The Layer Guide

Welcome to The Layer Guide. This is where we work through the things a product page will never tell you: which temperature actually stops PLA stringing, whether a 3D pen is safe to hand a seven-year-old, and what to do when the nozzle clogs mid-project.

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Buyer's Guides How to choose a 3D pen or printer: the specifications that matter, and the ones you can ignore. 5 articles → Materials Science PLA, ABS, PETG, PCL and resin: how each material behaves, what it needs, and which pens and printers take it. 1 article → Safety Burns, fumes and supervision: what the temperature figures actually mean, and how to set up a 3D pen or printer safely, especially for children. 1 article → Troubleshooting Clogged nozzles, filament that won't feed, prints that won't stick: fixes in the order worth trying them. 1 article →

Latest

3D Printer Guides Filament or Resin: Which 3D Printer Should You Buy First? Resin wins on detail and loses on almost everything a beginner meets first. Here is how the two compare, and… 3D Printer Guides How to Choose Your First 3D Printer Speed figures tell you least. What decides whether a first 3D printer gets used: calibration, bed size, enclosure, colour and… Troubleshooting My 3D Pen Is Clogged: Eight Fixes, in Order Eight fixes for a clogged 3D pen, from the free heat-and-unload trick to clearing the nozzle, plus how to stop… 3D Pen Guides 3D Pen Gift Guide: What to Buy for Every Age One 3D pen for each kind of recipient, from a six-year-old to a model maker, plus the mat, refills and… 3D Pen Guides Best 3D Pen for Kids: What Changes Under Ten Under ten, a child needs a pen with no external hot parts. One pick per age, what comes in each… Safety Is a 3D Pen Safe for Kids? Whether a 3D pen is safe for a child depends on how hot it runs: the temperatures makers publish, an… How to choose a 3D pen: illustration of a 3D pen drawing a cube 3D Pen Guides How to Choose a 3D Pen: the Specs That Actually Matter Every listing claims the same features. Here are the specs ranked by how much they change your drawing, five pens… PLA vs ABS: illustration of a pink PLA spool and a teal ABS spool Materials Science PLA vs ABS 3D pen: the honest comparison PLA or ABS in a 3D pen? Published pen temperatures, strength and heat data and a study of 3D pen…