3D printing consumables are the small parts a busy printer uses up. Keep spare cleaning needles, PTFE tube, knife and deburring blades, desiccant, microfibre rope and vacuum bag refills on the shelf so a worn part does not hold up a print job.
Filament Storage Refill Pack (10 Vacuum Bags and 10 Desiccant Bags)
Every printer gets through a few small parts. Needles bend, blades dull, PTFE tube wears near the hot end and desiccant fills up with moisture. Running out at the wrong moment can leave a printer sitting idle, so a small stock of spares and a simple restock routine keep the work flowing.
| Consumable | Why it wears out | Replace or restock when |
|---|---|---|
| Nozzle Cleaning Needles (0.2 to 1.0 mm, packs of 10) | Fine needles bend or snap with repeated use | A needle is bent, or you are down to the last few in a size you run |
| PTFE Bowden Tubing (By the Meter) | Heat near the hot end and filament friction deform and scuff the tube | The end is discoloured or misshapen, or filament drags or clogs at a fitting |
| #11 Knife Blades (pack of 5) | The fine cutting edge dulls with use | The blade starts to drag rather than cut |
| Noga Deburring Blades BS1010 (S10, pack of 10) | Edges last well on plastic but wear faster on steel and aluminium | The blade skips or leaves a rough edge |
| Silica Gel Desiccant Bags 5 Gram (packs of 5, 50 or 100) | Silica gel absorbs moisture until it is saturated | Humidity readings climb, or you open a new roll |
| Filament Storage Refill Pack (10 vacuum bags, 10 desiccant bags) | Your filament collection outgrows your bags | An open roll is left without its own bag |
| Microfibre Rope - Pack of 5 (about 45 cm each) | Traps grease, dirt and grime from lead screw threads | A rope is clogged with grime |
Heat the nozzle to the printing temperature of the filament you last used, then pass a needle that matches the nozzle size through it a few times. Finish the outside with a Brass Wire Cleaning Brush, or get both in the Nozzle Care Kit. A hot nozzle can burn badly, so keep fingers clear of the heater block and wear eye protection while brushing. Cleaning a Clogged Nozzle: The Complete Guide covers tougher blockages.
Our Hobby Knife takes standard #11 blades, so the spare packs fit it. The Deburring Tool comes with one blade and, on printed plastic alone, seldom needs another. If you also deburr metal, keep a pack of S10 blades on hand, checking first that your handle takes them. Change blades with care, always cut away from yourself, and wrap used blades before they go in the bin.
Running a print farm, school lab or business? A trade account suits regular restocking, and Building a Print Farm: Lessons from the Field shares more on keeping many printers busy. For dry storage basics, see our vacuum storage guide.
Consumables are easy to add to a filament or hardware order, and orders over $299 ship free Australia-wide (excluding PO Boxes) from our Perth and Melbourne warehouses. The tools that go with them are in our maintenance tools and finishing tools ranges.
Choose the size that matches your nozzle, so a 0.4 mm needle for a 0.4 mm nozzle. Packs of 10 run from 0.2 to 1.0 mm. If you use several nozzle sizes, the Nozzle Care Kit bundles 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 mm packs with a brass brush, and a smaller needle can help loosen a stubborn clog in a bigger nozzle.
There is no fixed lifespan, because it depends on how hot the tube runs near the hot end, the filaments you print and how much the tube flexes. Inspect it whenever you clear a clog or change a nozzle, and replace it once the heated end is discoloured or deformed, filament drags, or a gap opens at a fitting.
They fit our Hobby Knife, which uses standard #11 blades, and they suit other knives made for #11 blades too. Each pack holds five. Swap to a fresh blade as soon as it drags through plastic instead of slicing cleanly, because a dull blade needs more force and is more likely to slip.
Use one 5 gram bag per vacuum bag, which is how the refill pack is made up, and add more to larger dry boxes or tubs that are opened often. Replace a bag when a hygrometer shows humidity creeping up. Packs of 50 or 100 make sense once you store more than a handful of rolls.
