Welcome to the world of 3D Printing. Many people who purchase a 3d printer are left wondering, “I just bought myself a 3D printer. What do I need next?” Fear not, I have some excellent recommendations for some of the first 3D printing tools you’re going to need. If you haven’t read it yet, please check out my Beginner’s Guide to 3D Printing for some tips and information.

The True Essentials (Start With These)

These are the core basic tools nearly every new printer owner uses immediately:

Flush Cutters

Flush cutters, also known as nippers, sprue cutters, or side cutters, are one of the most-used tools in 3D printing. They let you trim the end of the filament cleanly at a 45 degree angle before feeding it into the extruder, which helps prevent jams and allows for easy loading. They are also excellent for cutting supports, removing small strings, and snipping away tiny imperfections. A clean edge makes prints look much neater, especially with PLA. I tend to use less-expensive versions of these, and treat them as a consumable, since you can get multiple pairs of generic branded cutters for the same price as an expensive, name-brand pair.

Needle-Nose Pliers

Needle-nose pliers (or long-nose pliers) are perfect for grabbing small pieces of filament, handling tiny screws, and removing blobs that form on the nozzle during heating. They give you the reach needed to pull supports from tight areas and help you safely remove filament left over from purging. Additionally, these can assist in doing a “Cold Pull” from your hotend if a clog ever forms. Again, you don’t need to be fancy with these, unless you really want to!

Print Removal Tools/Bed Scrapers

Even with a flexible build plate, you’ll occasionally need a thin metal spatula or scraper for stubbornly stuck-on prints. While a razor-blade scraper works, a more dedicated bed-scraper tool is best. Your 3D Printer may have come with one of these, or blades that you may print a handle for. A plastic razor-blade scraper is a good choice as well, but make sure to order one with extra plastic blades, these tend to wear out quickly with use. If you’re looking to obtain a dedicated bed scraper, and your printer didn’t come with one, I recommend purchasing a set of Bambu-labs style blades and print yourself one of a number of custom handle designs that fits your style! If your printer has a metal frame or enclosure, I recommend gluing on some strong magnets to attach them to the sides. Additionally, many printers have bed scraper holders available to print!

Extra Nozzle or Hotend

Hotends do clog occasionally, and brass hotends will wear over time, especially if using abrasive filaments. Having a couple spares on hand prevents downtime. Some printers have hotends with replaceable nozzles, others may require you to replace the hotend entirely. Additionally, as you progress in your journey, you may want to try different nozzle sizes.

Digital Calipers

Digital calipers help you measure the accuracy of your prints. When you start tuning your printer, you will use them often to check wall thickness, hole diameters, and overall dimensions. Accurate measurements lead to better calibrations and more reliable functional parts. Additionally, they are very helpful to measure holes and parts in real life once you start to build your own 3D models. I recommend starting with an inexpensive set at first, as their accuracy is good enough.

Deburring Tool

A deburring tool is extremely useful for cleaning up the edges of holes, slots, and curved surfaces on your printed parts. It uses a small swiveling blade that glides along the edge, shaving away tiny imperfections or leftover print artifacts. This tool is especially helpful when you are printing mechanical pieces that need smooth openings for screws, bearings, or connectors. With just a few quick passes, you can remove roughness or small bumps that might interfere with fit or movement. It produces a cleaner, more professional finish than using a knife and is safer and easier to control around curved shapes. Having a deburring tool on hand makes post-processing faster and helps your functional prints fit together more accurately.

Precision Screwdriver Set With Hex Bits

A good precision screwdriver set is one of the most useful additions to any 3D printing toolkit. Many printer components use small screws or fasteners that require specific hex or Torx bits, and the basic tools included with most printers are often short, uncomfortable, or prone to stripping. A proper precision set gives you better grip, more torque control, and a comfortable handle. Having a full range of bit types and sizes means you can tighten frame screws, adjust hotend parts, replace fans, or work on upgrades like direct drive kits or extruders without worrying about using the wrong tool. A quality set also helps prevent damage to screw heads and ensures you can make clean, safe adjustments whenever your printer needs tuning or repair.

Utility Knife

A utility knife is a versatile tool that comes in handy for many post-processing tasks in 3D printing. You can use it to trim away brims, remove small bits of stringing, clean up edges, or cut away stubborn supports. It is especially useful for straight edges and flat surfaces where a precise slice gives cleaner results than pliers or cutters. Having a few spare blades ensures you always have a sharp edge ready to go. Additionally, many filament bags require you to cut them open, even if they have perforations to tear them open. Style of knife is a matter of personal preference, I prefer a folding blade, but some may prefer a retractable blade for safety. Again, no need to be fancy here.

Quality Metal Ruler

A simple ruler is surprisingly useful in 3D printing, especially when designing or verifying the size of printed parts. You can use it to quickly check the length, width, or height of a print without needing to reach for calipers every time. Rulers are helpful for confirming overall dimensions, measuring bed space when planning larger prints, or checking clearances on parts that do not require extremely precise measurements. They are also handy during printer setup for ensuring the machine is square and properly aligned. A metal ruler is ideal because it stays straight, lasts longer, and provides more accurate markings than flexible plastic ones. Keeping a small ruler near your printer saves time and complements your calipers for everyday measurement tasks. I recommend buying a set of varying lengths, this makes measuring much more convenient. I really like this set from Mr. Pen, as they are of useful lengths, not expensive, and have nice plastic sleeves to protect them when they’re not in use.

Dish Soap and a Sponge

This one is a core essential. Most bed-adhesion issues are caused by contaminants on the build plate. Something as simple as the oils on your skin from touching the build plate can cause a first-layer adhesion issue. Washing the build plate with a mild dish soap and a sponge and rinsing completely every few prints is an excellent practice. I like to use Dawn Powerwash as I find it easy to spray and quickly clean my plates, but regular dish soap works just fine.

Unclogging Tools

As much as it can be frustrating, 3D printing nozzles get clogged from time to time. To make this process easier, it can be handy to have a set of fine-gauge long needles on hand to assist in the process. These needles are essentially identical to acupuncture needles, with a small handle formed at the top for easier gripping. Many times they come with a 3D printer, but additional ones can be purchased.

Surface Preparation and Adhesion

Most printers today ship with textured PEI beds, which offer excellent adhesion with little effort as long as they are kept clean. Still, a few items can help when dealing with harder materials or smooth beds:

Bed Adhesive or Glue Stick (Optional)

A glue stick can help with adhesion for PETG, ABS, or very large prints, but many users never need it. I would keep one on hand anyway, just in case. You don’t need to be fancy here, in fact the most basic school-glue style glue sticks are what you want to use.

Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) 90%+

Keeping your build plate clean is one of the most important habits. Oils from your skin or dust from your workspace can reduce adhesion. Wiping the bed with 90 percent or higher IPA after every print helps restore good grip and reduces failed first layers. I recommend using a clean microfiber cloth or lint free disposable rag like the blue shop towels.

Filament Care and Storage

Keeping filament dry and organized dramatically improves print quality:

Airtight Storage Bins or Dry Boxes

Humidity is the enemy, especially for PETG, TPU, nylon, and PLA blends (some contain hygroscopic additives). These can absorb water over time and cause stringing or brittleness in your filament. Many people like to use “cereal boxes”, but any air-tight storage bin that includes a gasket of some sort should work well. I personally use IKEA 365+ 11 quart containers, these fit 2 spools and work well.

Desiccant Packs (Silica Gel)

Throw them into any storage container to keep moisture low. Many filaments come with a silica gel or clay dessicant pack, you can reuse these. Be cautioned, many of these packs will already be saturated by the time they arrive, so you will need to either dry them, or purchase new ones. I recommend using packs that include orange “indicating” silica gel, so you know when they need to be recharged.

Filament Clips

Simple, cheap, and prevent messy tangles. Most modern spools have holes on the sides to thread filament through to hold it to the spool, but some prefer filament clips instead. You can buy these, or print them.

3D Printing Toolkit – All In One

While some enjoy picking out each tool, some prefer to just get everything in an easy to purchase “kit”.

Creality makes a very nice starter 3D Printing Toolkit and I would recommend it to those just looking to grab something that should have everything they need in one box.

What’s next?

Now that you’re set up with a good set of basic 3D printing tools, you may be looking for what else might be necessary as you advance in the hobby and learn more and more about 3D printing. More advanced tools are needed as you move into more complex materials and modeling techniques. For the next step, I’ve put together a sibling guide to Advanced 3D Printing Tools that you may look at getting once you’re looking to take the next steps in your 3D printing journey.

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