Something that doesn’t come up often in conversation, but is important nevertheless, is electricity. 3d printer run on electricity and it does you no good to run one on an overloaded circuit.

First of all, you need to know how much power your 3D printer consumes. This depends on the model, the size, the features, and the settings of your printer. You can usually find this information on the specifications sheet or the user manual of your printer. Alternatively, you can use a power meter to measure the actual power consumption of your printer.

The power consumption of a 3D printer is usually expressed in watts (W) or kilowatts (kW). For example, a typical desktop 3D printer might consume around 200 W, while a larger industrial 3D printer might consume up to 5 kW. To convert watts to kilowatts, you simply divide by 1000. For example, 200 W / 1000 = 0.2 kW.

Next, you need to know how much current your 3D printer draws from the electrical outlet. This depends on the voltage and the power consumption of your printer. You can use this formula to calculate the current:

Current (in amps) = Power (in watts) / Voltage (in volts)

For example, if your 3D printer consumes 200 W and the voltage in your country is 120 V, then the current is:

Current = 200 W / 120 V = 1.67 amps

You also need to know the maximum current rating of your circuit breaker. This is the maximum amount of current that your circuit breaker can handle before it trips and cuts off the power. You can usually find this information on the label or the panel of your circuit breaker. The common ratings are 15 amps, 20 amps, or 30 amps.

To avoid tripping your circuit breaker, you need to make sure that the total current draw of all the devices connected to the same circuit does not exceed the maximum current rating of your circuit breaker. For example, if your circuit breaker is rated at 15 amps and you have a 3D printer that draws 1.67 amps, a laptop that draws 0.5 amps, and a lamp that draws 0.1 amps, then the total current draw is:

Total current = 1.67 amps + 0.5 amps + 0.1 amps = 2.27 amps

This is well below the maximum current rating of your circuit breaker, so you should not have any problems.

However, if you have a larger 3D printer that consumes 5 kW and draws 41.67 amps at 120 V, then you will definitely need a dedicated circuit with a higher-rated circuit breaker (such as a 50-amp breaker) to run it safely.

Some other tips to avoid electrical problems are:

• Use a surge protector or an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to protect your 3D printer from power surges or outages.
• Use high-quality extension cords or power strips that can handle the current draw of your 3D printer.
• Avoid using multiple adapters or splitters that can overload your outlet or create fire hazards.

I know that’s a lot of math, the TLDR version of this is that most hobby printers can safely be run on a 20 amp circuit. It’s still probably in your best interest to run the calculation, though.