Best overall beginner 3D-printing accessory
Buildtak 3D-printer scraper
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Modular storage for your 3D-printing filament
HDX stackable garage storage
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Best 3D-printing accessory for bed adhesion
Magigoo 3D-print-bed adhesive
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Best budget 3D-printing-bed adhesion
Aqua Net firm-hold hair spray (3 pack)
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Best 3D-printing accessory for metric screws
AmazonBasics metric/imperial hex key wrench set
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Best intermediate 3D-printer accessory
Mintion Beagle V2 3D-printer camera
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A 3D-printing accessory for a 3D-printing accessory
E3D ObXidian hardened nozzle
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Store your 3D-printing filament for use
Repkord RepBox (currently sold out)
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No matter how advanced you are in a profession or hobby, there are often tools and accessories that make everything easier, and 3D printing is no exception. 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.
What’s the best 3D-printing accessory?
It’s hard to pin down an overall best in terms of accessories, because it will depend on your needs, but the BuildTak print removal tool is the first accessory I suggest that people buy when they’re starting out. It’s affordable and works much better than the terrible scrapers that come with the typical 3D printer.
After that, you should look to get a camera like the Beagle 2. The Beagle allows you to use a mobile app to wirelessly monitor a lot of 3D printers, especially some of the best budget 3D printers. The video feed is great for making time-lapses for social media too.
After nearly a decade of 3D printing, I’ve amassed a huge number of helpful accessories 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 3D-printer accessories for beginners
Though every 3D printer comes with a paint scraper 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.
3D Gloop is the best way to fuse models that you’ve printed in pieces into one giant print. The chemical composition doesn’t just stick to the plastic, it chemically fuses them together, and the resulting piece is so strong it’s almost impossible to break.
I fought a robot at tug-of-war to see if we could break the 3D Gloop bond, and it wasn’t possible. This stuff is amazing.
