Wanted to start an everything else thread about 3d printing. Do you own a 3d printer to go with your laser or better yet multiple? Can you share a recent print or the coolest print you made with it?
I have not had the time or will power to learn designing for my 3d printers yet (p1s and A1) and just been using makers world for prints. Any tips for getting started custom designing?
My most recent print today was these little organizer trays:
Two 3d printers and 3 lasers. My best tip is to find a program that works well with your brain. Blender works well for artists but Fusion works for technical thinkers.
Seconded, Fusion is a great place to design precision items. I’m learning Blender (slowly) for more organic work.
I don’t have a 3D printer and doubt I’ll ever get one. But I sure like seeing what others make.
I have the Bambu X1-C. I use MakerWorld and sometimes other sites.
My 11-year-old Grandson has designed a few simpler things in Tinkercad. Before I got the printer I designed one item in Fusion, which turned out great!
I don’t remember anything from the learning experience. Life has been busy. Maybe I’ll get back to it!
The 3-D printer has been mostly neglected, like the Glowforge the last year. We are wrapping up a remodel by the end of January … and I hope to get back to normal.
i have a mars elegoo. and i’ve still never used it. print failed on my first attempt and i never got back to it.
i need to. some day.
I forgot about tinker cad which is a great place to start even for adults. Free and couldn’t be simpler.
I have two 3D printers: an Elegoo Mars resin printer and a Bambulabs PS1 fdm printer with AMS.
Coolest print(s) on the Elegoo:
I made the chair, the table, and the shoes on the Elegoo. These are all 1/12 miniatures.Coolest print on the Bambu:
These are decorations to put on your light switches. The AMS had all four colors of PLA loaded in it and switched between the colors flawlessly.
Forgot to mention, I bought the table, chair and shoe files on CGTrader (although they were just skins and I had to do a ton of work on them to make them printable), and the Xmas decorations came from Makerworld (free!).
For my own designs I use Shapr3D. I like the way it thinks.
Those on the Elegoo are amazing! Wow, I love them!
I picked up a Bambu P1S last year and I’ve been obsessed with it. It enabled me to halve the price of one of my products while nearly eliminating assembly. And it’s really handy for making inserts and connectors for my laser-cut products. The “scoops” in this Agricola meeple caddy are 3D printed.
I’ve been designing custom fidget spinners for friends. These are entirely 3D printed with no hardware, but I’ve designed a version with a 2.5mm bearing embedded in it and it really flies.
Hopefully no one is offended by that. I created a censored version for sensitive audiences… but it didn’t do anything.
I’ve lost count of all the little household items I’ve printed. Chip bag clips. Cable organizers. Wall shelves. Board game organizers. Nightstand caddies. Articulated toys for Christmas stocking stuffers. Silverware drawer organizers. Replacement hardware. Drawer knobs.
Gridfinity bins alone will consume a significant portion of your life.
It’s been a lot of fun! And if you’re already designing in Fusion 360 or Blender, it’s a natural transition.
I’m in the “have one, haven’t used it yet” group. A friend gave us his old resin printer when he updated and it’s at least set up now, so maybe this thread will lead to motivation!
Started 3D printing long before the Glowforge era. Currently down to just my Ultimaker 2+. Over the years, a printed almost 200 assistive devices for people with upper limb difference through the E-nable program. Here’s my favorite build:
I got a Bambu Lab X1-Carbon a couple years ago. I love it.
I shared photos of some of my creations before, but I will again.
A couple months ago I got the Bambu Lab H2C using certificates that I stored up from posting my models to MakersWorld. It is so much nicer for multi-color and multi-material printing.
@dwardio I would love to print assistive devices for people! How did you get started doing that? I will have to look into the E-nable program!
Nice. I’m looking forward to see what I can do with the new Snapmaker U1 to get some cool multicolor designs (I did Captain America ones with multiple prints of different color filaments but that takes several separate prints vs multiple parts on a plate).
A friend and colleague from work has upper limb difference, and when DIY devices came out of Africa we discussed them at length. A year later, I joined the E-nable project pretty much at the beginning. My friend was fascinated with the hand and arm devices I had provided, and finally asked if I would make them an arm in Green Bay Packers colors, which of course are the ones posted above.
Funny side story — when I was first getting started, I came to work one day and found a big box on my desk. Image my surprise when I opened it and saw an assortment of prosthetic arms — every device they had used until abandoning them altogether as an adult. 
I actively use a Bambu X1-C and H2S daily. I have other 3d printers, but do not use them anymore. I use Fusion 360 for my design tool, which took me a minute to learn coming from the 2D Adobe world. My current projects I’m working on all also utilize laser cut parts from the Glowforge: WLED Harbor Town Lighthouse birdhouse, Church replica birdhouse, WLED Zonohedrified Hexagonal Antiprism table lamp with black led acrylic, custom fidget clickers using mechanical keyboard switches, and a translucent WLED Truncated Icosahedron. I haven’t shared any of my recent designs, but plan on publishing a few to Makerworld at some point.
Here is a Rhombicosidodecahedron entirely 3D printed, as my goal was to teach myself creating threaded bolts in fusion 360. Not sure if this is the coolest, but it makes my brain happy.
I have to say to myself sometimes, “gotta stop with the infrastructure and do something fun”. I’ve been printing gridfinity for a week solid now trying to clean up around the inside CNC.
Encouraged by folks here, I got an Elegoo Mars when they were inexpensive a few years ago. I printed a few things. Eventually, the screen developed spots. With replacement screens backordered 6 months out, I got an Anycubic Photon M3. That ended up being more temperamental and fragile, but I am still using it.
I have mostly printed things I modeled myself, mostly in Blender or Nomad Sculpt, including skull beads, dice masters, tiny button battery holders, knotwork forms for making molds, and various tools and utility items.
I don’t have an FDM printer, mostly due to not having anywhere to put it.
I’ve been resisting a persistent urge to buy a 3D printer for some time now.
This tread is not helping.
