3D Printing For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Chapter 15

Identifying Software and Calibrating Your 3D Printer

IN THIS CHAPTER

Locating 3D design software and models

Preparing, slicing, and selecting settings for models

Calibrating your 3D-printing machine

Creating your first 3D-printed objects

This chapter covers the final phases of desktop 3D printer setup: print processing, calibration, and determining the slicing settings for your 3D model files. I also discuss the best ways to print models, the various sources of 3D models, and common 3D-modeling packages. I go into some detail about preparing your model files and producing output Gcode (with Prusaslicer), which you can then use with your desktop 3D printer. Before getting into the nuances of printing parts, I show you how to make sure that your machine is calibrated and ready to print your first object. Finally, I have you look at some common types of 3D objects and how to use specific settings and machine configurations to achieve the best 3D-printed results.

Finding 3D Design Software and Models

The entire 3D-printing process starts with the design of a 3D model. In ...