Tips on Tips – 3D Printer Tips

Many 3D printers, including Stratasys FDM 3D printers like the Fortus line, require different tips to print different layer heights. So which tip is going to help you print the perfect part? We help answer that question in our blog by sharing some simple tips on tips!

Tip 1: Use moisture prevention containers.

When your tips arrive in the mail or with your printer, they are in some form of a canister. We recommend keeping your tips in the canister until the tip has reached its full life-span. This will prevent any moisture collecting inside the tip while in storage. As you can see from the picture below, I keep my tips for our Fortus machine inside the material bay door. Most FDM printers have some area or a stand where you can keep your tips handy.

Tip 2: Label your tip containers to show tip life.

Tips have a tip life. Keeping track of how many hours are on your tips will allow you to maximize your tip without printing parts on tips that have exceeded their life-span. Overly-used tips can result in failed builds, which uses unnecessary time and money. Review the tip life for your tip here:

One of the easiest ways I have found to keep track of tip life is by taking a sticky note and annotating what material it was used for and the odometer reading for the tip. See Below:

Tip 3: Label your tip containers to show material used.

Another item to annotate on the sticky note would be the 3D printing material used for each tip. Tips typically work the best if you keep running the same material through them. For instance, it wouldn’t be safe to run ABS M30 through a tip that has been running Ultem 1010. Loading the incorrect material in a tip that has been used for another material can cause major bubbles in the material and even leftover material in the extrusion. By labeling what material this tip is used for, it will prevent failed builds and messy material changes. 

In conclusion…

Taking time to properly use and annotate your printing tips can save you money as well as the headache of failed builds. Please remember to label the tip containers, so everyone that uses your Stratasys 3D printer can be on the same page!

Want to learn more about FDM 3D printer tips? Download our Fortus 250mc Tip Replacement guide below.