Inside this magic toolbox, I have the top 40
tools you'll need for your 3D printing journey and I'll review them with you in less than
18 minutes. Hi, I'm Ken of Rist Innovations and I scoured the YouTube Universe for all the
recommended tools for 3D printing and I have chosen the top 40 tools that you will need to have
a greatest success. I spent hours reviewing tool recommendations and I purchased several of the
tools I didn't previously own so I could perform my own testing on their usefulness. I also relied
on my 40 years of experience with my own Workshop as well as my mechanical engineering degree. So
let's get started. I separated the tools into the following categories: Number one- Assembly and
Disassembly. Number two- First Layer Adhesion. Number Three- General. Number Four- Maintenance.
Number Five- Measurement. and Number Six- Post Processing. Some of these tools fit into multiple
categories and the list is not in any particular order of importance. Links for all the tools are
in the description below. The first category is Assembly/ Disassembly. Number one on the list:
Hex Ball End Screwdriver Set, both metric and Imperial. The hex Ball End Screwdrivers are much
easier to use than the typical Allen wrenches that come with the 3D printers. They are much faster
and they are much more comfortable to use and they can reach difficult areas. To tighten down even
more securely, I use these T- handled set of Allen wrenches. Number two: Flat Flush Cutters. These
Flush Cutters are great for cutting zip ties, filament and anything you need to cut flush to
a surface. They are also useful to trim your 3D printed parts. Number Three: Tubing Cutter. This
simple Teflon tubing cutter provides a nice clean perpendicular cut because the tubing fits into
this V-groove perpendicular to the cutter. Number Four: Headlight. Many times you need both of your
hands to perform a task and this headlight allows you to see in difficult areas while at the same
time freeing up your hands to hold your tools. Number Five: Needle Nose Pliers. These needle nose
Pliers are great for getting into tight spots and also helpful for removing supports from 3D models.
Number Six: Screw Gages. These screw gauges are really helpful in quickly determining the length,
diameter, and threads of screws. I have one for Imperial and one for metric. These gauges also
allow you to measure the diameter of holes. I also really like this 3D printed metric gauge for
a quick check of a screw diameter and length of metric screws especially because I normally use
the Imperial screws so I'm not used to the metric sizes. A quick side note, I was visiting my friend
in the emergency room of our hospital because he had kidney stones. I was talking to the nurse
and she told me the good news is that my friend was going to pass the stone naturally because
it was only 3 cm in diameter. I was trying to do the mental gymnastics in my head to visualize
how large a kidney stone was and I concluded it was the size of a golf ball. I immediately thought
my friend is more of a man than I am to be able to pass a kidney stone the size of a golf ball. I
asked the nurse if she was sure it was 3 cm and she realized she made a mistake and meant to say 3
mm. The nurse and I laughed and laughed. My friend wasn't laughing; he was more like crying like a
baby do the extreme pain from thet kidney stone. Anyway, I digress. Number Seven: Low-profile
Wrenches. This low-profile wrench set is very useful because they get into places where normal
wrenches can't fit. Number Eight: Adjustable Wrench. I use this adjustable wrench all the time
rather than tracking down my socket set. It's very versatile. Number Nine: Socket Set. A low-cost
socket set that has both a metric and Imperial sizes is one of the most versatile tools that you
can own. Number 10: Screwdrivers, both Phillips head and Flathead. It's good to have a variety
of screwdrivers both Phillips head and Flathead there are also various tips that you can buy in
a set that includes torx, and other heads. So the next section is Number Two: First Layer Adhesion
and the best way for your parts to stick to your build plate. If you're working on a prototype
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using the link below. Now, back to the show. Number 11 is Isopropyl Alcohol. I use isopropyl
alcohol, 70% by volume that I buy at my local drugstore. Some people recommend 99% by volume but
I haven't really seen a need for that. Number 12: Paper Towels, Blue Shop Towels, or Microfiber
Towels. I have used regular paper towels, blue shop towels, and microfiber towels to clean
my build plates and from my experience they all have similar results so it's really whatever you
prefer. The nice thing about the microfiber towels is that you can wash them and reuse them. Number
13 is Dawn Dish Soap. This this is a high-quality soap that can remove fingerprints and oils from
your build plate. I normally clean my build plates with the dish soap if cleaning with only isopropyl
alcohol doesn't do the trick number. Number 14: Glue Stick. I'm not a big fan of glue sticks
because I think they are messy but there have been times that the glue stick was what the
doctor ordered to get my prints to stick to my build plate. Number 15: Nano Polymer Adhesive.
I have found this this to be a much better coating for build plates, made from Vision Minor. I
first heard about this coating from Stefan of CNC Kitchen. It's a bit pricey, but I have found
this to be a miracle for getting prints to stick to some of my build plates. It was originally
formulated to help with high-temperature plastics such as PEEK and Ultem, however they learned that
it also works with TPU PLA, PTEG, ABS, PC, ASA, and others so you really should consider
trying it. The Third section is: General. Number 16 is... hey, how'd he get in there?
Number 16: Storage Bins for Filaments. I found these storage bins with gaskets are great for
storing filaments. I just add some desiccant into the bins to keep the humidity down. Number
17: Desiccant. Speaking of Desiccant, I use these orange desiccant beads that change colors when
they are saturated with moisture so then I just throw them in the microwave to use them again.
Let's go to our fourth section on Maintenance. Number 18: Toothbrush Cleaner for threaded rods.
Occasionally, I'll get a reminder from my Bambu Lab X1C to lubricate my threaded rods. This clever
little 3D printed Threaded Rod Cleaner uses a standard toothbrush to clean the old grease from
your 3D printer. I just cut off the end of the old toothbrush, then I epoxied it to the 3D printed
holder. I like this design because the bristles get deep into the grooves of the threaded rods
instead of just using a paper towel. Also using a toothbrush prevents cavities for your printer per
the American Dental Association. Number 19: White Lithium Grease. I use this white lithium grease
to lubricate my threaded rods of my 3D printers. This works really well. Number 20: Soldering Iron.
A small soldering iron is great for tinning wires, soldering wires, and making small repair to
PCBs. By adding a special tip it also can be used to add threaded inserts to your 3D printed
parts which I'll cover in the Post-Processing section. Number 21: Facial Tweezers. I like these
facial tweezers because they are much stronger than these more delicate needle-nose tweezers.
If these facial tweezers are good enough for Aunt Ethel's facial hair, they're good enough to clean
the molten plastic from my nozzles. Number 22: Nozzle Unclogging Kit. Sooner or later, you will
run into a clogged nozzle and that's where this nozzle unclogging kit will come in really handy.
This kit also includes some wrenches to be able to remove your nozzle from your printer. The
Fifth Section is on Measurement Tools. Number 23: Digital Calipers. I use my digital calipers every
day for a variety of things. Anytime I'm designing something in Fusion 360 I use my calipers to
measure sizes of parts that I'm trying to design in the Fusion 360. I also use them to confirm
dimensions of my 3D printed models. Number 24: Multimeter. A multimeter is invaluable for
troubleshooting electrical circuits including confirming continuity. I used my multimeter to
confirm I had a defective power supply on one of my printers and I was able to order replacement on
Amazon and had my printer up and running the next day. Number 25: Temperature and Humidity Gauges.
These little temperature and humidity gauges are very useful to monitor, especially moisture in
my workshop as well as inside my filament storage bins and my filament dry boxes. Number 26: Torque
Wrench. This torque wrench set is great when you need to set a bolt or a screw to a specific torque
setting. It has various tips for different designs of hardware. Number 27: A Digital Microscope. I
wouldn't say a digital microscope is a must-have, but more of a nice-to-have tool. I recently
purchased this to be able to inspect my 3D prints much more closely as well as I'll be able
to use this with my new laser cutter. I'm working on a an extension so I can fit larger 3D prints
under the microscope. The Sixth Section is on Post-processing Tools. Now regarding safety,
I'm not counting them as part of the 40 tools, but it's always important to use the proper safety
protection including safety glasses and dust protection. And if you're going to be using power
equipment, hearing protection. Number 28: Scraper. This is my subliminal message for you. Number
28: Scraper. I've shown you this plastic scraper in previous videos. I love this thing because it
has plastic disposable blades that don't scratch my build plates and when the blades get nicked up
I just replace them. Number 29: Drill Bits, both Imperial and Metric. Many times 3D printed holes
aren't perfectly round or they're undersized so a nice metric or imperial set of drills are perfect
to fine-tune your prints. And you don't need this Fancy Pants Festo drill. A simple low-cost
drill like this Black and Decker will do the trick number. Number 30: A Tap Set, both metric
and Imperial. I've been designing in threads to many of my 3D printed parts, however to make the
threads work even better, I usually run a threaded tap to clean out the holes and they and cut more
accurate threads. Number 31: Deburring Tool. A deburring tool is useful to remove brim material
from your parts, but you have to be careful because I find that it tends to dig into the part
and then I have to add more force which causes it to slip. The important thing is to cut away from
your body not towards your hands. Number 32: A Butane Torch. There are several ways to clean
up the edges and strings on your 3D printed parts. This butane torch works very well, however since
it is an open flame you do have to be very careful of not melting your part and also not catching
your surroundings on fire number. Number 33: A Heat Gun. A more controlled heat source is
a heat gun. This model has different tips and has a temperature adjustment from 50° to 600° C.
This works well to remove strings and the white marks from the brims. This heat deflector shield
works well with heat shrink tubing. Number 34: A Heated X-acto Blade. The heated x-acto blade
allows you to cut plastic in a controlled way and it also comes with several different tips.
Number 35: Files. To clean up your parts a good set of files will quickly remove larger amounts of
plastic before you go to the sanding step. Number 36: A Sandpaper Holder and also using a hacksaw
blade cutter. I've used this sanding block for over 10 years. I took a standard sanding block and
I glued a foam pad to it which allows the block to conform to the shape of what I'm sanding. I made
this sandpaper cutter from a simple piece of wood and an old hacksaw blade and it works really well.
Just slide the paper under and rip it right off. This is the same blade from 10 years ago. Number
37: Sandpaper Foam Block. Another sanding option are these sandpaper foam blocks. They they come in
various grits. They're very flexible and washable but eventually they'll lose their effectiveness
and you'll just throw them out. Number 38: Sandpaper Strips and Sticks. These sandpaper
strips and sticks allow you to sand in very tight places that are hard to reach. They also
come in various grits. Number 39: 3D Gloop. If you need to glue your 3D printed parts together,
the best glue to use is 3D Gloop. It literally fuses the plastic pieces together. If you have
ever been to any of the Rep Rap Festivals they'll glue two pieces of plastic together and people
will do a tug-of war against their robot. The robot always wins and the glue joint just doesn't
fail. They make different glues for PLA, PET, and ABS/ASA. Number 40: Threaded Insert Machine.
This threaded insert machine does a great job of being able to put threaded inserts to press-fit
them into your parts and it makes sure the inserts are perpendicular to the holes. You can use
just a regular soldering iron but it's more of a challenge to keep them from going in crooked.
My bonus item is a Filament Dryer. You could call it an accessory or a piece of equipment, but you
will need to find some way to dry your filaments if they have absorbed too much moisture. On some
printers such as the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon they have a setting that allows you to bake the filament
to remove the moisture. There are several good filament dryers out there on the market and in
my next video I will be reviewing two brands. So, did I miss any tools that you use. Please
leave me a comment below. We are crossing the finish line of this tool review so if
you found this video useful please consider hitting the like button and subscribing
to my channel. Thanks for watching. Bye!
