Weeks 1–2 · Machine basics
Bed, nozzle, belts and what a good first layer looks like.
The programs, in detail
Four programs of 6 to 12 weeks, worked on your printer and the prints failing this week.
Program 01 · Diagnose, don't guess
Prints that finish
We go through the diagnostic order that experienced users follow: bed and nozzle first, then temperature, then flow, then retraction, changing one thing at a time. You photograph each failure, and within a day you get a named cause rather than five suggestions.
Weeks 3–4 · Temperature and flow
Towers and calibration prints that mean something.
Weeks 5–6 · Retraction and cooling
Stringing, bridging and overhangs.
Weeks 7–8 · Reliability
Long prints that survive the night.
Weeks 1–2 · Anatomy
Walls, top layers and infill, and which actually add strength.
Weeks 3–4 · Orientation
Layer lines, stress and where parts break.
Weeks 5–6 · Supports
Placing them so they come off cleanly.
Weeks 7–8 · Your profiles
One per material, tested and saved.
Program 02 · Settings you understand
The slicer
Downloaded profiles work until they don't. We go through the settings that matter for strength, speed and surface, how orientation changes everything, and how to build your own profiles for each filament you use.
Program 03 · Beyond downloads
Designing parts
Printing other people's files gets old. We work in free CAD software on the parts you actually need — brackets, organizers, replacements — with the tolerances that decide whether something snaps in or has to be filed for an hour.
Weeks 1–3 · Sketching
Constraints, dimensions and a first real part.
Weeks 4–6 · Measuring
Calipers, tolerances and printing test fits.
Weeks 7–9 · Assemblies
Parts that fit together and screws that hold.
Weeks 10–12 · Your project
Something you needed, designed and printed.
Weeks 1–2 · Choosing
Matching the material to where the part will live.
Weeks 3–4 · Handling
Drying, storage, ventilation and safe practice.
Weeks 5–6 · Finishing
Sanding, priming and paint.
Program 04 · The right plastic
Materials & finishing
Material choice fixes problems that settings cannot. We cover heat and sunlight resistance, toughness, drying and storage, ventilation and handling for resin and ABS, and the sanding, priming and painting that make a print look like a product.
Got a print that keeps failing?
Twenty minutes on your printer, your settings and what the photo is telling us. Free.