I bought an Ender 3 when I retired last year. Not only have I learned to use it, but I have learned to use Fusion 360 because of it. For an older guy, this has kept me thinking and learning new things. I have printed parts for a used truck I bought, designed tools to use in my pottery, and printed about 30 personalized name tags for the people where my wife volunteers. Learning to design on tinkercad and Fusion 360 means I don’t print nick nacks much any more - I am too busy designing useful things. Great video!!
I also bought an ender 3 when I retired and like you have been learning fusion. 360. I recently designed and printed some custom dowl drilling jigs for a woodwork project I was making. Using some cheap Chinese drilling bushes I was able to make some Dowling jigs that I just couldn't buy and they worked perfectly.
3d printing has really help with my depression. I really love this hobby and after only 1 year I own 3 fdm and 1 sla printer. I use them almost every day.
Since starting just under a week ago (I got an Ender 3 that arrived and performed its first print one week ago tomorrow), I've felt my own depression diminish quite a bit and I have something that excites me in the evening (watching TV and playing games can only engage so much, you know?). I'm loving this.
If you have someone that struggles with depression in the family, you'd know how important this could be!! I'am very glad it is helping you out!! Keep it up!!
I 3D print all sorts of stuff, however the most useful would have to be aids that assist my disabled wife. Some include a custom fitting I designed to mount a flexible led light in just the right spot for her and a remote caddy that allows her to easily access the controller for her adjustable bed, allowing her to get out of bed independently. The usefulness to people with disabilities of 3D printing can not be underestimated.
Tought your wife had AIDS for a second there. The future will hold more technology which will help disabled people and hopefully make your wifes life better from day to day, not saying it is’t awesome right now. :)
Hi Andrew, I’m a quadriplegic and struggle to use my bed remote as I often can’t reach it, is your design available anywhere for me to look at. I have a prusa i3.
@@Ebonyqwe hey, I don't necessarily have the exact model that Andrew has, but if you would like to message me directly; we can communicate on any ideas you may have along with some photos of where the remote could go to be accessible and I might be able to model you something! I don't have my printer yet (coming in a few days), but I've gotten myself back up to speed on Fusion 360 and would be happy to take a crack at finding a solution!
I'm developing open source bionic prosthetic devices solely myself all thanks to my "KatachiBot" CR-10S. The project focuses on lowering the cost of myoelectric prosthetics and making it more accessible to the public. The project heavily depends around 3D printing as additive manufacture allows for rapid prototyping which itself is a very powerful tool to have as an enthusiast. Hoping this project will be done soon as it will be a factor for my university entrance. I am 18. I've been very grateful for the entire community as they have picked me up when I was down, and when I needed replacement parts the community was there waiting for me with open arms. Hoping I will return the favour one day.
@@deadsimpleali5540 Hey. I'm glad to help out. I started by looking at Openbionics and the eNABLE movement and drew inspiration from there. I'm experienced in Fusion 360 so as you can imagine a lot of iteration went into it. Currently, I'm getting proof of concepts working but I'd recommend looking at other people's prosthetic devices and see where you can draw inspiration and what you can improve on. Look into how you'd like to control the device too - the biointerface. Mine uses a myoelectric sensor which uses EMG to detect muscle movement. This is called the "MyoWare" sensor. I've had to put the project on hold for now since the initial proof of concept is done and I need to focus on my other commitments - Math and Physics. Once my final exams are done I will continue to work on it. I'm also in the process of repairing and calibrating my CR-10S and I may potentially look into purchasing another printer. I wanted an MK3S just because it's so easy to use. If you'd like to talk to me personally, I'm active on Reddit (u/AgentL3r) or on Discord at AgentL3r#0333 :)
@@paintballercali The reason I started all of this was actually from a video game I played a few years ago called Metal Gear Solid V. I'm a massive MGS/Kojima fan and in the game, the main character uses a bionic arm. I thought "Hey, wouldn't it be cool to make one in real life?". In the UK in order to get into university you must do your A-Levels which are a set of very hard exams (at least for me they are). I take Maths, Physics, and Product Design. For Product Design, you have a year to research, develop, prototype and test anything you like and as you can imagine, I chose a bionic arm. So far I have had to build everything from the ground up - the mechanics, electronics, code, whatever. I'm not happy with the current state of it, but once I feel like it's ready I will begin to open up everything to the world - source files, code, and hopefully get a little community going. Everything is designed parametrically so people can adapt it to their needs. To reiterate, the files are not released right now as I am not happy with the current design (lots of issues) and I know I can do better without the pressure of a deadline. It's a passion project. I've managed to secure a place at Imperial College London - the UK's most prestigious engineering university - for Design Engineering. However, to truly get in I must perform well in my exams. As I have dedicated so much time to this project, I've let my other subjects fall behind, so I've handed in whatever I currently have and I plan to work on it again after my exams are over. I'm saving up for an MK3S to make my life easier too, which is a little hard since my math tutoring contract ends soon. Anyway, if I do get into ICL then I hope to use their facilities and the expertise of the professors to expand this project. Low-cost, functioning, advanced myoelectric devices that anyone in the entire world can build, print and adapt to themselves. If you would like to personally talk, I am active on Reddit (u/AgentL3r) as well as Discord (AgentL3r#0333). My Thingiverse is also AgentL3r.
Thank you. As a woodworker my first choice was a CNC router. After seeing some of your videos and many others I finally decided to dive in, even deeper, and just bought my first ever 3D printer. After much research I decided to go with the Creality Ender 3. Although it may not be the easiest to assemble, learn & fine tune, I'm quite confident after building my BobsCNC E4 I am up for the task. Great videos bud! Definitely got a sub from me. I definitely did NOT buy it to make "nick-naks" but to be able to design/print my own "quality-of-life" tools/parts for things around the shop! Good to see others thinking properly when it comes to technology. Toys...schmoys! Tools=drools! One of my 1st projects will be a new accessory design for my router table. It may take a while but I HAVE an idea of the design in mind and can't wait to "git 'r done!" /cheers
Great point Michael, my house is full of not only toys for the kids but all kinds of holders, repairs, and improvements I have 3d printed, and my studio is full of tools and jigs I’ve printed.
This is just my 1st week having a 3D printer and I've already started designing camera mounts and control holders. More importantly, I have been looking at the world differently. Constantly going.. I can do that better and I could recycle this... It's a great experience for any tinkerer
I got into 3D printing after a friend printed some parts for a car project for me. As a retired engineer, the process was as interesting as the end product. Since buying the Ender 3 and upgrading it (with much help and guidance from you Michael), I have made many parts and tools for the car project. Probably the most successful and surprising have been forming dies for bead rolling and bending. Using only PLA I’ve produced dies capable of forming aluminium sheet and extrusions exactly how I needed. I’ve also printed countless marking gauges for the same project. Preaching to the choir Michael!,
I am into RC planes, cars, trucks etc....and I have printed a few items that help me in the RC field. I love it because I don't have to go and purchase what I need. Great video Michael!
I got involved in 3D printing for another hobby: tabletop wargames. I can print bases for my models and custom parts for vehicles. Where it really shines is in printing terrain and scenery though. The them can be fantasy (think Tolkien), futuristic Science Fiction (, or even Steampunk. Now that I've been working with 3D Printing for well over a year, I now have a UV resin printer and have been able to print models and even accessories for models. I've also been involved with a local Makerspace for over 8 years and that organization first introduced me to 3D printing, among other technologies and tools, such as CNC machines and laser cutters. Which also happen to be great for getting creative with tabletop wargames. Now I'm working on creating a portable tabletop board system that is easy enough for any wargamer to DIY at home. Some parts for it have been prototyped using a 3D printer and could be 3D printed by the wargamer themselves or purchased from someone with a 3D printer before they make their set of boards.
My son makes custom wooden rings, but was constantly having trouble with out of round conditions. So I made a mandrel to various ring sizes for use in the drill press. Not only does it keep them round, but it is also a way to tell if he has the ID right for the size he's making.
Great video on how 3D printing is fun and creative. I've been making parts to fix items around the house. For example put a security door on my house so needed to relocate my video doorbell. So made a bracket to put it on the side of the frame and route the wires to where they are needed. Just one of many small projects.
I've done a few hard-to-accomplish-any-other-way designs, but the biggest benefit I've found is that 3D printing is so much more rapid than hand fabrication that I'm much more likely to tackle projects I just wouldn't have ever gotten around to, especially if multiple identical parts are required. It's also saved me a surprising number of shipping delays on parts that I would've guessed, before owning a printer, wouldn't have been worth making.
I am a huge believer/supporter of the Right-to-Repair movement and have been using 3D printing to repair items for friends and clients that would otherwise end up in landfill or cost a small fortune to have custom machined. I've made replicas of parts for a friend's vintage early 70s Italian convertible as well as in-dash gauge mounts for my own car. And endless little useful jigs and tools for one-off tasks. Speaking of tools, your video immediately reminded me of the Nasa Wrench, the first "uplinked" tool manufactured and used in space. I don't know how much more practical 3D printing could be than that.
I use my 3D printer to support other hobbies: ham radio, woodworking, metalworking. It justifies itself for small tools, jigs, cases just for those hobbies. In addition, it's very handy around the house for making small replacement parts that are just not available any other way. I've never made anything bigger than about 100mm on any axis, but there are plenty of useful things in that size range. I honestly have little interest in 3D printing as a hobby. It makes my other hobbies far more enjoyable, though. It gets used more than my drill press these days!
One of the obvious use of 3D printer is different type of hooks, shelves and so on. 3D printer has a huge application in any houshold. You, as a teacher, has many opportunities to attract young people to the world of creativity!!!
3dp prosthetics are also a fine example of a practical use of 3d printing. The fact that it's an additive process also eliminates waste in the form of chips and dust. Combining robotics and other automated fabrication techniques with the technology, can make it possible to largely decentralize manufacturing. 3d printing is no joke. It has the potential to fundamentally change the world. Imagine a device the size of a washing machine in every household with the ability to make snap together copies of itself along with most useful items. That's the direction we're heading. Thanks for the video.
I help Engineering students at a university print project prototypes ranging from LED car sensor boxes (for miniature self-driving cars) all the way to assist items for those that are disabled (such as cup holders, tap grips, and braille contact cards). Outside of these, I also print test parts for aeronautical students (miniature wing designs for turbine and wind pressure testing) and microfluidic channels for the testing of the movement of gases in small quantities. We have also started printing storage boxes for HDMI converters that we lend out from our help desk, and cardholders for booked rooms. This helps to keep our help desk neat and tidy. Niknaks are nice, but we rarely even print those. I think I once printed an octopus toy for my cat, and we printed a sundial as a test print when we received our two big boys.
I just picked up my first printer to use with FPV drones. 3D printing is pretty much an essential part of the hobby at this point, mostly for mounting cameras or antennas in certain ways.
I always dreamed of buying a 3D printer myself but was always affraid that it would be just one of many things that I'm excited about until Iget it and then it's just laying around. At the beginning of this year I finally had a good reason to buy one (since the prices dropped pretty low in the past 10years), I upgraded some parts on my MTB and needed a chain guide for my 1X10 Drivetrain, when I saw that thoose plastic bits cost about 50-70€ I was shocked and decided to buy a ender-3 pro for about 170€ and print those parts myself. Even tough they might be not as stirdy as the factory parts, they are much cheaper and I can reproduct and replace them whenever I want. Also made a Part for my cars Glovebox compartment which would have cost me about 40€ to replace otherwise. My parens where very sceptical about me buying a 3D-printer but it seems that they already know to appreciate that I bought one since they also asked me many times to print some Parts that have broken of somewhere around the house/garden. And even made a bit of earnings by designing and printing replacement stuff for some colleges. ^^
@@TShepard I accidently ripped off my last chainguide that I printed first, had to fix my bike on road sight. Now with better knowledge I just got another filament that suits the purpose better and I redesigned it to make it sturdy... now it's just like the factory ones ;D
Thank you for that video, the importance of re-using and re-purposing far exceeds the importance of re-cycling, however both are far more important than land filling, cheers to you for that message. In industry I have 3D printed a test rigs that saved both resources and time to deliver but lasting long enough to expose the problem. I am a big fan of 3D printing. Problem solving is another great aspect afforded by 3D printing, the feel of the item in your hand and its true function prior to the time and financial commitment having the machined parts produced, less wast better results for sure. Again, thank your for this video good job.
ive printed various holders like for tv remotes, my hands dont work well and i drop stuff a lot, so they make it easier to grab. ive also made parts to convert some tower plant pots into an aquaponics tower. I love how I can make and print things that you cant otherwise get, or make totaly custom items to fit exactly where you need them to.
I make a lot of jigs and fixtures to help with carpentry projects like laying my decking planks to make sure the spacing between each one is correct and the placement of the screws is exactly in the middle of the joist and spaced out the same on every plank. I just printed some drawer anti pull out things to replace the broken ones on a set of drawers, they are a better design and I wouldn't know where to look for replacements of the originals anyway. Battery boxes to hold reclaimed 18650 lithium cells ... the list goes on.
My printer should arrive tomorrow. Not to long ago I thought it was a hobby/novelty, but the more readily available files I've found have changed my mind. Now it's more quality of life functional things for my workshop that prompted me to order an ender 3.
I print a lot of small repair parts for various things. I've also printed cup holders, radio mounting brackets for amateur radio, and a variety of other functional and household items. I'm working on a lost PLA casting setup right now to further expand my capabilities.
Gonna sound dumb, but... I 3D printed a lot of little clips to hold bags closed, and wow has my life felt blessed ever since. They're something that's inconvenient to run out of, and now we have too many! It's great. They work great in hot cars and the freezer too. Also I printed a little ramp for my sister's gecko to get into her egg laying box more easily, and that ranks up there pretty high too.
I'm printing a lot of brackets and holders all over my house for tools and everyday items. Ever seen an arcade stick wallmounted holder? I bet not! I also fixed some broken stuff by printing exact copies of the damaged parts. It's just super fun to print practical stuff between all the figurines and gadgets!
Oh there are so so sooo many useful things for sure! :) As a starter I'm pretty sure that by now, most people know about the 3d printed hospital masks. But wait, there is more! :D Amputated a leg and need prosthetics? 3D Printing! Broke a coat hanger? 3D Printing! Need a better desktop organizer? 3D Printing! Holders, shelves, buckets and other useful stuff for your peg board? 3D Printing! Want to enrich your D&D hobby but find the terrain expensive? 3D Printing! What about the minis? 3D Printing! (Even better with resin printers!) Want to surprise someone with a nice vase? 3D Printing! Is the box insert for that board game really bad? 3D Printing! Prototyping machines that will eventually be made in metal? 3D Printing! Prototyping medical equipment? 3D Printing! Does your kid really really really want that Elsa figure you can't afford? 3D Printing! ...yeah, I can go on forever! ^_^ There is just sooooo much useful things that 3D printing can be used for without having to be an industrial $10000 machine. Love it! :D
I always love watching your videos. Not only is the content always great, you also are very good at presenting the information in a fun and informative way. Keep up the great work!
Fantastic video as always. I mainly use my Ender 3 to print usable parts, it has paid for itself many times over printing replacement parts that were either not available or prohibitively expensive.
3D printing has had a big impact in my RC truck hobby, and has really opened up my creativity. I also design parts at work that are 3D printed, some are prototypes before they get milled out of aluminum, or actual final parts that will be installed.
Today I designed and printed a replacement for a lost earbud rubber squishy thingy out of glow in the dark TPU. I also printed a couple arrow fletches out of the same material rather than throw away the damaged arrows. Last week I designed & printed an IWB spare magazine holder and prototyped something I invented. This technology is a world changer.
I've brought my first printer for this very reason. I've wanted one for a long time, but this was just the push I needed and I jumpped in head first, got a dud of a printer and a hefty learning curve. 12 days later I am now printing 14-20 a day and I had my very first catastrophe to day at about 160 prints in.
Some if not most hospitals can’t accept objects, if not made by certified medical provider, do people still use it, yes but for example my hospital won’t.
@Heads Mess Sanded parts can be cavi-wiped, as 3D printed parts for hospital use wouldn't be going into surgery. I think you vastly overestimate how much supplies are autoclaved in a hospital. Unless it's going into a surgical suite, a cleaning wipe is sufficient. I use 3D printed parts that have had no reaction to hospital cleaning agents.
Thanks Michael, this is a much-needed video. The sad reality is that 3D printing channels require things to print for reviews, tutorials, comparisons etc.. The result is an endless queue of Benchy's, Cubes, Rooks, Lattices etc. to fill that requirement. Sadly, the uninitiated see these videos, and assume this is all a 3D printer can do... How wrong they are! When I got my Ender 3 I vowed that I would not succumb to the temptation to print other than practical items that would have ongoing usefulness. I have largely managed to stick to this mantra, and I get daily pleasure from seeing and using the results. As an aside: For many years I have had a lot of pleasure from dabbling with CAD software. I consider being allowed to use Fusion 360 an absolute privilege... my thanks to the Autodesk team. However, you can only design so many things in CAD before you begin to wish to see them "in the solid". For me, that's where the 3D printer (and CNC mill/router) comes in.
Honestly, there is no shame in printing something not useful, if it is cool and brings you joy. As a puzzle collector myself, I plan on printing mainly useless things, but definitely a lot of useful things
@@nutmeggaming11261 : You hit the nail on the head when you said "if it brings you joy". If it doesn't do that, it's pointless. (Unless you do it purely for profit, but that is a whole different story.)
I printed an adapter to attach my shop-vac to my miter saw - couldn't find an off-the-shelf one anywhere. For my shop I printed ~100 small brackets to hang LED light panels. A couple electronics enclosures. Also, people should not discount the nick-nack printing too much... FIrst, it's possible to make money printing things like that for people (or just gifts). Second, it's a stepping stone - my son (who had a 3D printer before I did) started 3D printing nick-nacks, and then started to design his own stuff in Fusion 360. He made a switch plate for his older brothers car, and some speaker adapters for his younger brothers car, and a part for his grandparents RV.
3d printing figures and miniatures for dnd is an incredible way to make money if you can also design them. Minis cost around 5 dollars each or more but the plastic required is incredibly small, even for completely solid prints. The only issue is getting a high level of detail to print good miniatures. Resin is best for that
Adam's Lab : I agree! Most of what I print is for my own specific projects, designed in Fusion 360, but... every so often I see something that is sooo good I just have to print it!
I printed so many useful thinks I cant even remember them all, but here is some things: For cars: Had a plastic part brake on a throttle wire, normally you have to replace the whole wire but I made a new part with a slot so I could slip it over the wire. I printed new brackets for my car to hold the grill since my previous was stolen and the brackets destroyed. The most recent was to print a 2 DIN stereo holder for my car. For my home: Brackets of various kinds, like to mount book shelves together. Form fit phone docks with wireless charging. Lamp shades. For electronics: Lots of cases, parts trays with magnets, assortment bin separators,. Tools: Radius gauges, spanners for SMA connectors, patterns.
@@dorialameda7536 Yes I used a set of callipers to measure the diameters of the various openings on my woodworking tools then designed adapters using sketchup to fit my vacuum cleaner and tool. I made them from PETG as it's a little more flexible than PLA and helps with obtaining a secure tight fit.
I designed and printed three simple parts for my home roasting coffee / espresso setup that I use every day. They automate and save me a few minutes grinding plus eliminate waste and cleanup.
My main hobby is RC crawlers, 3d printing has enabled me to print a lot of parts needed, currently I am printing the body shells, in the near future I will be printing rc crawlers from 3dsets they consist of over 90% printed components, fully printed with all the other parts needed, the hole car will cost me a fraction of the real hobby grade models, these cars are really durable and so much fun to print.
thank you for these videos, you have helped me decide to dive into 3d printing. i am a hobbyist and try to DIY as much as i can. I cant wait to get my hands on and ender 3 v2. thank you for the inspiration.
we use 3d printing constantly at work to mock up designs before setting up cnc jobs, it saves a ton of money and metal. also for holding jigs and fixtures, it keeps the cnc working on production vs. making ancillary parts
Hi Michael, I love your videos. Right now I'm doing parts for my airsoft guns, modifiying ikea furniture, protective corners in my terrace, improving also the CE3, modifying my NUC5 computer to have more ventilation space... Whatever I could repair I will repair with my 3D printings
Michael: In case you're looking for topics: "Going beyond PLA". For folks who are printing adequately in PLA on their economical printers (Creality, Prusa, Artillery etc), what upgrades and other considerations, if any, are required to print other popular materials? That's particularly in the area of temperature, where I, for one, am confused as to what the PTFE tube can and can't realistically withstand, when a Capricorn upgrade would be sufficient, when an all-metal hot end is really required, and so on. I know there are other considerations like fumes, and bed surface. Not necessarily all the details in depth, but what steps we need to address, in what order. Such as "for material X you'll need to upgrade the hot end, but no point doing that if you don't also do Y". Having at least an overview of that info assembled in one place would be fantastic.
I got prusa i3 clone from china that runs also e3d v6 that come with vulcan heat block and 1.75 bowden setup, though i got this printer second hand fron buddy. Only upgrades are adding end stop switches, spool holder with bearings, buddy had upgraded table heat element to aluminum plate that has the heater element built in (dont know manufacturer or name) and put on printing surface off brand BuiltTak. Maintenance vise Zaxis lead screws were replaced after two years of pretty heavy use and i'm planning on adding heat sinks to steppers for improved cooling on longer prints, even though its not required, just nice to run them cooler. For printing other than PLA, i usually run with ABS 240C nozzle and 90C bed, even 57mm/s and infill 95mm/s speeds with out issues. With looking into it and some tweeking probably even faster, but this is fine for my applications now. Quality is not the best but nozzle could be needing replacement soon, so that factors in a bit. For other materials PETG can be printed as well and this machine has been running flex filaments with direct feed setup (bowden setup gives bit too much opportunity for filament to flex inside the tube, so direct drive is needed to make this problem easier to solve.) Havent tested anything else, but long as i dont go 300C range on uncommon filaments this setup will be sufficient. For that i would start considering other types of hot ends and finding solutions on teflon tube melting. For common filaments like ABS and PETG you should be good with average hot ends and beds. Heating up takes just more time and you need to throttle down your printing speed as vulcan heatblock is there just to give heat faster to filament, so more stuff can be rammed trough it, but if you are ok with slower speeds no need to upgrade far as i see it. Experiment with your settings and chance value at time. If you are looking print quality on surface finish, then you might want to look into tighter tolerances and there is info on that. On my case i really give damn, as with ABS i can smooth it out and make perfect by hand tools and some acetone. Printer is just a tool to make rough parts i can fine tune by hand depending its use, hence print speed cranked to high heavens. This is just me with limited experience, trowing my 2 cents in.
I use my 3D printers for many things, my son in-law is a contractor and I've designed many drilling templates for drawer pulls, I like making projects with Arduino's and naturally I would design and make cases for them, I've made a few educational toys for my great granddaughter, repaired items around the house, as a CPAP user I was having an issue with the hose of the ResMed P10 mask pulling loose from the CPAP hose so I designed a retaining clip for it. Just a few of things I use 3D printing for.
Sometimes my printer is the only reason I have to drag myself out of bed when my depression is bad, I'm excited to see how the print turned out. Beyond that, I would've never been able to make a ball jointed doll without my printer, and I am now planning on designing my own. It also is helpful for sewing and doll repainting, which are two of my other crafts. I even printed and designed a tpu case for my (cannabis) vape so I can have it on a lanyard, lol!
I love designing and printing tools and bits required for repairs. The thing is, it's so immediate. Need a tri-square? No need to go down the hardware store. Just hop into CAD, draw one up and print. No fuss, no packaging, no travel cost. What's not to love :D
I have printed various components for my High Voltge vacuum discharge experiments to generate plasma. It serves as proof of concept for my designs before I give them to manufacturing team so they would understand functionality to built a better one.
I just got my own 3d printer, just a cheap Kingroon, but it does its job. I've been modeling and printing my own custom lego bionicle pieces and I'm having a blast!
There are many automotive custom designers that use 3d printers to make mockup custom parts, and also use printed parts to create Molds for Carbon/fiber glass parts.
Well, for me: the most important parts are those for my wheelchair + handbike. Without them I cannot go outside really and without 3d printing it would be far to costly to have all those special parts and sizes, especially since I use an old design handbike of more then 5 years old where there are no pats available for anymore but still need to update it to newer rules and changing circumstances.
I use my 3D printer for small custom Lithophane night lights on Etsy as well as prototyping projects that the final forms are in more expensive materials, such as metals. I also design and print molds for resin jewelry as well as brackets and holders for electronics that I install into custome furniture.
Broke the piece that holds the blade on my $400 meat slicer, printed myself a replacement part. Doesn't last as long but I can print as many as I want!
I made a coin holder for my car that didn't exist at all until I made it in CAD. I also made a small object to hold my stair railing onto the brackets that attach to the wall. The original ones broke and when we bought the replacement one the hardware that came with it was a little bit too small and would break into the original holes in the wood. The original peace was too wide for the new bracket. So I made one out of CF-PC.
I bought my 3D printer to print parts that I can them cast out of metal. The 3D model is used to make the mold in Green Sand or Petorbong. The model is removed from the mold and molten metal is poured into the mold. La Volia you have made a metal copy of your 3D model... Very handy for making tools as can be seen in my latest video. I know several Casting enthusiasts that use their 3D printers to make models for casting... Thanks for the chat... Be well...
I do a lot of custom electronics, and my job is to program industrial type CNC machines, and thats how I made all my housings. But 3D printing is unbelievably better for prototyping and designing in more features and details. Investment worth way more than actual cost.
I helped my mom design a small part for one of her niche hobbies, and I had to get a second printer to keep up after she listed them on her Etsy! I'm still surprised at how viable the site can be for 3D printing
I'm a puzzle collector (twisty puzzles specifically, the most classic one is a Rubik's cube), and plan on getting an Ender 3 to make and print many puzzles. As well as that, I'm into hobby electronics and programming, which benefit massively from 3d cad and printing.
You don't really see the home use of a 3D printer until you have one. There are so many brackets, holders, plates, and misc fixed parts in my house now that I didn't even think of fixing before I got my printer.
I've done a few things like this, one was when the wheels on my bicycle went out of true so I designed and 3D printed a simple gauge to help me adjust the spokes.
So far I have designed and printed a coin holder for tolls for my motorcycle. a clip that holds the controller for my heated gloves for my motorcycle. a replacement knob for my clothes dryer, a stand for my memory card reader, a coupler for a car vacuum hose for work, screwdriver holders for work, "drink coins" for the bar at my motorcycle club, and a case for my ipod so it is protected under the seat of my motorcycle. and those are just the useful prints.
those 3d artefact's would be great for the visually impaired too. I haven't started 3d printing yet but as a sewist, cosplayer I know it will come in handy.
If you ask around people will tell you all sorts of things they need. And there is a market there. And im on my way into it. The "one off" market and prototype/visual aid market.
3d printers are so cheap now, I really think everyone should have them if they do any work around the house. I can't even tell you how many little parts I've printed to fix things. Brackets, bushings, washers, etc. Internal parts for household machines (Washer, dryer, etc) and such can be 20 bucks or more for a little piece of plastic.
I 3d print something new everyday. For example sheath for my laproscopy telescope , different instrument holders for precise instruments. Even starting to build 3d models for board games (imagine monopoly with specialty of certain city 3d printed and also small trees and props)
I haven’t used my printer to print anything other than practical things like lcd bezels, various sensor housings ,led light mounts for my milling machine and a pile of other useful tools ! The only thing i did print that wasn’t along these lines was a calibration cube . I will be using my printer to make the master cam profiles for a small camshaft grinder i am about to build and also some indexing fixtures for gear and spline cutting on my mill .
I'm using it for prototyping during product development. Very often I'd prefer to run quick print on FDM at home rather than wait days or weeks for sloppy SLA print ordered from 3rd-party company.
Tool holders that cost pennies to print, tools for a business that makes custom jewelry, various clips/brackets for day to day life, molds for silicone and epoxy casting work, custom business card holders for friends and businesses, (again at fraction of retail costs). It moves the world from mass-production at low-skilled labor, to custom/local production that can fit needs much more closely. The examples of custom brackets in the video alone showcase that not everything can be mass-produced effectively, and 3D printing vastly increases Makers capabilities to build better, locally.
A 3d printer is only as smart as the person using it. Pro tip: if you are thinking of buying a 3d printer, make sure to learn how to use a cad program or 3d modelling software, or the printer will end up collecting dust after printing only a few trinkets.
Currently working on scanning and printing mirrored form peace for moped side plastic that has peace missing, so i can get peace of Luran what the original is made of, heat and mold it into shape using form peace and then plastic welding part together. Cheaper than getting new one as those are pretty expensive for rarish bike like i have. Pretty hard to get shape right with out scanning and printing the form tool to help with it.
My printer has paid for itself 10 times over by printing items I would’ve had to buy. Guide camera, bahtinov masks, adapters to connect a dslr to a telescope, attaching a rasp pi to a telescope, solar filters, that’s just a few of the very long list of things it’s saved me money on.
So far I've just been printing tool holders and somewhat complicated toys with moving parts but I'm thinking about printing some laptop repair tools because using metal tools inside a laptop is not exactly recommended. Also thinking of printing a coffee funnel for my espresso machine. Because I keep spilling really fine coffee everywhere...
3D printing has been extremely useful as I have expanded my capabilities in my shop. I make fixtures for holding parts in my cnc mill and alignment fixtures for my K40 laser so that I can position parts in a repeatable manner. I have also 3D printed lift legs for my laser. I created a tool holding rack for all my cnc mill tools. I also designed my own desicant filter utilizing a whole house water filter enclosure but I 3D printed parts to suspend a screened in assembly keeping the desicant inside. I could honestly list off useful things that I have printed until I am blue in the face haha. The great thing is now people can pickup a printer for under $200 if you time it right. Anyway, thanks for all the great videos!
Im a complete noob , havent yet decided which 3d printer to go for as budget is limited , but would like to know can i 3d print an air rifle silencer, also a synthetic stock for a project air rifle action? im having trouble to get parts for this project, was wondering if can print a barrel for a sub 12 ft lb rifle in the UK, have been looking at Anycubic 3d printer, how do you fix together a series of smaller printed parts ( Stock). is this a possible item to print on a 220 x 220 x 205mm bed ?
I am retired but before I did 3D printed commercial ABS machines printed the plastic parts that made up end products. Housing for a Nitric Oxide regulator for use on emergency vehicles including helicopter was first 3D printed and a 100% functional prototype built. Also an upright vacuum cleaner are fully constructed with 3D printed components. assembled and tested in actual usage before the final production steel molds are made. My bet is that today every plastic product you purchase was first built by 3D printing with significant savings because all the assumption and guesses on how the components will snap together are not tested.
The thing that drew me into 3-D printing was my interest in electronics as a hobby. I had an interest in creating enclosures for electronic projects. Purchasing commercially produced enclosures is expensive and seldom are they suited exactly to what you need. By using the 3-D printer I am able to create exactly what I need exactly when I need it at very low cost.
![OsamaSon - ik what you did last summer [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4DIQDnu3mr4/mqdefault.jpg)
I bet your students just love coming to your class I know I would have,,,,Great Job we need a lot more teachers like you
I bought an Ender 3 when I retired last year. Not only have I learned to use it, but I have learned to use Fusion 360 because of it. For an older guy, this has kept me thinking and learning new things. I have printed parts for a used truck I bought, designed tools to use in my pottery, and printed about 30 personalized name tags for the people where my wife volunteers. Learning to design on tinkercad and Fusion 360 means I don’t print nick nacks much any more - I am too busy designing useful things. Great video!!
Much respect!
Great story, thanks for sharing.
I also bought an ender 3 when I retired and like you have been learning fusion. 360. I recently designed and printed some custom dowl drilling jigs for a woodwork project I was making. Using some cheap Chinese drilling bushes I was able to make some Dowling jigs that I just couldn't buy and they worked perfectly.
3d printing has really help with my depression. I really love this hobby and after only 1 year I own 3 fdm and 1 sla printer.
I use them almost every day.
Since starting just under a week ago (I got an Ender 3 that arrived and performed its first print one week ago tomorrow), I've felt my own depression diminish quite a bit and I have something that excites me in the evening (watching TV and playing games can only engage so much, you know?). I'm loving this.
@@ChrisRLowery The Ender 3 is an amazing machine for the price. Good luck with your new hobby 😀
Tony Wharton I agree, saving up for a new prusa i3
If you have someone that struggles with depression in the family, you'd know how important this could be!! I'am very glad it is helping you out!! Keep it up!!
@@tonyharion9816 Thank you 😀
I 3D print all sorts of stuff, however the most useful would have to be aids that assist my disabled wife. Some include a custom fitting I designed to mount a flexible led light in just the right spot for her and a remote caddy that allows her to easily access the controller for her adjustable bed, allowing her to get out of bed independently. The usefulness to people with disabilities of 3D printing can not be underestimated.
You are a true hero.
Tought your wife had AIDS for a second there. The future will hold more technology which will help disabled people and hopefully make your wifes life better from day to day, not saying it is’t awesome right now. :)
Great to see people's quality of life improved with 3D printing and a bit of brain power.
Hi Andrew, I’m a quadriplegic and struggle to use my bed remote as I often can’t reach it, is your design available anywhere for me to look at. I have a prusa i3.
@@Ebonyqwe hey, I don't necessarily have the exact model that Andrew has, but if you would like to message me directly; we can communicate on any ideas you may have along with some photos of where the remote could go to be accessible and I might be able to model you something!
I don't have my printer yet (coming in a few days), but I've gotten myself back up to speed on Fusion 360 and would be happy to take a crack at finding a solution!
Manufacturers crying out: Nooo!!! You cannot go ahead and print parts we sell at premium prices. **sobs**
3D printer goes brrrrrrrrrr
I'm developing open source bionic prosthetic devices solely myself all thanks to my "KatachiBot" CR-10S. The project focuses on lowering the cost of myoelectric prosthetics and making it more accessible to the public. The project heavily depends around 3D printing as additive manufacture allows for rapid prototyping which itself is a very powerful tool to have as an enthusiast. Hoping this project will be done soon as it will be a factor for my university entrance. I am 18. I've been very grateful for the entire community as they have picked me up when I was down, and when I needed replacement parts the community was there waiting for me with open arms. Hoping I will return the favour one day.
Hi AgentL. Im interested in 3d printed prosthesis. Can you give some guidance where to get more info. Thank you
Yeah I would definitely like to learn more about this. You said it's open source?
@@deadsimpleali5540 Hey. I'm glad to help out. I started by looking at Openbionics and the eNABLE movement and drew inspiration from there. I'm experienced in Fusion 360 so as you can imagine a lot of iteration went into it. Currently, I'm getting proof of concepts working but I'd recommend looking at other people's prosthetic devices and see where you can draw inspiration and what you can improve on.
Look into how you'd like to control the device too - the biointerface. Mine uses a myoelectric sensor which uses EMG to detect muscle movement. This is called the "MyoWare" sensor.
I've had to put the project on hold for now since the initial proof of concept is done and I need to focus on my other commitments - Math and Physics. Once my final exams are done I will continue to work on it. I'm also in the process of repairing and calibrating my CR-10S and I may potentially look into purchasing another printer. I wanted an MK3S just because it's so easy to use.
If you'd like to talk to me personally, I'm active on Reddit (u/AgentL3r) or on Discord at AgentL3r#0333 :)
@@paintballercali The reason I started all of this was actually from a video game I played a few years ago called Metal Gear Solid V. I'm a massive MGS/Kojima fan and in the game, the main character uses a bionic arm. I thought "Hey, wouldn't it be cool to make one in real life?". In the UK in order to get into university you must do your A-Levels which are a set of very hard exams (at least for me they are). I take Maths, Physics, and Product Design. For Product Design, you have a year to research, develop, prototype and test anything you like and as you can imagine, I chose a bionic arm.
So far I have had to build everything from the ground up - the mechanics, electronics, code, whatever. I'm not happy with the current state of it, but once I feel like it's ready I will begin to open up everything to the world - source files, code, and hopefully get a little community going. Everything is designed parametrically so people can adapt it to their needs.
To reiterate, the files are not released right now as I am not happy with the current design (lots of issues) and I know I can do better without the pressure of a deadline. It's a passion project.
I've managed to secure a place at Imperial College London - the UK's most prestigious engineering university - for Design Engineering. However, to truly get in I must perform well in my exams. As I have dedicated so much time to this project, I've let my other subjects fall behind, so I've handed in whatever I currently have and I plan to work on it again after my exams are over. I'm saving up for an MK3S to make my life easier too, which is a little hard since my math tutoring contract ends soon. Anyway, if I do get into ICL then I hope to use their facilities and the expertise of the professors to expand this project. Low-cost, functioning, advanced myoelectric devices that anyone in the entire world can build, print and adapt to themselves.
If you would like to personally talk, I am active on Reddit (u/AgentL3r) as well as Discord (AgentL3r#0333). My Thingiverse is also AgentL3r.
Dude.... Holy shit, you are going to /slay/ at uni and life, goddamn.
Thank you. As a woodworker my first choice was a CNC router. After seeing some of your videos and many others I finally decided to dive in, even deeper, and just bought my first ever 3D printer. After much research I decided to go with the Creality Ender 3. Although it may not be the easiest to assemble, learn & fine tune, I'm quite confident after building my BobsCNC E4 I am up for the task. Great videos bud! Definitely got a sub from me. I definitely did NOT buy it to make "nick-naks" but to be able to design/print my own "quality-of-life" tools/parts for things around the shop! Good to see others thinking properly when it comes to technology. Toys...schmoys! Tools=drools! One of my 1st projects will be a new accessory design for my router table. It may take a while but I HAVE an idea of the design in mind and can't wait to "git 'r done!" /cheers
Great point Michael, my house is full of not only toys for the kids but all kinds of holders, repairs, and improvements I have 3d printed, and my studio is full of tools and jigs I’ve printed.
This is just my 1st week having a 3D printer and I've already started designing camera mounts and control holders. More importantly, I have been looking at the world differently. Constantly going.. I can do that better and I could recycle this... It's a great experience for any tinkerer
I got into 3D printing after a friend printed some parts for a car project for me. As a retired engineer, the process was as interesting as the end product. Since buying the Ender 3 and upgrading it (with much help and guidance from you Michael), I have made many parts and tools for the car project. Probably the most successful and surprising have been forming dies for bead rolling and bending. Using only PLA I’ve produced dies capable of forming aluminium sheet and extrusions exactly how I needed. I’ve also printed countless marking gauges for the same project. Preaching to the choir Michael!,
I am into RC planes, cars, trucks etc....and I have printed a few items that help me in the RC field. I love it because I don't have to go and purchase what I need. Great video Michael!
Wow that cnc machine is cool
You’re cool.
Stay hydrated, king.
UDC🦆🦆
@Quincy Terrence i used flixzone and my computer caught 200 viruses then shattered into many pieces 😭😭😭
@Benson Zayd You can use netflix, or even better, go to the bay and dl from there.
I got involved in 3D printing for another hobby: tabletop wargames. I can print bases for my models and custom parts for vehicles. Where it really shines is in printing terrain and scenery though. The them can be fantasy (think Tolkien), futuristic Science Fiction (, or even Steampunk.
Now that I've been working with 3D Printing for well over a year, I now have a UV resin printer and have been able to print models and even accessories for models.
I've also been involved with a local Makerspace for over 8 years and that organization first introduced me to 3D printing, among other technologies and tools, such as CNC machines and laser cutters. Which also happen to be great for getting creative with tabletop wargames.
Now I'm working on creating a portable tabletop board system that is easy enough for any wargamer to DIY at home. Some parts for it have been prototyped using a 3D printer and could be 3D printed by the wargamer themselves or purchased from someone with a 3D printer before they make their set of boards.
My son makes custom wooden rings, but was constantly having trouble with out of round conditions. So I made a mandrel to various ring sizes for use in the drill press. Not only does it keep them round, but it is also a way to tell if he has the ID right for the size he's making.
Great video on how 3D printing is fun and creative. I've been making parts to fix items around the house. For example put a security door on my house so needed to relocate my video doorbell. So made a bracket to put it on the side of the frame and route the wires to where they are needed. Just one of many small projects.
I've done a few hard-to-accomplish-any-other-way designs, but the biggest benefit I've found is that 3D printing is so much more rapid than hand fabrication that I'm much more likely to tackle projects I just wouldn't have ever gotten around to, especially if multiple identical parts are required. It's also saved me a surprising number of shipping delays on parts that I would've guessed, before owning a printer, wouldn't have been worth making.
I've repaired several things around the house, and i've printed a lot of parts for my racing quadcopters.
Same, long range rc plane community is great too
same, gopro mounts, antenna mounts can mounts, everything. also tiny whoop carrying cases lol
I am a huge believer/supporter of the Right-to-Repair movement and have been using 3D printing to repair items for friends and clients that would otherwise end up in landfill or cost a small fortune to have custom machined. I've made replicas of parts for a friend's vintage early 70s Italian convertible as well as in-dash gauge mounts for my own car. And endless little useful jigs and tools for one-off tasks. Speaking of tools, your video immediately reminded me of the Nasa Wrench, the first "uplinked" tool manufactured and used in space. I don't know how much more practical 3D printing could be than that.
The cost of having someone design and make custom parts for you is just SCARY! Being empowered to try for yourself has got to be good!
I use my 3D printer to support other hobbies: ham radio, woodworking, metalworking. It justifies itself for small tools, jigs, cases just for those hobbies. In addition, it's very handy around the house for making small replacement parts that are just not available any other way. I've never made anything bigger than about 100mm on any axis, but there are plenty of useful things in that size range. I honestly have little interest in 3D printing as a hobby. It makes my other hobbies far more enjoyable, though. It gets used more than my drill press these days!
One of the obvious use of 3D printer is different type of hooks, shelves and so on. 3D printer has a huge application in any houshold.
You, as a teacher, has many opportunities to attract young people to the world of creativity!!!
3dp prosthetics are also a fine example of a practical use of 3d printing. The fact that it's an additive process also eliminates waste in the form of chips and dust. Combining robotics and other automated fabrication techniques with the technology, can make it possible to largely decentralize manufacturing. 3d printing is no joke. It has the potential to fundamentally change the world.
Imagine a device the size of a washing machine in every household with the ability to make snap together copies of itself along with most useful items. That's the direction we're heading.
Thanks for the video.
I help Engineering students at a university print project prototypes ranging from LED car sensor boxes (for miniature self-driving cars) all the way to assist items for those that are disabled (such as cup holders, tap grips, and braille contact cards). Outside of these, I also print test parts for aeronautical students (miniature wing designs for turbine and wind pressure testing) and microfluidic channels for the testing of the movement of gases in small quantities. We have also started printing storage boxes for HDMI converters that we lend out from our help desk, and cardholders for booked rooms. This helps to keep our help desk neat and tidy.
Niknaks are nice, but we rarely even print those. I think I once printed an octopus toy for my cat, and we printed a sundial as a test print when we received our two big boys.
I just picked up my first printer to use with FPV drones. 3D printing is pretty much an essential part of the hobby at this point, mostly for mounting cameras or antennas in certain ways.
Awesome Job! The students a lucky to have a teacher like you! Great info!
I always dreamed of buying a 3D printer myself but was always affraid that it would be just one of many things that I'm excited about until Iget it and then it's just laying around.
At the beginning of this year I finally had a good reason to buy one (since the prices dropped pretty low in the past 10years), I upgraded some parts on my MTB and needed a chain guide for my 1X10 Drivetrain, when I saw that thoose plastic bits cost about 50-70€ I was shocked and decided to buy a ender-3 pro for about 170€ and print those parts myself. Even tough they might be not as stirdy as the factory parts, they are much cheaper and I can reproduct and replace them whenever I want.
Also made a Part for my cars Glovebox compartment which would have cost me about 40€ to replace otherwise.
My parens where very sceptical about me buying a 3D-printer but it seems that they already know to appreciate that I bought one since they also asked me many times to print some Parts that have broken of somewhere around the house/garden.
And even made a bit of earnings by designing and printing replacement stuff for some colleges. ^^
As a mountain biker this is fantastic to hear. Thanks for sharing, I'll be printing some chain guides also.
@@TShepard I accidently ripped off my last chainguide that I printed first, had to fix my bike on road sight. Now with better knowledge I just got another filament that suits the purpose better and I redesigned it to make it sturdy... now it's just like the factory ones ;D
Thank you for that video, the importance of re-using and re-purposing far exceeds the importance of re-cycling, however both are far more important than land filling, cheers to you for that message. In industry I have 3D printed a test rigs that saved both resources and time to deliver but lasting long enough to expose the problem. I am a big fan of 3D printing. Problem solving is another great aspect afforded by 3D printing, the feel of the item in your hand and its true function prior to the time and financial commitment having the machined parts produced, less wast better results for sure. Again, thank your for this video good job.
ive printed various holders like for tv remotes, my hands dont work well and i drop stuff a lot, so they make it easier to grab. ive also made parts to convert some tower plant pots into an aquaponics tower. I love how I can make and print things that you cant otherwise get, or make totaly custom items to fit exactly where you need them to.
I make a lot of jigs and fixtures to help with carpentry projects like laying my decking planks to make sure the spacing between each one is correct and the placement of the screws is exactly in the middle of the joist and spaced out the same on every plank. I just printed some drawer anti pull out things to replace the broken ones on a set of drawers, they are a better design and I wouldn't know where to look for replacements of the originals anyway. Battery boxes to hold reclaimed 18650 lithium cells ... the list goes on.
My printer should arrive tomorrow. Not to long ago I thought it was a hobby/novelty, but the more readily available files I've found have changed my mind. Now it's more quality of life functional things for my workshop that prompted me to order an ender 3.
I print a lot of small repair parts for various things. I've also printed cup holders, radio mounting brackets for amateur radio, and a variety of other functional and household items.
I'm working on a lost PLA casting setup right now to further expand my capabilities.
this is legitimately heartwarming
Gonna sound dumb, but... I 3D printed a lot of little clips to hold bags closed, and wow has my life felt blessed ever since. They're something that's inconvenient to run out of, and now we have too many! It's great. They work great in hot cars and the freezer too.
Also I printed a little ramp for my sister's gecko to get into her egg laying box more easily, and that ranks up there pretty high too.
I'm printing a lot of brackets and holders all over my house for tools and everyday items. Ever seen an arcade stick wallmounted holder? I bet not!
I also fixed some broken stuff by printing exact copies of the damaged parts. It's just super fun to print practical stuff between all the figurines and gadgets!
Oh there are so so sooo many useful things for sure! :)
As a starter I'm pretty sure that by now, most people know about the 3d printed hospital masks.
But wait, there is more! :D
Amputated a leg and need prosthetics? 3D Printing!
Broke a coat hanger? 3D Printing!
Need a better desktop organizer? 3D Printing!
Holders, shelves, buckets and other useful stuff for your peg board? 3D Printing!
Want to enrich your D&D hobby but find the terrain expensive? 3D Printing!
What about the minis? 3D Printing! (Even better with resin printers!)
Want to surprise someone with a nice vase? 3D Printing!
Is the box insert for that board game really bad? 3D Printing!
Prototyping machines that will eventually be made in metal? 3D Printing!
Prototyping medical equipment? 3D Printing!
Does your kid really really really want that Elsa figure you can't afford? 3D Printing!
...yeah, I can go on forever! ^_^
There is just sooooo much useful things that 3D printing can be used for without having to be an industrial $10000 machine.
Love it! :D
I always love watching your videos. Not only is the content always great, you also are very good at presenting the information in a fun and informative way. Keep up the great work!
Fantastic video as always. I mainly use my Ender 3 to print usable parts, it has paid for itself many times over printing replacement parts that were either not available or prohibitively expensive.
3D printing has had a big impact in my RC truck hobby, and has really opened up my creativity. I also design parts at work that are 3D printed, some are prototypes before they get milled out of aluminum, or actual final parts that will be installed.
Today I designed and printed a replacement for a lost earbud rubber squishy thingy out of glow in the dark TPU. I also printed a couple arrow fletches out of the same material rather than throw away the damaged arrows. Last week I designed & printed an IWB spare magazine holder and prototyped something I invented.
This technology is a world changer.
I 3D print parts for my 3D printer, which I find to be in a constant state of disrepair.
Ok the CNC machine one was pretty cool, that saves you an insane fortune for an incredibly useful machine
Currently printing masks to be used in hospitals, how's that for useful?
@Dave Cockayne My thoughts exactly
I've brought my first printer for this very reason. I've wanted one for a long time, but this was just the push I needed and I jumpped in head first, got a dud of a printer and a hefty learning curve. 12 days later I am now printing 14-20 a day and I had my very first catastrophe to day at about 160 prints in.
Some if not most hospitals can’t accept objects, if not made by certified medical provider, do people still use it, yes but for example my hospital won’t.
@Crozbyguy Please tell me you are joking. You don't have a clue how the immune system works
@Heads Mess Sanded parts can be cavi-wiped, as 3D printed parts for hospital use wouldn't be going into surgery. I think you vastly overestimate how much supplies are autoclaved in a hospital. Unless it's going into a surgical suite, a cleaning wipe is sufficient. I use 3D printed parts that have had no reaction to hospital cleaning agents.
Thanks Michael, this is a much-needed video. The sad reality is that 3D printing channels require things to print for reviews, tutorials, comparisons etc.. The result is an endless queue of Benchy's, Cubes, Rooks, Lattices etc. to fill that requirement. Sadly, the uninitiated see these videos, and assume this is all a 3D printer can do... How wrong they are!
When I got my Ender 3 I vowed that I would not succumb to the temptation to print other than practical items that would have ongoing usefulness. I have largely managed to stick to this mantra, and I get daily pleasure from seeing and using the results.
As an aside: For many years I have had a lot of pleasure from dabbling with CAD software. I consider being allowed to use Fusion 360 an absolute privilege... my thanks to the Autodesk team. However, you can only design so many things in CAD before you begin to wish to see them "in the solid". For me, that's where the 3D printer (and CNC mill/router) comes in.
Honestly, there is no shame in printing something not useful, if it is cool and brings you joy. As a puzzle collector myself, I plan on printing mainly useless things, but definitely a lot of useful things
@@nutmeggaming11261 : You hit the nail on the head when you said "if it brings you joy". If it doesn't do that, it's pointless. (Unless you do it purely for profit, but that is a whole different story.)
I printed an adapter to attach my shop-vac to my miter saw - couldn't find an off-the-shelf one anywhere. For my shop I printed ~100 small brackets to hang LED light panels. A couple electronics enclosures.
Also, people should not discount the nick-nack printing too much... FIrst, it's possible to make money printing things like that for people (or just gifts). Second, it's a stepping stone - my son (who had a 3D printer before I did) started 3D printing nick-nacks, and then started to design his own stuff in Fusion 360. He made a switch plate for his older brothers car, and some speaker adapters for his younger brothers car, and a part for his grandparents RV.
You're quite right. A few people here stating they make a living from 3D printing.
3d printing figures and miniatures for dnd is an incredible way to make money if you can also design them. Minis cost around 5 dollars each or more but the plastic required is incredibly small, even for completely solid prints. The only issue is getting a high level of detail to print good miniatures. Resin is best for that
Adam's Lab
: I agree! Most of what I print is for my own specific projects, designed in Fusion 360, but... every so often I see something that is sooo good I just have to print it!
I printed so many useful thinks I cant even remember them all, but here is some things:
For cars: Had a plastic part brake on a throttle wire, normally you have to replace the whole wire but I made a new part with a slot so I could slip it over the wire. I printed new brackets for my car to hold the grill since my previous was stolen and the brackets destroyed. The most recent was to print a 2 DIN stereo holder for my car.
For my home: Brackets of various kinds, like to mount book shelves together. Form fit phone docks with wireless charging. Lamp shades.
For electronics: Lots of cases, parts trays with magnets, assortment bin separators,.
Tools: Radius gauges, spanners for SMA connectors, patterns.
3D printers are also great at Dispensing Deterrence. Deterrence to what you ask? Tyrants.
Got a print going for that very reason as we speak!
I've used 3d parts on my experimental class plane: mounts for strobe and navigation lights, a fuel drain fixture mount. Excellent points!
I've saved a fortune by printing my own vacuum dust extractor adaptors for all my power tools and woodworking machines.
I have been looking into this. Did you design your own?
@@dorialameda7536 Yes I used a set of callipers to measure the diameters of the various openings on my woodworking tools then designed adapters using sketchup to fit my vacuum cleaner and tool. I made them from PETG as it's a little more flexible than PLA and helps with obtaining a secure tight fit.
I designed and printed three simple parts for my home roasting coffee / espresso setup that I use every day. They automate and save me a few minutes grinding plus eliminate waste and cleanup.
Great examples! My primary issue is the blackhole that is 3D design. I wish I knew more without having to spend an enormous amount of time.
My main hobby is RC crawlers, 3d printing has enabled me to print a lot of parts needed, currently I am printing the body shells, in the near future I will be printing rc crawlers from 3dsets they consist of over 90% printed components, fully printed with all the other parts needed, the hole car will cost me a fraction of the real hobby grade models, these cars are really durable and so much fun to print.
thank you for these videos, you have helped me decide to dive into 3d printing. i am a hobbyist and try to DIY as much as i can. I cant wait to get my hands on and ender 3 v2. thank you for the inspiration.
we use 3d printing constantly at work to mock up designs before setting up cnc jobs, it saves a ton of money and metal. also for holding jigs and fixtures, it keeps the cnc working on production vs. making ancillary parts
Hi Michael, I love your videos. Right now I'm doing parts for my airsoft guns, modifiying ikea furniture, protective corners in my terrace, improving also the CE3, modifying my NUC5 computer to have more ventilation space... Whatever I could repair I will repair with my 3D printings
Michael: In case you're looking for topics: "Going beyond PLA". For folks who are printing adequately in PLA on their economical printers (Creality, Prusa, Artillery etc), what upgrades and other considerations, if any, are required to print other popular materials? That's particularly in the area of temperature, where I, for one, am confused as to what the PTFE tube can and can't realistically withstand, when a Capricorn upgrade would be sufficient, when an all-metal hot end is really required, and so on. I know there are other considerations like fumes, and bed surface. Not necessarily all the details in depth, but what steps we need to address, in what order. Such as "for material X you'll need to upgrade the hot end, but no point doing that if you don't also do Y". Having at least an overview of that info assembled in one place would be fantastic.
I got prusa i3 clone from china that runs also e3d v6 that come with vulcan heat block and 1.75 bowden setup, though i got this printer second hand fron buddy. Only upgrades are adding end stop switches, spool holder with bearings, buddy had upgraded table heat element to aluminum plate that has the heater element built in (dont know manufacturer or name) and put on printing surface off brand BuiltTak. Maintenance vise Zaxis lead screws were replaced after two years of pretty heavy use and i'm planning on adding heat sinks to steppers for improved cooling on longer prints, even though its not required, just nice to run them cooler.
For printing other than PLA, i usually run with ABS 240C nozzle and 90C bed, even 57mm/s and infill 95mm/s speeds with out issues. With looking into it and some tweeking probably even faster, but this is fine for my applications now. Quality is not the best but nozzle could be needing replacement soon, so that factors in a bit. For other materials PETG can be printed as well and this machine has been running flex filaments with direct feed setup (bowden setup gives bit too much opportunity for filament to flex inside the tube, so direct drive is needed to make this problem easier to solve.) Havent tested anything else, but long as i dont go 300C range on uncommon filaments this setup will be sufficient. For that i would start considering other types of hot ends and finding solutions on teflon tube melting.
For common filaments like ABS and PETG you should be good with average hot ends and beds. Heating up takes just more time and you need to throttle down your printing speed as vulcan heatblock is there just to give heat faster to filament, so more stuff can be rammed trough it, but if you are ok with slower speeds no need to upgrade far as i see it. Experiment with your settings and chance value at time.
If you are looking print quality on surface finish, then you might want to look into tighter tolerances and there is info on that. On my case i really give damn, as with ABS i can smooth it out and make perfect by hand tools and some acetone. Printer is just a tool to make rough parts i can fine tune by hand depending its use, hence print speed cranked to high heavens.
This is just me with limited experience, trowing my 2 cents in.
I use my 3D printers for many things, my son in-law is a contractor and I've designed many drilling templates for drawer pulls, I like making projects with Arduino's and naturally I would design and make cases for them, I've made a few educational toys for my great granddaughter, repaired items around the house, as a CPAP user I was having an issue with the hose of the ResMed P10 mask pulling loose from the CPAP hose so I designed a retaining clip for it. Just a few of things I use 3D printing for.
Sometimes my printer is the only reason I have to drag myself out of bed when my depression is bad, I'm excited to see how the print turned out. Beyond that, I would've never been able to make a ball jointed doll without my printer, and I am now planning on designing my own. It also is helpful for sewing and doll repainting, which are two of my other crafts. I even printed and designed a tpu case for my (cannabis) vape so I can have it on a lanyard, lol!
I love designing and printing tools and bits required for repairs. The thing is, it's so immediate. Need a tri-square? No need to go down the hardware store. Just hop into CAD, draw one up and print. No fuss, no packaging, no travel cost. What's not to love :D
I love to make stuff that helps me improving or repairing home objects as well
As an engineer, rapid prototyping has to be at the top of the list! Great video
I loved the art work, what a wonderfully fun way to learn and make something beautiful. Thank you!
I have printed various components for my High Voltge vacuum discharge experiments to generate plasma. It serves as proof of concept for my designs before I give them to manufacturing team so they would understand functionality to built a better one.
I just got my own 3d printer, just a cheap Kingroon, but it does its job. I've been modeling and printing my own custom lego bionicle pieces and I'm having a blast!
There are many automotive custom designers that use 3d printers to make mockup custom parts, and also use printed parts to create Molds for Carbon/fiber glass parts.
Metal 3d printers are also coming into the market, so in a few years that could be something hobbyists can get moderately easily
Well, for me: the most important parts are those for my wheelchair + handbike. Without them I cannot go outside really and without 3d printing it would be far to costly to have all those special parts and sizes, especially since I use an old design handbike of more then 5 years old where there are no pats available for anymore but still need to update it to newer rules and changing circumstances.
I use my 3D printer for small custom Lithophane night lights on Etsy as well as prototyping projects that the final forms are in more expensive materials, such as metals. I also design and print molds for resin jewelry as well as brackets and holders for electronics that I install into custome furniture.
Broke the piece that holds the blade on my $400 meat slicer, printed myself a replacement part. Doesn't last as long but I can print as many as I want!
I made a coin holder for my car that didn't exist at all until I made it in CAD. I also made a small object to hold my stair railing onto the brackets that attach to the wall. The original ones broke and when we bought the replacement one the hardware that came with it was a little bit too small and would break into the original holes in the wood. The original peace was too wide for the new bracket. So I made one out of CF-PC.
I bought my 3D printer to print parts that I can them cast out of metal. The 3D model is used to make the mold in Green Sand or Petorbong. The model is removed from the mold and molten metal is poured into the mold. La Volia you have made a metal copy of your 3D model... Very handy for making tools as can be seen in my latest video. I know several Casting enthusiasts that use their 3D printers to make models for casting... Thanks for the chat... Be well...
I do a lot of custom electronics, and my job is to program industrial type CNC machines, and thats how I made all my housings. But 3D printing is unbelievably better for prototyping and designing in more features and details. Investment worth way more than actual cost.
You're only touching the tip of the iceberg💯💪
Hence all of these fantastic comments.
I started a small Etsy shop where I design, 3D print and paint dice rollers for tabletop games. All made possible by my 3D printer.
I helped my mom design a small part for one of her niche hobbies, and I had to get a second printer to keep up after she listed them on her Etsy! I'm still surprised at how viable the site can be for 3D printing
I'm a puzzle collector (twisty puzzles specifically, the most classic one is a Rubik's cube), and plan on getting an Ender 3 to make and print many puzzles.
As well as that, I'm into hobby electronics and programming, which benefit massively from 3d cad and printing.
You don't really see the home use of a 3D printer until you have one. There are so many brackets, holders, plates, and misc fixed parts in my house now that I didn't even think of fixing before I got my printer.
I've done a few things like this, one was when the wheels on my bicycle went out of true so I designed and 3D printed a simple gauge to help me adjust the spokes.
So far I have designed and printed a coin holder for tolls for my motorcycle. a clip that holds the controller for my heated gloves for my motorcycle. a replacement knob for my clothes dryer, a stand for my memory card reader, a coupler for a car vacuum hose for work, screwdriver holders for work, "drink coins" for the bar at my motorcycle club, and a case for my ipod so it is protected under the seat of my motorcycle. and those are just the useful prints.
those 3d artefact's would be great for the visually impaired too.
I haven't started 3d printing yet but as a sewist, cosplayer I know it will come in handy.
If you ask around people will tell you all sorts of things they need. And there is a market there. And im on my way into it. The "one off" market and prototype/visual aid market.
3d printing is so powerful with 3d skills! Great Video
We use 3D printing in hardware refurbishment process, so many parts are just not available or pieces of plastic can be broken off.
Some of the most recent 3D printed firearms are really great, it’s all up for grabs.
3d printers are so cheap now, I really think everyone should have them if they do any work around the house. I can't even tell you how many little parts I've printed to fix things. Brackets, bushings, washers, etc. Internal parts for household machines (Washer, dryer, etc) and such can be 20 bucks or more for a little piece of plastic.
Me and my sons print our own modified drone parts! From battery mounts and gimbal mechanisms!
Where do you get STL for gimbal mechanisms?
You are very inspiring and you are an awesome Teacher. Thank you :)
I 3d print something new everyday. For example sheath for my laproscopy telescope , different instrument holders for precise instruments. Even starting to build 3d models for board games (imagine monopoly with specialty of certain city 3d printed and also small trees and props)
I haven’t used my printer to print anything other than practical things like lcd bezels, various sensor housings ,led light mounts for my milling machine and a pile of other useful tools ! The only thing i did print that wasn’t along these lines was a calibration cube .
I will be using my printer to make the master cam profiles for a small camshaft grinder i am about to build and also some indexing fixtures for gear and spline cutting on my mill .
I'm using it for prototyping during product development. Very often I'd prefer to run quick print on FDM at home rather than wait days or weeks for sloppy SLA print ordered from 3rd-party company.
Tool holders that cost pennies to print, tools for a business that makes custom jewelry, various clips/brackets for day to day life, molds for silicone and epoxy casting work, custom business card holders for friends and businesses, (again at fraction of retail costs). It moves the world from mass-production at low-skilled labor, to custom/local production that can fit needs much more closely.
The examples of custom brackets in the video alone showcase that not everything can be mass-produced effectively, and 3D printing vastly increases Makers capabilities to build better, locally.
Printing some t nuts for my Ender 5 and a proving basket, both very useful and that's two deliveries that I didn't need from Amazon.
A 3d printer is only as smart as the person using it.
Pro tip: if you are thinking of buying a 3d printer, make sure to learn how to use a cad program or 3d modelling software, or the printer will end up collecting dust after printing only a few trinkets.
So far, my useful prints have been upgrades for my 3d printer.
Currently working on scanning and printing mirrored form peace for moped side plastic that has peace missing, so i can get peace of Luran what the original is made of, heat and mold it into shape using form peace and then plastic welding part together. Cheaper than getting new one as those are pretty expensive for rarish bike like i have. Pretty hard to get shape right with out scanning and printing the form tool to help with it.
My printer has paid for itself 10 times over by printing items I would’ve had to buy. Guide camera, bahtinov masks, adapters to connect a dslr to a telescope, attaching a rasp pi to a telescope, solar filters, that’s just a few of the very long list of things it’s saved me money on.
So far I've just been printing tool holders and somewhat complicated toys with moving parts but I'm thinking about printing some laptop repair tools because using metal tools inside a laptop is not exactly recommended. Also thinking of printing a coffee funnel for my espresso machine. Because I keep spilling really fine coffee everywhere...
At the time I wanted to get into 3d printing, a printer cost was in the thousands. Now the ones they make now are way better and cost hundreds less.
Right now I am modelling 3D printable parts for an Arduino based weather station, which is going to be my diploma work.
Teacher with a 3D printer here would love to do that art task. I’ve printed iPad charging stands, headphone holders, nameplates and key rings.
3D printing has been extremely useful as I have expanded my capabilities in my shop. I make fixtures for holding parts in my cnc mill and alignment fixtures for my K40 laser so that I can position parts in a repeatable manner. I have also 3D printed lift legs for my laser. I created a tool holding rack for all my cnc mill tools. I also designed my own desicant filter utilizing a whole house water filter enclosure but I 3D printed parts to suspend a screened in assembly keeping the desicant inside. I could honestly list off useful things that I have printed until I am blue in the face haha. The great thing is now people can pickup a printer for under $200 if you time it right. Anyway, thanks for all the great videos!
Im a complete noob , havent yet decided which 3d printer to go for as budget is limited , but would like to know can i 3d print an air rifle silencer, also a synthetic stock for a project air rifle action? im having trouble to get parts for this project, was wondering if can print a barrel for a sub 12 ft lb rifle in the UK, have been looking at Anycubic 3d printer, how do you fix together a series of smaller printed parts ( Stock). is this a possible item to print on a 220 x 220 x 205mm bed ?
I am retired but before I did 3D printed commercial ABS machines printed the plastic parts that made up end products. Housing for a Nitric Oxide regulator for use on emergency vehicles including helicopter was first 3D printed and a 100% functional prototype built. Also an upright vacuum cleaner are fully constructed with 3D printed components. assembled and tested in actual usage before the final production steel molds are made. My bet is that today every plastic product you purchase was first built by 3D printing with significant savings because all the assumption and guesses on how the components will snap together are not tested.
The thing that drew me into 3-D printing was my interest in electronics as a hobby. I had an interest in creating enclosures for electronic projects. Purchasing commercially produced enclosures is expensive and seldom are they suited exactly to what you need. By using the 3-D printer I am able to create exactly what I need exactly when I need it at very low cost.