF, which benchmarks the overall sector, fell 5%.
The sell-off came after a key gauge of consumer prices came in above forecasts, and as conflict in Iran pushed crude oil higher—prompting investors to shift away from riskier assets.
The preceding advance had widened the AI opportunity set beyond longtime industry leader Nvidia, which for much of the past several years had largely carried the market to new peaks on its own.
Explosive appetite for central processing units, along with the graphics processing units that power large language models, has sent chipmakers to all-time highs.
Market participants are wagering that the shift from AI model training to autonomous agents will lift demand for additional AI hardware. Among the beneficiaries are memory chip producers, which are raising prices as supply remains tight.
Micron Technology slid 6%, and Sandisk cratered 8%. Sandisk’s stock has surged more than six times over since January.
