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[Hotspurr]

I think 3D printing is the most exciting thing in hobby tech right now. It's a chance to learn a valuable skill, be creative and do useful things. I want to encourage people to check it out, while also putting some of your concerns away.

Cost - there are models in the US that will cost you $200-300 and will do a decent job. A spool of 1 kg of plastic (enough for 400 chess pieces, for example, will run $20).

Software - there is plenty of free software that rivals professional tools. Check out: DesignSpark Mechanical, Fusion 360 and Blender. The complexity is not too bad. I was able to teach a person with zero 3D modeling experience to put together a little jig to fit in a beaker for a science experiment in an afternoon. If you have an art or engineering background it might be easier. There is also free splicing software like Cura.

Time - you can generally print meaningful things, like models or things for around the home in tens of minutes or several hours.

Space - the footprint for the printers is surprisingly small. I have a prusa i3 v2, and it fits on my small work desk that already houses my PC and monitor.

Safety - 3d printers are generally safe, but due to temperatures of ,200 C + the risk of fire is there. You do not want to leave them alone for extended periods of time (eg. overnight) without supervision or you can build a metal enclosure. In my experience, the worst that has happened is either a filament jam or part lifting off. I would most machines as quite safe but you need to keep an eye on them occassionally.

purpose - I have 2 printers. One at home and one at work. The work one saves me (my company really) thousands of dollars in mechanical parts for various experimental setups or customer demos. For most people here, it will be for home, so here is what you can do:
things around the house : shelves, stands, hooks, coasters, signs, spare parts for consumer goods, office trinkets

artistic models : design your own or download for free models of characters and finish them with acrylic paints. Learning blender was very gratifying for me and it was surprisingly straightforward after watching some YouTube tutorials.

Gifts : make highly personalized gifts for friend and family. People really appreciate the effort and thought, and there is lots of sentimental value attached as a result.

Electro-mechanical : I have seen people make drones, remote controlled cars, and other really cool things. There is really no limit to how creative you can get.


That's all I can think of for now. Will happily answer questions about models and where to start with software. I also recommend checking out airbrushing to decorate your creations.

 

[Spheyr]

I have, I have a CR-10

 

[Lupingosei]

I have.

I fly fpv quads, rc planes, rc helicopters and drive rc cars. There is so much stuff you can build or fix with a 3D printer it is amazing.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Excellent post! It's a little too involved for me to get into it right now, but I'll be one of the "normies" who gets into it in 3-5 years once the technology is much more plug and play than it is right now.

 

[Spheyr]

I told my wife "Don't use the roll that's on the printer right now, it's been sitting out too long in this humidity and won't give you a good print"

So she tried to print a little hexagon planter.... and it came out terribly, go figure.


Man that red really pops in photos. I don't take photos in the library very often.

 

[DiscoJer]

Because I don't need to print 400 chess pieces for $20

I mean, it's like asking "Why don't you own a pottery wheel?"

 

[Spheyr]

Because I don't need to print 400 chess pieces for $20

I mean, it's like asking "Why don't you own a pottery wheel?"

You don't own a pottery wheel?

 

[Hotspurr]

Excellent post! It's a little too involved for me to get into it right now, but I'll be one of the "normies" who gets into it in 3-5 years once the technology is much more plug and play than it is right now.

Thanks. I think that's where I was going with my post. It is quite close to this plug-n-play stage. The M2 printer from makergear ships fully assembled and takes about 15-30 minutes to set up. From there you can print a model with just a few clicks. It is built like a house and extremely robust, but quite pricey ($2k).

I imagine in the future we will see a very streamlined system where the printer, software utilities, design software and splicing software could all come as one package. If they could make the design software more kid friendly I see a huge market. They are already introducing a lot of these things in schools.

 

[ILLtown]

For me, the main reason is that I don't know what I'd use a 3D printer for. Like, I've never thought "damn, I wish I had a 3D printer right now!!!", but maybe I'm just not aware of what can be done with them.

I suppose a secondary reason is, how good are the 3D objects that affordable 3D printers can produce, in terms of quality?

But yeah, the main reason is, WTF would I do with it? lol.

 

[Gander]

I suppose if I ever get into making my own controllers it might be of interest.

 

[TheShadowLord]

I wouldn't what I can use a 3d printer for. And I don't have the money to drop on a really good one. Though I have seen on etsy 3d printed dead space markers and I do want to buy one. But I wouldn't drop a lot of cash just to build one

 

[Gandara]

I saw quite a few different 3d printers at a maker's faire but never cared for the quality of the plastic used. Felt really cheap to me. Also rarely 2d print, so doubt I would 3d print.

 

[TrainedRage]

I'm far to dumb to understand. It would be nice to make miniatures and such for board games etc. Call me when I can print a full sized sex doll.

 

[Alx]

I've only used online services to print and ship small pieces to build prototypes or just toy around. For my needs it's a good way to get professional QQ quality at a reasonable cost.
I don't think regular people will ever need to own their printer, even if they're in a hurry they could go to a fab lab or a post office.

 

[Greedings]

What the fuck would I print?

 

[Spheyr]

What the fuck would I print?

That's up to you

 

[Greedings]

That's up to you

What could I possibly want that I can print? I don't want little figures plastic statues or bowls. Like...what useful stuff can you print?

 

[brap]

What could I possibly want that I can print? I don't want little figures plastic statues or bowls. Like...what useful stuff can you print?

Dildo

 

[Jae Mara]

I was thinking recently of getting into it but the price tag is a little high for the quality of stuff I would like to make. Its actually more that I think if there were to be inconsistencies in the print and it would bother me to no end and be a waste of money. I wouldnt mind entering the hobby on a mid range printer if I was to be happy with the quality. How is your printer OP? Is there much sanding down fiddling around with it afterwards? Have pictures of things you have printed by any chance?

 

[Mohonky]

I have.

I fly fpv quads, rc planes, rc helicopters and drive rc cars. There is so much stuff you can build or fix with a 3D printer it is amazing.

I am into FPV racing with my quads as well (I have Helicopters and planes also) and 3D printing is pretty much a requirement at this point. Planes and Heli's not quite as much, but with fpv quads it offers are so many opportunities to customise and experiment.

I don't have a printer myself, a mate does, a Prusa something or rather and another mate likes to just design things, no idea what software or how he even does it, but man if you have the know how, it's certainly possible to do some cool things.

A mate knocked up this pod for my Karearea Talon PR because I wanted to relocate the cam and put a fin on to test out how it would effect lateral grip. Came up awesome.....cept the colour because he likes green so bought green filament, I'd rather anything but lol.

 

[Wubby]

I actually finally just jumped in to this last month. I had been waiting for a printer that fits the cost, quality of prints and print size that I have been wanting and I think the Creality Ender 3 fits that bill. Ordered one from GearBest and it just showed up last week. I haven't had the time to put it together yet however. Bought a few rolls of PLA to get going as well. Hopefully will this weekend! Though it is still way to hot and humid here so not sure if I would want to run it too long yet.

How bad is humidity with the pla? Anyway to keep them fresh?

 

[Greedings]

Dildo

But why? I can buy them for less effort down the street.

 

[GrayFoxRJ]

I would love to print me some Shenmue gachas

 

[Lupingosei]

But why? I can buy them for less effort down the street.

You could print a 3D model of your own schlong so you could literally, well you get my point.

Edit: This is not meant as an insult just an example of the endless possibilities for even your darkest desires.

 

[Torrent of Pork]

Sounds interesting enough to print out molds, then sandcast them in aluminium or bronze.

 

[Fbh]

Because knowing myself I would get it, spend the first month printing some figures and other crap I don't really need. And then probably never use it again.

But I do think they are really cool

 

[Greedings]

I’m not being a dick, but what do you guys print? I think the idea is super cool but I just don’t see what you can print that is worth while.

 

[Lupingosei]

I’m not being a dick, but what do you guys print? I think the idea is super cool but I just don’t see what you can print that is worth while.

As Mohonkey has written, in certain hobbies it is pretty much part of it be to able to produce parts yourself, because it is not such a big thing, that you could buy it everywhere. FPV racing is still a bit like the beginning of gaming, where you had to create things also yourself because it was not that well established yet. But if you are outside of those groups, of course, it may seem strange.

However, a lot of prosthetics for children are created with 3D printers by hobbyists. There is a whole network existing. Because it is cheap and while they are growing up it is a good way to create new parts. So it does have applications in the real world as well.

 

[Alec]

I would totally have one if I had more space. For now, I just use those sites that will print it for you and mail it to you if you upload the plans.

 

[Vlaphor]

I've thought about getting one several times, but I always stop when I ask myself what I would really do with it. That being said, I'm sure one is just an impulse purchase away.

 

[brap]

But why? I can buy them for less effort down the street.

You can make your own designs though

 

[TheShadowLord]

I would totally have one if I had more space. For now, I just use those sites that will print it for you and mail it to you if you upload the plans.

what site is this?

 

[jadedm17]

I've thought about getting one several times, but I always stop when I ask myself what I would really do with it. That being said, I'm sure one is just an impulse purchase away.

This : What would I do with it?

I love the idea but even this thread about 3D printing lacks actual printed projects.

More pics please (Thanks Mohonky)

 

[Chairman Tickles]

Because I don't need to print 400 chess pieces for $20

I mean, it's like asking "Why don't you own a pottery wheel?"

lol. I've just been using mine recently to build chess pieces.

 

[dropkick!]

Can I reliably print good figures without having “serrations” though? Those print serrations can ruin the looks of a miniature human figure.

Also, Lets say I print a zbrush sculpt with some minor details that protrude a bit. Would the protrusion require like something to support it?

 

[Mohonky]

This : What would I do with it?

I love the idea but even this thread about 3D printing lacks actual printed projects.

More pics please (Thanks Mohonky)

Like I said, 3D printing for us guys and girls in mini quad racing, it's pretty much a necessity. A lot of frame designers now basically assume you have, or at least have access to, a 3D printer. When the whole mini quad thing kicked off 3D printing wasn't nearly as big a thing, but as it got more popular people started designing frames and ways of fitting components that previously wouldn't have been possible or was just to costly to invest into (ie. plastic injection moulding etc). Because of it, entire designs and the way the components are installed has evolved at a rapid pace.

Before 3D printing, this was most quad designs the standard 'H' design;

After 3D printing became more prevalent;

 

[Solomeena]

I am sorry to say that unless you are a huge corporation that can afford mega expensive actually useful 3D printers that it is just not worth it for 99.9 percent of all private households. 3D printing for the home is a gimmick more or less. It is cool i will grant you and fun to tinker with but like most people have said, what the fuck are you going to print?

 

[Mr Nash]

While I think the technology is great, I have no desire to own a 3D printer. Over the last few years, I've focused more on de-cluttering and it made me realize that over the years I have accumulated a lot of stuff that I don't need. Owning a 3D printer would just lead to me having too much stuff again. Even if I do need something that could be made by such a device, it's more practical for me to just get it at a dollar store or some such on a case-by-case basis rather than owning a printer. =\

 

[Alx]

More pics please (Thanks Mohonky)

well, last year I coded a small app for Xbox/PC to capture Kinect streams, and used it to generate small Christmas statues for my little sister's small family. It was fun to do.

 

[Hotspurr]

You can check out thingiverse for cool things to print.

 

[lifa-cobex]

I'm getting a printer soonish but still shopping around.

I've been practising making models with sculptris. Annoyingly I cant load it into Ultimaker Cura software.
I've been contemplating picking up Z-brush as the next step up.

What 3-d modelling programs do people recommend?

 

[Vicetrailia]

There's not much that I'm interested in making.

When I buy things now I tend to justify it by return on investment. That keeps me from buying needless things. I'm serious too, because it stopped me from buying a PS4 when I realized that I'd just use it for Netflix 86% of the time, when I have a smart tv. But if I didn't I would have a PS4 and a couple games too.

 

[Hotspurr]

I'm getting a printer soonish but still shopping around.

I've been practising making models with sculptris. Annoyingly I cant load it into Ultimaker Cura software.
I've been contemplating picking up Z-brush as the next step up.

What 3-d modelling programs do people recommend?

I like free programs. Blender is very good and has all the functionality you could want. People say it's hard to learn - I don't think so. For basic 3D models there are a huge number of tutorials (and lots of YouTube stuff). Blender supports mesh modeling and sculpting. You can then also dabble with textures, rendering and animation.

There's not much that I'm interested in making.

When I buy things now I tend to justify it by return on investment. That keeps me from buying needless things. I'm serious too, because it stopped me from buying a PS4 when I realized that I'd just use it for Netflix 86% of the time, when I have a smart tv. But if I didn't I would have a PS4 and a couple games too.

That's a good way to look at it. I think it might be be an expensive toy and then paperweight if you are not interested in making art and creative projects. For most home 3D printers, there is no real practical value outside of it being fun and exciting to realize your creativity in 3D. I think for practical 3D printing it's for either product prototyping or printing parts for custom setups that would otherwise need the machine shop (and even then, sometimes you can't get away with plastic parts).

 

[lifa-cobex]

I like free programs. Blender is very good and has all the functionality you could want. People say it's hard to learn - I don't think so. For basic 3D models there are a huge number of tutorials (and lots of YouTube stuff). Blender supports mesh modeling and sculpting. You can then also dabble with textures, rendering and animation.

I thought blender was mainly for animation. I'll give it a whirl so cheers or that.
Do the files save in a format that can be open in a 3d print format?

 

[Hotspurr]

I thought blender was mainly for animation. I'll give it a whirl so cheers or that.
Do the files save in a format that can be open in a 3d print format?

Yep. It can export as STL and has decent tools for fixing models. Inevitably when sculpting you generate bad geometry for 3D printing. I use the Microsoft model fixing tool on azure, it has worked without fail even when blender can't fix it. As you get better you'll make models with very few issues that can be exported and printed without any fixing.

 

[lifa-cobex]

 

[lifa-cobex]

 

[Noboru Wataya]

Can we 3D print furniture? Custom shelving etc?

 

[black_13]

How durable is the plastic? I would make a phone stand for my car if its decently durable

 

[Forsete]

How durable is the plastic? I would make a phone stand for my car if its decently durable

It depends on what plastic you print with.

PLA is strong/stiff but a bit brittle and not very heat resistant.
ABS/ASA is also strong but softer compared to PLA, it is heat resistant though and UV resistant as well. ASA is what I use for my phone stand in my car.