Shimko3D Guides

Reliable 3D prints, in the right order: the 10-step checklist

3D printing can feel like a maze of settings, but most problems sit at the bottom of the ladder. Get the first layer to stick, pick the plainest material that does the job, build strength into the shape, and only then fine-tune.

Video: Everything I know about 3D Printing by Alexandre Chappel (32 min). All credit for the tips goes to him; go subscribe.

The checklist

1. Start at the build plate. Keep it clean, don't touch it with bare fingers, and add a brim or corner tabs to parts that like to lift. Most failures that look random trace back to adhesion. ▶ 2:35
2. Look at where it failed. Failed on the first layer: plate, contact area or first-layer setup. Failed at the same height every time: missing support or a geometry problem. Failed late and at random: warping, or the part got tall enough to shake loose. ▶ 14:44
3. Use the plainest material that does the job. PLA covers more functional parts than people think. Step up to PETG for heat or outdoor use. Save filled and high-temperature filaments for when a part really needs them. ▶ 3:32
4. Spend fine layers only where the shape curves. Adaptive layer height in his example got near-fine quality in 68 minutes, versus about 3.5 hours at the finest layer height everywhere. ▶ 6:00
5. Add walls before you add infill. Functional parts gain more from extra perimeters than from dense infill. Use a modifier to reinforce just the area around a bolt or a load point. ▶ 7:24
6. Use wider lines to save passes. A 0.75 mm line from a 0.4 mm nozzle makes a 1.5 mm wall in two passes instead of three; his example went from 40 to 32 minutes. More on line width in the extrusion width guide. ▶ 13:44
7. Design for how FDM prints. Chamfer bottom edges instead of filleting them (add the fillet above the chamfer if you want the rounded look), make horizontal holes teardrop-shaped, and add a one-layer sacrificial bridge under holes that would otherwise float. ▶ 18:50
8. Prototype only the part that might be wrong. On a big design, cut out the joint, hole pattern or snap fit and print just that piece. Faster feedback, less wasted filament. ▶ 20:40
9. Orient for the load and the overhangs. Run the layer lines along the direction the part gets pulled, and rotate it so overhangs stay within an angle your printer handles, even if that looks odd in CAD. ▶ 23:32
10. Print your own fit tests. Hole sizes, clearances for moving parts and overhang limits change with printer, filament and orientation. A few small test prints per material beat any number you read online. ▶ 28:56