25 Best 3D Printer Accessories That Are Actually Worth It

Here’s what most beginners don’t realize: the printer itself is only half the equation. The right accessories can take a mediocre setup and turn it into something that prints consistently well, project after project.

I’ve put together the 25 most useful 3D printer accessories every maker should own. We’re talking measurement tools, maintenance gear, post-processing essentials, and storage solutions.

Doesn’t matter if you just cracked open your first printer or you’ve been doing this for years. These tools save time and prevent headaches. And most of them cost less than a single spool of filament. If you like hands-on creating, you might also want to check out the best 3D printing pens for freehand sculpting and quick repairs.

Quick Comparison Chart

1. Digital Caliper — Best Overall

Gun to my head, if I could only pick one accessory from this entire list, it’s the digital caliper. You need one to measure parts for CAD replication, and it’s the fastest way to verify whether your prints are dimensionally accurate.

I also use mine to spot-check filament diameter. The number on the label isn’t always what you get, and even tiny inconsistencies can mess with your print quality in ways you wouldn’t expect.

2. 3D Printer Tool Kit — Best Value

Why hunt down a dozen individual tools when you can get them all in one box? This kit includes 25 different tools and accessories that are genuinely useful for 3D printing. No random filler items.

Needle-nose pliers, glue stick, steel knife, print removal tool, clean-up tweezers, the works. If you’re just starting out, this is hands down the most cost-effective way to kit out your workbench.

3. Borosilicate Glass Build Plate — Best Bed Upgrade

There really aren’t many bed materials that compete with borosilicate glass. It handles extreme temperatures without cracking (it’s tempered), and the perfectly flat surface gives you smooth bottom layers every single time.

You can finally ditch the hairspray and other sketchy adhesion hacks. These plates fit most popular printers, and for what they cost, the improvement to your first layers is absolutely worth it.

4. Raspberry Pi — Best Tech Upgrade

A Raspberry Pi might seem like a weird pick for a 3D printing accessories list, but hear me out. Set it up with OctoPrint and you’ll never go back to the old way. You can control your printer from any computer through a web browser, as long as they’re on the same network.

Add a webcam and you can check on prints from anywhere. Those 12-hour overnight jobs or prints running while you’re at work? Being able to peek in remotely is a total game-changer.

5. Tweezers Set — Best for Precision

You don’t think about tweezers until you’ve burned your fingers trying to clear oozing filament from a 200-degree nozzle. Then suddenly they seem pretty important. A proper set with different grip styles saves your skin. Literally.

They’re also invaluable for cleanup, especially when you’re picking support material out of tight spaces on a finished print. Multiple sizes mean you’ve always got the right tool at hand.

6. Sandpaper Set — Best for Finishing

An assortment of sandpaper grits is non-negotiable for post-processing. Prints come off the bed rough, and sandpaper is how you turn them into something presentable.

Stick with a reputable brand like 3M. I’ve tried the cheap stuff and it disintegrates so fast you end up spending more in the long run.

Good sandpaper lasts longer and gives you a noticeably smoother, more consistent finish.

7. Desiccant Packets — Best for Storage

Most people have no idea filament can go bad. Plastics absorb moisture right out of the air, and that moisture leads to bubbling, stringing, and weak layer adhesion.

Drop some silica gel desiccant packets into your storage containers and the problem virtually disappears.

PVA and nylon are especially prone to moisture absorption. If you’re using either material, desiccant packets aren’t optional. They’re mandatory for anything close to decent print quality.

8. Kapton Tape — Best Bed Adhesion

ABS users, this one’s for you. Kapton tape is a must-have. Regular masking tape works in a pinch, but it can’t take the higher bed temperatures and wears out quickly.

Kapton sticks properly, handles heat without flinching, and fights that annoying corner warping ABS is so famous for. Masking tape is fine for PLA on a budget, but for high-temp work, Kapton pays for itself fast.

9. Super Glue — Most Versatile

Super glue gets more use than you’d think. Gap filling, repairing cracked parts, bonding multi-piece assemblies. It handles all of it.

Thicker viscosity is better for filling holes. Thinner formulas work best for delicate joins where you don’t want excess squeeze-out.

It bonds ABS and PLA really well, and the bonds hold up long-term. Keep a couple different viscosities on hand and you’re covered for basically any situation.

10. Hex Key Wrench Set — Best for Maintenance

3D printers vibrate. Constantly.

All that vibration gradually loosens bolts. If you don’t catch it early, print quality starts degrading and you’ll be scratching your head trying to figure out why.

A complete hex key wrench set means you always have the right size ready, whether it’s for periodic tightening or initial assembly on a kit printer.

11. Needle-Nose Pliers — Best for Cleanup

Needle-nose pliers reach the tight spots your fingers can’t. I grab mine constantly for cutting filament, loading new spools, and clearing jams mid-print.

They’re a lifesaver when ABS prints decide to bond permanently to the bed. A firm grip with the pliers pops them off without scratching or gouging the surface.

12. ABS Juice — Best Adhesion Solution

If you print ABS, you already know about corner warping. It’s the bane of every ABS user’s existence.

ABS Juice goes after this problem directly with a formula built specifically for heated bed adhesion.

Hairspray can work in a pinch, but this stuff was engineered for the job. Apply it before printing and you’re solving adhesion problems proactively instead of cleaning up failed prints afterward.

13. MakerBot PLA Filament — Best Filament

MakerBot PLA costs a bit more than generic brands, but you’re paying for genuine consistency. Diameter holds steady from the first pull to the very end of the spool.

It’s noticeably less brittle too, which means fewer tangles and snaps during prints. If you’ve ever had filament break 8 hours into a 10-hour job, you know exactly how infuriating that is.

Small detail that matters more than you’d think: MakerBot spools almost never ship tangled. That saves setup time and kills one of the most common reasons for failed prints.

14. Masking Tape — Budget Bed Adhesion

Sometimes the simplest fix is the right one. A roll of masking tape on your print bed improves adhesion, protects the surface from scratches, and makes getting prints off the bed dramatically easier.

Multiple major printer manufacturers actually recommend it in their official documentation.

Don’t overthink this one. For PLA on an unheated bed, basic painter’s tape delivers solid results at a tiny fraction of what specialty adhesion products cost.

15. Single-Edged Razor Blades — Best Removal Tool

Razor blades are dirt cheap and they solve a real problem. Thin prints especially will bend or crack if you try to muscle them off the bed.

Sliding a single-edged blade underneath lifts them cleanly. No damage, no drama.

Buy in bulk. You’ll go through them faster than you think, and running out mid-project is the worst. A 100-pack costs practically nothing.

16. 10-Piece Palette Knife Set — Best for Print Removal

Palette knives are way more useful for 3D printing than you’d guess. They pry stuck prints off the bed, scrape adhesion residue, and help finesse details during post-processing.

Ten different shapes for under ten bucks. For how often you’ll reach for these, that might be the best value on this entire list.

17. Acetone — Best for Smoothing

Even the best printer in the world won’t give you a truly polished finish straight off the bed. Acetone vapor smoothing changes that. It melts away visible layer lines on ABS prints and leaves behind a professional, almost injection-molded surface.

Big caveat: acetone only works on ABS and a few other solvent-sensitive materials. It won’t touch PLA.

Always test on a scrap piece first, and work somewhere with good ventilation. The fumes are no joke.

18. Nozzle Cleaning Kit — Best for Nozzle Care

Nozzle maintenance is one of those tasks everyone ignores until something goes wrong. Excess material accumulates inside over time, and eventually your extrusion gets inconsistent or clogs up completely.

A cleaning kit clears that buildup before it becomes a problem. At just a few dollars, it’s one of the highest-return maintenance investments on this list.

19. X-ACTO Knife — Best Precision Blade

Even with a perfectly tuned printer, you’ll get the occasional filament string or plastic blob on a finished print. An X-ACTO knife cleans those up in seconds with more precision than anything else in your toolkit.

The exchangeable blades are a big plus since different cleanup jobs need different edges. This is one of those tools that earns a permanent spot next to your printer.

20. Dremel Rotary Tool — Best Power Tool

A Dremel is more “nice to have” than “must-own,” but once you start using one, good luck going back to hand tools. Sanding, grinding, cutting, carving. It speeds up every tedious post-processing task.

Think of it as the X-ACTO knife’s bigger, faster cousin. A decent Dremel lasts years, and you’ll end up reaching for it on projects that have nothing to do with 3D printing.

21. BuildTak — Best Build Surface

BuildTak is a plastic sheet that sticks right to your print bed. A lot of users swear it gives the best adhesion of any surface out there. Pair it with a glass plate underneath and your first layers become nearly foolproof.

The sheets hold up through many prints before needing replacement. Cleanup between projects is faster too, which adds up when you’re running back-to-back jobs.

22. Laser Thermometer — Best Safety Tool

If kids are anywhere near your printer, a laser thermometer is a smart safety tool. They can point and check temperatures from a safe distance and see firsthand just how hot those surfaces really get.

It’s also surprisingly useful for troubleshooting. When a print goes sideways, comparing the actual surface temperature to what the display reports can help you spot the issue before it ruins another print.

23. ABS Smoothing Pen — Best Detail Tool

When vapor smoothing feels too heavy-handed for the job, a smoothing pen gives you pinpoint control. Press the tip against a rough ABS surface and the acetone dissolves just the outer layer, leaving a clean, polished finish behind.

The spring-activated tip only releases acetone when you apply pressure, so there’s no risk of accidental spills or over-application. And the translucent body lets you check the fill level at a glance. Nice little detail.

24. Permanent Marker — Best Labeling Tool

While dialing in your printer settings, you’ll often print the same object multiple times with different configurations. Labeling each version with a permanent marker so you can track what worked (and what tanked) saves you from a surprising amount of head-scratching later.

Teachers will especially appreciate this for writing student names on finished projects. Dead simple tool, real practical value.

25. Carrier Case — Best Organization

Alright, this one won’t improve a single print. But if your workbench looks like a tornado hit it and tools are scattered everywhere, a carrier case fixes that overnight.

Those tiny nozzle cleaning drill bits? They’ll disappear into the void without proper storage. Ask me how I know.

A case with multiple pockets keeps everything organized and makes it painless to bring your full toolkit to a makerspace, classroom, or a buddy’s garage.

How We Evaluated

Every accessory was ranked based on how much it genuinely improves your prints, how often you’ll actually reach for it, build quality, price-to-value ratio, and whether both beginners and experienced makers will get real use from it.

Buying Guide

Essential Tools vs. Nice-to-Haves

Don’t try to buy everything at once. Start with a digital caliper, tweezers, hex key wrench set, and sandpaper.

Those four tools cover measurement, precision work, maintenance, and post-processing. That’s enough to handle nearly any situation you’ll run into.

Bed Adhesion Solutions

PLA on an unheated bed? Masking tape does the job for cheap. Once you move to heated beds and ABS, step up to Kapton tape or a BuildTak sheet. Our full guide to the best glue for 3D printer beds covers all the options.

For the absolute flattest, smoothest surface, nothing beats a borosilicate glass plate.

Post-Processing Essentials

Sandpaper, acetone, and an X-ACTO knife handle most post-processing jobs. If you do a lot of ABS work, add a smoothing pen for more targeted acetone application.

Once hand-sanding starts eating up too much of your afternoon, a Dremel is worth the investment.

Filament Storage

Moisture destroys filament. Store your spools in airtight containers with desiccant packets, and be especially careful with hygroscopic materials like nylon and PVA.

Put it this way: replacing one ruined spool costs more than a lifetime supply of silica gel packets.

Remote Monitoring

A Raspberry Pi running OctoPrint turns even a bare-bones printer into a network-connected smart machine. Start prints, watch progress via webcam, manage queues from any browser. It’s one of those upgrades that completely changes how you interact with your printer.

Final Thoughts

That’s the full list. 25 accessories that genuinely make a difference in your printing. Even if you grabbed every single item here, you’d still spend less than a mid-range 3D printer costs.

And every one of them pays for itself through better prints or time saved.

Start with the essentials: digital caliper, sandpaper, hex wrench set. Then add bed adhesion solutions and post-processing tools as your projects get more ambitious.

The right accessories don’t just make your prints look better. They protect your printer, reduce frustration, and help you produce results that actually look like they came from a professional shop. For even more ways to level up your game, our guide to the top 3D printing books digs into maintenance, design, and troubleshooting.

Well worth a few extra bucks.