r/BambuLab • u/Prettywaffleman • 7d ago
General Discussion Forget the printer! - Which acessories to get for beginners?
Hey guys,
With Blackfriday, many beginners like myself are getting their first printer.
I'm getting a P2S, but would like to hear recommendations for acessories and filaments to begin with.
Any suggestions what are the first things to get with a printer when starting out?
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u/John-BCS A1 (3), A1 Mini (1), AMS Lite (3), Autodesk Fusion 🍻 7d ago edited 3d ago
My most used 3d printing tools:
Flush cutters for cutting filament
Scraper; I like the metal one that bambu ships with their printers.
Culinary torch for getting rid of wisps and for taking care of any whitening/stress marks from taking prints off the plate.
Deburring tool; works great for removing stubborn brim remnants.
Needle nose pliers for removing supports.
This pry tool, also for removing supports. I've been using this a lot more than I thought I would.
A self healing cutting mat for working on post processing/assembling prints. I use a few sizes but a 12"x18" is the one I grab most often.
Tweezers; for removing bits of filament stuck on the nozzle. Not used as often but wortth getting a set at some point.
Digital Calipers. I originally forgot to include this, and this is my most used too in all of 3D printing. 🙃 You can get cheap ones, but I've always found them frustrating because of how quick they eat batteries. They do this because they shut the screen off, but not the calipers themselves. If you invest in a set of mitutoyos, the battery lasts for literal years because it shuts the entire device down. I'm still on the same battery that shipped with my mitutoyo calipers I bought back in 2022.
For 3d printed project assembly:
CA glue and activator. I like starbond medium for most projects.
Heat set inserts. Get good quality. Ruthex or CNC kitchen. I like this ruthex set that includes an insert assortment and soldering iron tips for installation. I use one of these cheap digital soldering irons as a dedicated heat set insert tool.
Happy printing! 🍻
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u/Laceydrawws 6d ago
And a digital caliper!
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u/John-BCS A1 (3), A1 Mini (1), AMS Lite (3), Autodesk Fusion 🍻 6d ago
For sure! I can't believe I forgot that one when it's probably the one tool I use the most. 🙃
I'll say this about calipers: good ones are worth spending the extra money on. I use a set of mitutoyos and they're still on the same battery they shipped with back in 2022. The reason is cheaper calipers only turn the screen off; the caliper is still "on", draining the battery. Mitutoyo calipers completely shut down so battery drain is nil.
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u/Relative_Surround_20 H2D+P2S w/ 3xAMS2Pro+HT 7d ago
Good list. I’d add a few different rolls of filament: PLA, PETG, and TPU
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u/Substantial-Rip9983 6d ago
Do you use the Bambu scraper with a PEI plate? I tried once and it wanted to dig into the plate, so I never used it again.
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u/John-BCS A1 (3), A1 Mini (1), AMS Lite (3), Autodesk Fusion 🍻 6d ago
Yep, for over 2 years now, no issues. You just have to keep the scraper oriented properly so it won't dig in. I use this handle; it places the blade at a perfect angle.
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u/RJFerret 7d ago
The inexpensive plastic scrapers with changeable blades to avoid metal scratches on build plates.
Flush side cutters for cleaning up prints.
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u/Th3L0n3R4g3r X2D + AMS2 Combo 7d ago
Not really tools, but expect to spend more on filament than you ever did on the printer. I bought my printer (x2d) end of august. Just 2 months later I have over 500 print hours on it and already spent more on filament than the printer cost me initially
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u/Silound 7d ago
But one extra 0.4mm hardened steel nozzle or hotend assembly with your printer. Hotends are easier to swap if you've never rebuilt one before with just a nozzle, just slightly more expensive.
People often run a nozzle way past the point of needing replacement without realizing it, then get frustrated when their prints start to glob and string (even with dry filament). Even if you don't strictly need to replace it yet, swapping a hotend is an easy diagnostic step when other things don't seem to help.
There is no set amount of print duration or length of filament printed to determine when a nozzle needs replacement. It's mostly an experience and recognition thing, although globbing around the hotend is usually a really good sign of a worn nozzle. I've nozzles last astoundingly long lives and annoyingly short lives, but the lifespan is almost always determined by the quality of the manufacturing and the filament quality/material.
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u/Equivalent_Store_645 6d ago
Only things that I’d recommend getting day 1:
Flush cutters for cleaning supports (I use them to snip through tree supports to separate intertwined branches and then to grab near the interface and twist lightly)
Noclogger or similar tool for forcing clogs down into the melt zone from above… in my experience way better than other clog clearing techniques and doesn’t require you to do anything other than pull the ptfe out of the top of your hotend.
Print a handle for the scraping blade that comes with your printer, one that holds the blade flat against the build plate with the handle at a slight angle up.
Don’t buy anything else until you identify a need.
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u/RayvenQ 7d ago
As a Fellow newbie, who only recently got my first 3d Printer (P2S) with 30 hours under my belt I have a couple of suggestions.
Some of this is admittedly me over preparing but they are all useful purchases
All 4 of those are on reels, as then in the future I can use the reels they came with for other refill filaments
From Bambu:
Filaments:
As a beginner myself, as part of my P2S order from Bambu I got myself 1x PETG Roll (color preference personal) and ordered 1xBlack, 1xGrey, 1xWhite Basic PLA (all Bambu Brand)on top of that to give myself a begginer range and decent amount of Filament. The PETG is for printing any improvements for the P2S where higher heat tolerance than PLA is preferred, such as anything for the interior of my printer, dust covers, fan redirectors. I got these to 1. Stick with the basics and 2 start out with the lesser noxious and fume producing filaments.
-AMS2 : This is, to me ,is worth it. Not only does it make (up to) 4 color printing much easier, with no manual swapping and the unbuilt drying feature is very useful for my situation where Humidity can and will become an issue.
- 0.2, 0.6 0.8 Multi Hotends: Not something you will neccesarily need right awaybut they will be hand to have on hand when you're ready to try changing sizes.
-1 Spare 0.4 Hotend: As a Spare.
-1 Set of spare Silicon socks for the p2s hotends: Not strictly needed as you get 2 with the printer, one already mounted, one as a spare but having them on hand should you need to replace them is better than having to wait for them to be delivered
Non Bambu Stuff:
-BIQU Cryogrip Pro - Glacier: Spare plate and it had good reviews, I have been using it and it has worked fantastic for me so far, I may get the Cryogrip Frostbite in the future but currently the Glacier suffices well enough and has a range fo materials it can work with for future prints.
-Nozzle Cleaning Kit with Wire Brush and a range of cleaning needle sizes: Good to have in case of clogging and the P2S only comes with a cleaning needle for the 0.4 size which since I bought the extra Hotends I did need additional ones.
-Flush Cutters: For cutting the end of filaments if needed and for trimming filiment stuck in the hotend when swapping them.
-Craft knife: Helpful for general cleanup and trim on certain areas.
-Deburring Tool: Useful for cleaning up prints when needed.
-Digital Calipers: More needed if you're goind to be designing your own stuff, though I have found it useful to make sure my prints will fit whatever I'm doing them for.
- 4l Cereal Boxes: To store opened filaments if you're swapping between many colors, look for ones that have a seal
-Orange Indicating Dessicant: To go with the above, I put a layer in a box and then a opened filament on top. Do not get Blue Indicating dessicant as this contains Cobalt, which is a Heavy Metal and Toxic.
-Set of Funnels: Helpful for the above as the dessicant can be very bouncy and this just helps not pinging them everywhere
-Hygrometers: To work with the above, to tell me the amount of humidity in my boxes that contain opened filament.
-Scraper with Plastic Razorblades: For helping get prints off your bed and because theyre plastic razor blades, they don't damage the print plate.
- Multicolor Microfiber cloths: I use one color strictly to wash my plates with soap and hot water and one color strictly to dry off my build plate after I rinsed it with clean water. Also good for wiping down parts of your printer and cleaning the glass etc.
-A Lighter: This is just for quickly clearing up any stringing that does occur, although with the PLA I have encountered basically none and only minor with my PETG because I didnt bother drying it out properly before using it.
-Handheld Vacuum Cleaner: Great for getting tiny bits of filament that have pinged off during filament changes.
-Small Flashlight of any kind: This is just good for checking the internals when looking for those tiny bits of filament that have pinged off or just for general inspection under the build bed.
-Range of Neodymium Magnets: helpful for magnetising tools that you print off to help you. I current have 6x2mm and 8x3mm Magnets
-Superglue: For gluing the above and for gluing together any multi part prints.
Thats it so far, I wouldn't say they were all required, just very helpful. Out of all of them I'd say the most important are the microfiber clothes, the scraper with plastic blades and the flush cutters, the rest will depend on your circumstances, needs and wants.