Your 3D printer should come with everything you need to get started out of the box. Below we list the essentials, as well as the optional extras it’s good to know about:

• A 3D printer – OK, this one’s obvious

• Material – Your printer should include some in the box or it can be bought from 3D printing vendors

• Software – Some printer brands supply their own, or you may have to find a compatible program. Note that there are two types of 3D product configurator – print preparation (or slicing) software and printer (or print job) management software.

• Consumables – In addition to materials, your 3D printer may require or come with other consumables. For example, oil or grease for maintenance, or adhesive aids for the build surface. With Ultimaker, everything you need to get started comes in the box

• Tools (largely optional) – Some 3D printers may require one or two basic tools for configuration changes or maintenance. Otherwise, if you’re going to be using your 3D printers a lot and will need to do some post-processing of prints, it’s useful to keep a few tools handy. 

Peripherals (optional) – These can add more functionality to your 3D printer. For example, for some of our printers, you can also add an Air Manager, which encloses the 3D printer and filters up to 95% of UFPs, or Material Station which stores filament in an optimal environment and automatically loads material when a spool runs out.