Ask Slashdot: For What Are You Using 3-D Printing?

An anonymous reader writes: I've been thinking about getting a 3-D printer for a while: the quality is rising, the software is better, STL files really do seem a sufficiently good standard ("sufficiently standard," that is — I'm not worried that printers are going to stop supporting it anytime soon), and prices have dropped quite a bit. Importantly to me, it also seems like less of a jumping-off-a-cliff decision, since I can get a completely assembled one from places as wild and crazy as ... the Home Depot (not that I plan to). However, even the stretchiest practical things I can think of to print can't truly actually justify the price, and that's OK — I hope not to require enough replacement knobs and chess pieces to necessarily *need* one, and playing around with it is the main likely upshot, which I'm OK with. But still, I'd like to hear what uses you have been putting your 3-D printer to, including printers that aren't yours but belong to a hackerspace, public library, eccentric neighbor, etc. What actually practical / useful tasks have you been using 3-D printing for, and with what printer technology? What playful purposes? It's OK if you just keep printing out those chess pieces and teapots, but I'm curious about less obvious reasons to have one around. (And I might just use the local Tech Shop's anyhow, but the question still applies.) If you've purchased a 3D printer, are you happy with the experience? If so, or if not, what kind did you get?

Comments

plastic is for junk

[rubycodez]

most anything truly useful you'd make would be out of wood (and BIG) or metal. Forget a 3D printer and get some wood or machining gear. You could then make plastic things too

Re:plastic is for junk

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm a trained CNC machinist with a 3D printer and I think your attitude is stereo-typically ignorant. Same type of argument usually made by people who drive pickups with a perfect paint job and refuse to buy tools from harbor freight.

Most of the idle crap people want from life can be accomplished with ABS plastic filament. This is true at least for anyone who doesn't work with their hands.

The home inventor personality is usually obsessed with achieving marginal improvements in efficiency which are typically too niche to already have products in existence solving the problem. Sword-chucks and triangle shovels are just a special type of arrogance from people who like to blame their deficiencies on the lack of their poorly thought through silver bullet solution.

If you have to sweat and bleed to get your pipe-dream produced in Aluminum or Steel, people will normally change their "only a carbon-fiber spork will do" attitude when differentiating themselves as having an "eye-for-quality"(aka ham fisted over-engineered for the situation's merits) becomes too costly.

Re:plastic is for junk

[rubycodez]

you're funny, with its 105 degree C transition temperature ABS can't even be safely used for a stove knob or a light fixture or under the hood of a car.

Makes great yoda heads though, or other toy models

Re:plastic is for junk

[mschuyler]

I drive a pick-up with a perfect paint job and I think your attitude is sterotypically elitist. Spare us this "I work with my hands and know what Real Work is like and you guys are all wusses." crap and get your head out of your butt. The only one who is impressed with your supercilious definition of your perfect self is yourself.

Re:plastic is for junk

[guruevi]

Most stuff people interact with don't get 105 degrees C though. If you needed to make an enclosure for something or fix a piece of existing ABS/PLA plastic that broke, that's what you use a 3D printer for. You can also make prototypes for objects that you then send to a commercial printer, laser cutting facility or CNC mill to get created in the appropriate material.

Re:plastic is for junk

[PopeRatzo]

I drive a pick-up with a perfect paint job and I think your attitude is sterotypically elitist.

So, you see your truck as more of a "lifestyle" purchase than a utilitarian one? I'm genuinely curious, because I see a lot of people with big shiny pickups with cargo beds that have never been exposed to the elements, much less scratched by having something placed in them. Their towing hitches are perfectly chromed and have obviously never seen anything like a trailer.

I see some of them commuting into downtown Chicago for their jobs in the financial district and wonder what went into their decisions to purchase such vehicles.

Re:plastic is for junk

[rubycodez]

You can just give the prototyping shop a file, don't need to make a plastic model.

As for making enclosure for abs plastic thing that broke, that's largely nonsense. The cost comparison for just ordering normal molded replacement vs. the time to CMM out and print a thing is enormous. Try making even a "skin" for your cell phone and get back to me.

Re:plastic is for junk

[Dereck1701]

"don't get 105 degrees C"

Yes, but unfortunately most materials don't go straight from solid to liquid. Think chocolate, at 75F it usually is perfectly solid, at 85F you might get a little on your hand but not bad and at 95F it may hold its shape but will practically fall apart in your hand. ABS plastic is probably similar. Sure it may turn to liquid a 220F and be pretty solid at 90F, it may be seem pretty decent at 110F-130F sitting on a shelf but it could be wearing pretty quickly if being stressed because it is semi malleable.

Re:plastic is for junk

[Anonymous Coward]

You can just give the prototyping shop a file, don't need to make a plastic model.

As for making enclosure for abs plastic thing that broke, that's largely nonsense. The cost comparison for just ordering normal molded replacement vs. the time to CMM out and print a thing is enormous. Try making even a "skin" for your cell phone and get back to me.

What an strange opinion. The cycle time on prototypes that you can't see or test until after you send them out to an external shop is unacceptably high (unless you happen to have one mostly idle and next door).

That'd be like etching a pcb without testing the circuit on a breadboard first. Sure, it is what you have to do for large complex projects. But for most small projects it is painfully slow and error prone.

And, of course, printing a custom part is more expensive than a mass produced one. However, you might not be able to find the part, or shipping might cost too much in time or money.

What about lost PLA casting? If PLA isn't strong enough or heat resistant enough for you, make it out of any metal you can smelt.

Re:plastic is for junk

[Skal Tura]

lol. Quite to the contrary.
True - ABS has limited heat cycles, and lowish glass transition temperature, but it's not immediately liquid @ 105C.

I've been using velocity stacks made from ABS on a race car for almost a year now - no issues what-so-ever, even tho it's the cheapest kind of ABS and isn't chemical resistant. They work brilliantly.

Nylon parts i've been using as well, harder to print due to the prep tho, but from Nylon which has even lower glass transition temperature car manufacturers make intake manifolds these days - even for turbocharged. Glass transition of 85C.
http://www.matbase.com/materia...

Re:plastic is for junk

[Skal Tura]

and they are researching into making 3d printing CHEAPER than injection molding, and they are already getting pretty darn close!

Re:plastic is for junk

[Anonymous Coward]

My apologies, sir, you make an excellent point, and I attempted to moderate your comment to reflect that. Unfortunately, I'm on a notebook, "Insightful" is right next to "Redundant," and Slashdot offers no take-backsies when it comes to moderation. I hope that my fat fingering of your comment doesn't artificially censor it.

Re:plastic is for junk

[pem]

That'd be like etching a pcb without testing the circuit on a breadboard first. Sure, it is what you have to do for large complex projects. But for most small projects it is painfully slow and error prone.

Etching a PCB (well, actually, letting somebody like expresspcb do it) instead of testing a circuit on a breadboard first is something I do all the time.

If you're ready to accept a breadboard, that means you're willing to accept one or two for a start, and they don't have to be pretty, which means that if they were PCBs, you wouldn't mind a few blue-wires.

If you're in that position, and your circuit has more than a few handfuls of nets on it, and your time is valuable and you have other stuff to do before your circuit comes back, and you're halfway proficient at electronics and at double-checking your work...

If all those things are true, you'll have a much nicer working PCB in much less time than it would take to get your crappy, flaky breadboard working.

As the saying goes, YMMV, but that's been my experience over decades of doing this.

Re:plastic is for junk

[thegarbz]

Anyone who deems any kind of material unsuitable, not useful, or junk without knowing the intended application is quite frankly extremely ignorant. Plastic has it's uses, just like various woods, or metals.

Also what plastic things are you making out of wood? Are you suggesting molding? You do realise that each manufacturer technique has it's benefits and drawback too right, or are you ignorant about that too?

Re:plastic is for junk

[rubycodez]

true not immediately liquid, it doesn't have a true melting point but goes more and more to jelly.

well we can talk about nylon intake manifolds, Ford made them for quite a few years but customers found they'd crack. So Ford replaced them with one that had aluminum in a few strategic places. cost reduced crap, that's what our civilization is all about.

Re:plastic is for junk

[Anonymous Coward]

Yep. Keep arguing with a machinist using your completely uniformed opinions. He just makes this stuff and works in the industry.

Re:plastic is for junk

[0100010001010011]

Your stove knobs get to 105C? You should have that looked at.

Re:plastic is for junk

[MightyYar]

Where I grew up, it was the same but the dick contest was with off road vehicles. The biggest, shiniest off road vehicle they could afford with the largest tires. They never went off road, but that wasn't the point.

SOME guys went off road - but their trucks looked like they had rolled over (and they had).

Re:plastic is for junk

[0100010001010011]

Who cares? I want my plastic to melt at 105C. I want it to melt at just above room temperature.

I can make molds. Anything I can think up to print I can turn into a mold for metal. With a furnace and some wax I can cast iron.

9L+ diesel engines are still cast. If your bed as large enough you could 3D print yourself a small 2 stroke engine, check for fitup and then build yourself an entire engine from scratch.

"Die Cast" used to be a marker of quality. With a 3D printer at home you can make anything the average machine shop could have made during the industrial revolution.

And because you can do it in 3D with cheap plastic first you can reduce costs. You think a bad 3D print job is expensive? Imagine screwing up a mold design for a 12L engine.

Re:plastic is for junk

[guruevi]

You're screwing up Fahrenheit and Celsius here. 105 Celsius is before the plastic becomes slightly malleable and that is a little over the boiling point of water. So if you regularly handle steam without serious burning, let me know. Actually melting the stuff as it happens in the printer happens at ~200-250C.

Sure, you wouldn't be using it for friction pieces or things that are exposed to extremities, but for most of the objects in our environment we interact with, it's perfectly fine.

Re:plastic is for junk

[PopeRatzo]

Where I grew up, it was the same but the dick contest was with off road vehicles.

Where I grew up, we had our dick contests using our dicks. And let me tell you, that river's not only cold, but it's deep, too.

Re:plastic is for junk

[Anonymous Coward]

If you read the thread you'd note that the original comment wasn't something like "melt at 105 degrees C" it was "105 degree C transition temperature". "transition temperature" in this case means glass transition temperature, so below that point ABS is basically a rock (It's the stuff they make Legos out of, so think of how hard/tough it is). Above that temperature it softens a lot, but it's a pretty abrupt transition.

Re:plastic is for junk

[guruevi]

Fine if you're a commercial site and your client knows your job will take 2-3 weeks and cost a few thousand. If you're just looking for a quick fix, there is no 1-day PCB turnaround under $100. If all you need is 1 print and you're a hobbyist or need something one-off, that is unacceptable.

Even for most commercial one-off jobs this is unacceptable and a big reason we all get our parts from China and waste massive amounts of energy on building COTS systems instead of having everything precision-customized locally.

Re:plastic is for junk

[Mr. Shotgun]

I see some of them commuting into downtown Chicago for their jobs in the financial district and wonder what went into their decisions to purchase such vehicles.

Conspicuous consumption mostly, with a hint of posering. They see that ranchers and cowboys are seen as manly, and want to be seen as manly too. So they buy a truck, which is what cowboys and ranchers drive. And of course only the latest and most bad ass will do, so it gets the full treatment: Lift kit, over-sized tires, brushguard, fog lamps, the whole works. Of course they will never use even a quarter of the features they bought, but that doesn't matter cause it is all about appearances.

Re:plastic is for junk

[FranTaylor]

if you have a self cleaning oven, it gets really freaking hot. I don't doubt that the internal metal parts (like the metal shaft that touches the plastic knob) can get up to 105 C.

Re:plastic is for junk

[Anonymous Coward]

All hat and no cattle...

Re:plastic is for junk

[viperidaenz]

A lot of stuff under the hood of any car from the last 3 decades is made from ABS.

Re:plastic is for junk

[Mr. Shotgun]

All hat and no cattle...

Yup, pretty much.

Re: plastic is for junk

[Anonymous Coward]

Heaven forbid they couldn't just like the look of the vehicle, no they must be compensating for something.

Re:plastic is for junk

[rubycodez]

Eh, did just that and could "fix" small errors in prototypes the olde fashoined way, cutting and patching and grinding etc.

Re:plastic is for junk

[Mr. Shotgun]

SOME guys went off road - but their trucks looked like they had rolled over (and they had).

Ironically, most of the off-road enthusiasts I know preferred older vehicles because of that reason. A new vehicle getting rolled is a tragedy, while some old truck/jeep rolling is no big deal. And roll overs are a way of life in off-roading (hence why they have roll bars). So it doesn't make much sense to buy a brand new shiny jeep if it might get rolled on it's first outing, it is a better idea to buy an old beat up jeep and build from there.

Re:plastic is for junk

[Anonymous Coward]

is quite frankly extremely ignorant. [...] Plastic has *it's* uses [...] You do realise that each manufactur*er* technique has *it's* benefits

I know you are but what am I?

Re:plastic is for junk

[ihtoit]

that's not the reason to buy an old Land Rover over a new one. The reason is the build.

The new LR (the "Sport") has racing rims and tyres thinner than your thumb. Try taking that offroad, you'll tear the tyres to shit in about three seconds.
The new LR has dropped suspension and skirts that make it grip flat road. Try taking that offroad and you'll break the shocks and tear the skirts off before you get ten feet.
The new LR has a high mounted tank and a similarly mounted engine, which brings the centre of gravity high. High enough that it can't sit sideways on an urban hill before it rolls, it doesn't even have to be moving!
The new LR is higher than its width which complicates the matter of balance. Think of a free standing-on-its-end Jenga block in a 7-point earthquake.

The old LR has:
* big balloon stubbly tyres that hairgrip mud over a fifty degree incline and help to drag the vehicle up that hill
* massive travel on the suspension that can withstand the vehicle being dropped out the back of a C5 Galaxy at takeoff speed
* instead of skirts, running boards. That you can actually stand on
* low mounted tank and engine that keep the centre of mass below the top of the tyres
* wide enough that it will slide before it rolls. In fact, it wouldn't roll if you pushed it over a cliff. That's saying something considering the grippiness of the stock rubber.

Re:plastic is for junk

[ihtoit]

(if you want to see what an old LR can do that a Sport can't, check out what Richard Hammond did with an old one - used its winch to stop it sliding and used the engine power and tyre grip to haul up the VERTICAL face of a dam! The winch can't do that on its own, anyone who uses a vehicle winch'll tell you that something rated for half a ton can't lift one and three quarter tons, winching a vehicle still very much depends on the drive axle finding a grip. The Sport went up unmanned and basically... well, failed to even get up over the kerb at the bottom).

Re:plastic is for junk

[Mr. Shotgun]

Exactly my point: real off-roaders build for practicality, posers build for looks.

Re:plastic is for junk

[SuricouRaven]

And some pedestrian-pounder bars at the front.

Re:plastic is for junk

[KGIII]

Post in the same thread that you moderated but without being anonymous and it removes the moderation.

Re:plastic is for junk

[Anonymous Coward]

You might want to re-watch that episode. They fitted a more powerful winch that could lift the landy under it's own power, and a second engine on a pivoting mount because the one connected to the wheels wouldn't work while going up that steeply

Re:plastic is for junk

[goose-incarnated]

I'm a trained CNC machinist with a 3D printer and I think your attitude is stereo-typically ignorant.

Funny all the trained CNC machinists with 3D printers are all anonymous. The non-anonymous ones readily admit that if a thing you want is all of cheap, fragile and made of cheap plastic then a home 3D printer would suit you just fine, otherwise get a cheapie mill or lathe, or pay 10-20 times that amount for a decent 3D printer.

Re:plastic is for junk

[ShieldW0lf]

Have you ever had a LEGO brick turn squishy on you? Because that's what they're made of, ABS plastic.

It's a plenty tough enough material that I used it to manufacture parts for a geodesic dome for outdoor use as a greenhouse, and it held up fine. I also manufactured gears for a friends high end RC car after the manufacturer had gone out of business. Those gears see a lot of stress, and they held up fine.

ABS is a great material, and so is PLA.

Re:plastic is for junk

[Smidge204]

Bad news - look under the hood of your car sometimes. Quite a few components have the ABS recycling number on them.

=Smidge=

Re:plastic is for junk

[Smidge204]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Actual machinist doing some destruction testing on a 3D printed part. $2200 printer is not "10-20 times" the cost of a cheap mill either.
=Smidge=

Re:plastic is for junk

[Anonymous Coward]

What a nonsense - you can order double sided PCB any size any quantity for very acceptable prices. The advantage is that you avoid errors and save yourself tons of time. If i pay a small surplus (europe here, where everything is costly) i get them sent to me in 3 days. And if i want it real cheap i can order them overseas and have them in 2 weeks.

And yes, i'm such hobbyist that occasionally uses a breadboard print - but only for the most simple things. As soon your circuit gets any more complicated - and it quickly does -, PCB's are a blessing. You spend less time designing your PCB than soldering your breadboard. Even as prototype. And you save yourself the headache from finding that error (forgotten connection, misplaced component) which will almost certainly happen no matter how accurate you are.

Then, you have to design your breadboard setup as well or it gets an utter mess and cost you even more time. So if you find yourself designing already anyways, you can also pay a 20 euro to get 5 prototype prints made. The only reason not doing so would be being a (too) cheap hobbyist vs payed professional - but even for the hobbyist paying 8 euro for a print is totally acceptable if it saves you time and possibly wasted components. And if you insist on being cheap, you could also etch them yourself.

Re:plastic is for junk

[tburkhol]

and they are researching into making 3d printing CHEAPER than injection molding, and they are already getting pretty darn close!

That will never happen for any kind of quantity because of the time required to melt and freeze (or UV activate or whatever other technology) the printed part. It's easy to get an injection molder to produce 1000 parts/hour. This is the point: 3D printing is great if you need a small run of a unique shape, or if you can't adopt a commodity shape. Or if the shape you want is no longer being manufactured. That mostly means toys, art, and legacy repairs. If you're doing anything "real," meaning 1,000 or 100,000 pieces, you'll use a manufacturing process with higher start-up time and lower piece time.

Re:plastic is for junk

[dargaud]

Spot on, but also in the US trucks are cheaper than the equivalent SUV. Different tax on purchase for 'utilitarian' vehicles.

Re:plastic is for junk

[Anonymous Coward]

Back burner knob was apparently too close to the heat.

Now it's warped.

And a replacement is 25-fricken-dollars!

Re:plastic is for junk

[Anonymous Coward]

it should get hot on the inside. if the outside is getting hot enough to deform ABS there's something wrong. very wrong.

Re:plastic is for junk

[c]

So, you see your truck as more of a "lifestyle" purchase than a utilitarian one?

Honestly, I find that far less annoying than people who refer to their SUV as a "truck"...

Re:plastic is for junk

[trazom28]

I think for some (and I'm not saying mschuyler fits this, as I don't know the person at all) it's the status thing. Example.. this is an actual conversation I had with the CEO of the company I worked for:

Him: "Hey.. I got a new truck this weekend!"
Me: "Really? Cool - what did you get?"
Him: "Oldsmobile Bravada"

For him, it was status/look/etc. The thing never left pavement, ever. The most he hauled was groceries in the back seat. Same guy used to park his sports car under the sidewalk awning when it rained...

For some though, having the perfect paint job on their truck just means they take better care of it than most, and that's not a bad thing either. Or maybe they only use it for it's truck functionality occasionally, which is fine too. Mine never looked perfect when I had it, but I hauled stuff, towed stuff, etc all the time.

Re:plastic is for junk

[Anonymous Coward]

wow man... I've very rarely used off the shelf boards for anything. Even when I need a small circuit to test my products, something I'll only ever build a handful of, I still layout a board and order it. There are plenty of services that can get 1-2 pieces of a 2 layer board in your hand for $50-70 total. And there are services that can give you 4 layer boards for $75-100. And even when it costs a little more, most of the time we'll spend $500-1000 if we need some helper circuit to test a $5,000-10,000 system.

Re:plastic is for junk

[LWATCDR]

Could be that they like to do projects at home and want to haul lots of wood or plants from Lowes.
Maybe they are into buying old furniture and refinishing them.
My wife wants a perfect 1971 F100 pickup because her father that passed away when she was 10 owned one. He was a lineman for the power company.
You can never tell but as a whole pickups are really useful vehicles and not all the uses involve messing up the paint.

Re: plastic is for junk

[drinkypoo]

Heaven forbid they couldn't just like the look of the vehicle, no they must be compensating for something.

They can like the look of the vehicle, but a truck is a shitty car so if you buy one over a car for doing car things then you're making poor decisions and just justifying them. That's OK, welcome to 'merica, but it's a shame that everyone else should have to suck down their smog. Remember, pickups have different emissions restrictions than cars. That's why we now are expecting automakers to find ways to sell more fuel-efficient vehicles. They like to wring their hands and claim that the people just chose trucks, but the industry lobbied to keep truck emissions high, they advertised trucks as being the manly choice, they created the situation.

Re:plastic is for junk

[T.E.D.]

So, you see your truck as more of a "lifestyle" purchase than a utilitarian one?

My grandfather was a small farmer and a rancher. He was a really sweet guy, but also the toughest human being I have ever met or will meet. If you open your dictionary to Ornery, you'll probably see his picture.

He owned 4 pickups, and one car. One of the pickups was actually an ancient Ford "Power wagon" with a wood bed. Some guy tried to buy it off him for a museum, but grandpa refused because he was still using it.

However, whenever he needed to go into town for something, he'd take the car, not one of the pickups.

So people who drive pristine pickups in the city? Yes, they are 100% just making a statement. They probably think that statement is "I'm a tough country guy". However, the statement they are actually making is "I'm a total poser". I've seen a tough country guy, and they ain't it. A real pickup has dents and rust. A real country guy leaves his pickup at home unless he needs it for something. If you are driving a pickup around to try to impress people, then by definition you aren't country.

Of course this is a cultural thing. People born after 1980 perhaps never saw this, and don't think twice about such things. I guess now I'm learning why old folks have a reputation for being cranky...

Re:plastic is for junk

[tehcyder]

The US is the only place in the world where pickup trucks are driven by anyone other than actual builders and farmers.

Re:plastic is for junk

[pem]

A couple of ACs have more than adequately responded to this, and should be modded up, but I will give some specifics:

Fine if you're a commercial site and your client knows your job will take 2-3 weeks and cost a few thousand.

No, this is for small in-house things. For things going out, we do a much better job, with real schematic capture and real layout tools.

If you're just looking for a quick fix, there is no 1-day PCB turnaround under $100.

Sure there is (if you allow a day for shipping). I can get 3 pieces of a miniboard from expresspcb.com for $51 + shipping. IIRC, one-day shipping is a bit over $20, so for $75 I can send off a design before 1:00, and have the boards before 1:00 two days later.

If all you need is 1 print and you're a hobbyist or need something one-off, that is unacceptable.

As I said in my initial email, that depends on whether your time is valuable. In my experience, it takes a lot less total time to get a working prototype with a PCB than without, unless your circuit is very small. So if you can wait a couple of days for your circuit, and you have other things to do in the meantime (e.g. your time is valuable) and you'd like to spend less total time on the board (e.g. your time is valuable), then not laying out a board is unacceptable.

Of course, you can do whatever you want. I've seen people dead-bug 176 pin QFNs and make them work. If you find detailed work like that therapeutic, fine. But if you have other stuff to do, it can quickly become cost-ineffective.

Re:plastic is for junk

[rubycodez]

As manager of engineering group that did rapid prototyping as part of our design process I had such working for me.

Re:plastic is for junk

[rubycodez]

yes and as I mentioned some of that stuff had problems cracking with age and so manufacturers had to redesign putting metal in certain areas of those parts, e.g. Fords infamous ABS manifold problem of late 90s to about 2004

Re:plastic is for junk

[rubycodez]

Bad news, manufacturers found some of those parts got too hot and cracked in the late 90s to mid 00s, so had to redesign some of those parts to have metal areas in them at higher cost

Re:plastic is for junk

[Anonymous Coward]

I agree with you, mostly. We have a truck. More accurately, I should say that my wife has a truck. We don't drive it nearly as often as the car, but damned if there aren't times when it's nice to have the truck. It has, on occasion, hauled equipment up and down the mid-Atlantic

I don't live in the country, though, so the truck doesn't either. We live in some semblance of a suburb, a compromise between her, the small-town girl; and me, the city slicker. The truck came with us. When we take the truck, it may be into town, but it's not to make a statement. It's because we're hauling something or because the other one of us took the car. I don't have any pretensions to being your "tough country guy."

For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[EmeraldBot]

For what are you using 3D printing for?

At the moment, nothing. It has a use for some small, niche scenarios, but it doesn't do anything for most of us here, and I really wish we would stop seeing stories on it every other week.

Why isn't 2D printing ever talked about?

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[fustakrakich]

Why isn't 2D printing ever talked about?

2D is still invisible and impossible.

Re: For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[Anonymous Coward]

2d printing isn't talked about because laser cutters can do it way better. Look up lasersaur for an example of an 'open source' one.

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[Anonymous Coward]

I said that a year and got banned from Fark for mocking the incessant 3D hype over there.

Now that the Makerbots are gathering dust in closets everywhere, maybe people will understand.

-QA

(and no one's going to Mars either)

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[Anonymous Coward]

Fark is still a thing?

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[Goldsmith]

I make 2D (graphene based) devices all the time...

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[Anonymous Coward]

2D is not invisible, nor impossible. You are looking at it right now.

Even so-called 3D graphics on a monitor is projection screen is 2D. Is it 'printing'? OK, that's debatable.

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[fustakrakich]

Yes, it is 'printing' on a screen, which is not 2D. If it were(was? whatever), you would not see it.

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[0100010001010011]

It has a use for some small, niche scenarios, but it doesn't do anything for most of us here, and I really wish we would stop seeing stories on it every other week.

With a 3D printer you could run a ~19th century machine shop from your own home. You don't use the 3D printed model. You use it to check fit up and then to turn it into molds.

You can melt iron with used motor oil even charcoal. Sand casting is still used almost everywhere for cast iron.

Give me a 3D printer big enough and I'll build you a tractor. Engine and all.

Re: For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[FranTaylor]

your comment viewed on the screen is a fine example of 2-d printing. Granted it's not permanent printing, but 2-d printing nevertheless.

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[FranTaylor]

You can melt iron with used motor oil even charcoal.

In your home? You can easily die of carbon monoxide poisoning and maybe kill your whole family too.

You should play with that kind of stuff where proper ventilation is available.

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[Anonymous Coward]

How thick is a shadow? Light has no depth. Shadows are 2D. Light on a monitor screen is 2D.

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[fustakrakich]

You don't see it unless it is projected onto or reflects off a 3D surface. And it takes a 3D object to block light to create a shadow. We cannot see 2D, we can only model it.

Re: For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[Anonymous Coward]

For limited definitions of "2D" and "printing"... Perhaps.

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[0100010001010011]

In your home?

At home some of us have garages, shops, driveways. If you can grill meat you can smelt iron.

No one is telling you to do this in your kids bedroom.

Re: For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[Anonymous Coward]

You're wrong. If you were right our screens would be blank until looked at dead on and pressed against your retina. There is no such thing as flat light. Even lasers scatter. Even individual photons can.

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[Osgeld]

Agreed

I work with fitting stuff into custom plastics and we hardly use it, our demand is so low we just shoot it off to one of the local copy / print shops around town that have a SLA machine the 3 times a year its required

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[Osgeld]

except that people do it all the time cause its easier and more accurate than wooden patterns, one of the few area's that 3d printing actually makes since IMO

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[bluefoxlucid]

Never mind that; Timothy has learned to not end a sentence in a preposition. Maybe he'll learn to correctly use the serial comma in lists of three or more items! Quick, set up a class so he can teach the other editors English!

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[bluefoxlucid]

In the industry, they call it the "lost wax process"...

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[wasteoid]

Trade a 3D printer for a tractor?! That's a great deal!

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[Anonymous Coward]

where can I subscribe to your newsletter?

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[Anonymous Coward]

You don't 3D print the mould. You 3D print the object, mount it to a sprue (or 3D print it on a sprue), make a powder/resin mould around it, 'lose' the plastic by melting it out of that mould, then cast a metal object in the mould. You then destroy the mould to get the metal object out.

This is how limited edition bronze models are made (albeit usually with a wax starter, not ABS); it would be a viable way of making a small cast-metal piece, I think:

http://www.instructables.com/id/From-3d-printed-part-to-metal-the-lost-plaabs-me/?ALLSTEPS

You could also make a silicone mould for casting e.g. plaster of paris models:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-Silicone-Molds-for-your-3D-printed-object/?ALLSTEPS

This looks like a lot of fun.

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[0100010001010011]

It's like Redditors have discovered how to use the Anonymous Coward account.

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[thinkwaitfast]

No, you can also print sand molds and IMO is one of the few current uses of a 3d printer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[Anonymous Coward]

netcraft hasn't confirmed it's death yet

Re: For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[rickb928]

Now you have a reason to get a 3D Printer.

And make a home furnace as well...

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[Anonymous Coward]

I said that a year and got banned from Fark for mocking the incessant 3D hype over there.

You were banned for being an obnoxious lying troll, not for your views. You are not a martyr and you are not standing up to the Space Nutters.

Re: For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[Anonymous Coward]

You're going to at least need a mill and lathe as well. No way you'll get finished surfaces for cylinder notes, pistons, mating surfaces, etc. straight from a casting.

Re:For What Are You Using 3D Printing For?

[Anonymous Coward]

Sometimes plastic is more than sufficient, speaking engineering-wise, for the task. I've been 3D printing a gas/electric hybrid bicycle and have managed to make many of the structural components out out just straight printed ABS without modification - And where it is sometimes required, it's sometimes only necessary to add small pieces of standard-shaped metal ( eg, tubes ) to resolve an issue.

I managed to make the entire generator section, including axle couplings out of ABS and only the generator itself ( the core, wiring and moving components ) were bought, and they are all COTS components. The generator housing, including inner and outer housings for the moving parts, structural flanges, mounting flanges, cooling system and all fans/covers/control boxes are printed.

The result is that I was able to custom built a hybrid gas/electric bicycle with the petrol system entirely 3D printed except for parts that could be bought as discreet components from a hardware or hobby store, yet it can handle 1kW of power continuously for an estimated 100hrs of runtime between maintenance cycles ( change the engine oil, replace the torque plate, etc ). I also built the battery compartment on a 3D printer, most of the adapters, flanges and housings and completed the change.

ABS plastic isn't the strongest stuff in the world, but if you print it thick enough ( and apply basic engineering principles ) then it's more than capable of maintaining strength. The only places I find it suffers is where it's directly exposed to heat that exceeds it's softening point - so I either use other solutions there or include cooling systems to maintain reasonable temperatures.

Building an engine is cool and all, and sounds like fun, but it's not like I can't go an buy an engine for a few hundred dollars off-the-shelf from whoever sells them... Everything from motor mounts to custom flanges I can print, and then just assemble the final parts in a lego-like manner... Well, with real nuts and bolts anyway. I don't think I'd build a tractor with my 3D printer, but if a hybrid bicycle is possible, then so are many other projects... The real advantage is when the parts just don't exist... After building my bike, I went online and found it was the first serial hybrid bicycle to be fully completed - so being able to take my ideas and produce them quickly was critical to the project success, and let me achieve a 1kW generator that weighed less than 10 lbs - which is absolutely necessary for such a project to succeed.

That's not all I use my printer for - It's paid for itself many times over and has pushed out more than 20kg of printed material with better than 95% success ratio. Also, I use a small one ( 120mm cubed ) so I have to make my larger parts in pieces, but that's OK. It''s easy enough to connect parts without any structural losses, and usually the the strength is improved by the process... Just wipe with MEK and assemble.

I keep thinking to buy a newer, bigger one, and if this one breaks, I will... But I've yet to find that my print are is too small for a project. Instead, I just find that I have to think a little bit about how to use it most effectively.

Stores

[Anonymous Coward]

Some online, some traditional retail. Best 3-d prints there are, and I don't have to fuss with the machine. Sorry. The things are fine for prototyping, but suck for durable goods at this point. Most of us just want durable goods. That said, I understand not to fall in to the "usefulness envy" trap. IIRC, that's what they called it at the Homebrew Computer club. That's where we are right now. There's nothing wrong with that. It's cool to experiment with new things; but I'm still more interested in code than new physical objects. To each his own.

At this stage, I think it'd be interesting to see 3-d printers producing things that take advantage of the strengths they do have. You can use a 3-d printer to produce complex, fragile shapes, unique art objects etc. That could take us in some interesting directions. Making a gun that's more likely to take your fingers off than function as a normal weapon? Not so much.

Re:Stores

[Skal Tura]

I have made practical, durable, every day objects.
From small things like keychains to maxing out the envelope of a usual 3d printer. Hell, i even have 3d printed parts under the hood of my race car :D Yes, i actually race it, and have used those parts for a year now and they are holding up just fine and the car is rather quick actually, thanks for asking.

Re:Stores

[ihtoit]

aren't some of the Formula E components 3-D printed? I'm thinking coachwork more than engines, but whatever...

Re:Stores

[Anonymous Coward]

yeah i'm sure the 3d printer has helped your car drive faster and I'm also sure all that time you spend on CAD and failed prints, and even the cost of your printer have been paid off because its such a fantastic machine at making doodads

Oh..

[Anonymous Coward]

...just some sex toys and various Ninji items.

Replacing hard to find spare parts.

[MindPrison]

They're quite useful if you know what you're doing. For example, you have some kind of toy, gadget, device and whatnot...that's missing the battery cover? Hard to find...even on eBay, so what do you do? Fire up your favourite 3D software and make one. Works like a charm.

If you're working in advertisement/merchandise production... you can make small prototype samples of what you want to have mass produced, this ensures that your oversea production don't get it wrong (and they always do, trust me!) Shipping a sample of what you want mass produced, is a dream come true, and fortunately for (me) most of my competitors have no clue that this can be done, so they still do it the old fashioned way (try to tell the production team with drawings and talk over the phone with a foreign team that hardly understands English).

Pictures say more than a 1000 words they say, well...a prototype object to hold in your hand says more than 1000 pictures.

3D printers are a godsend.

Re:Replacing hard to find spare parts.

[Anonymous Coward]

"They're quite useful if you know what you're doing."

So are oscilloscopes, doesn't mean everyone should rush out and buy one.

Re:Replacing hard to find spare parts.

[sunking2]

Tape is simpler for remote control covers. And people don't explain what they want something to look like. They send a cad or other type of file that defines what they want, not some inaccurate poorly rendered result of a cad file.

Re:Replacing hard to find spare parts.

[WalrusSlayer]

Same here. Fixed some crap curtain-rod brackets that were drooping by fabricating a cantilever to prop them back up. Beat having to buy new rods, we like the style of the current ones, even if they are poorly made.

Made brackets for the power-supply to my CNC mill so that it conveniently hangs off the side of the workbench but can be quickly removed for transport.

In same workshop, a cheap 8-port switch I bought for it turned out to not have wall-mount keystone holes. So made some clips which screw into the side of the bench and hook into the vent slots of the switch to brace it.

The most useful things for it tend to be the most pedestrian. Though my other use is for enclosures for custom electronics projects, which is also extremely useful.

Re:Replacing hard to find spare parts.

[Anonymous Coward]

If said curtain rods are used in your workshop, we get in the somewhat ironic situation of you only using the tools in your workshop to fix... your workshop.

Re:Replacing hard to find spare parts.

[Anonymous Coward]

For example, you have some kind of toy, gadget, device and whatnot...that's missing the battery cover? Hard to find...even on eBay, so what do you do? Fire up your favourite 3D software and make one. Works like a charm.

I'm genuinely curious about this since I have a few plastic things that are broken but taking the time to make a model just doesn't seem cost-efficient vs. buying a new one. Is it really feasible to design e.g. what I need right now which is a Shimano gear lever cover that is no longer manufactured? Maybe not the precise term for the part that I need to get my bike fixed. The local library next door to me (in Finland) has a 3D printer I could use for free but I haven't thought that making a spare part is at all feasible due to the precision needed - especially when screw threads are needed. Do you use calipers for measuring? Take pictures and use Blender? How long does the design process usually take when you have at least some experience? I mean, I don't mind if the first part takes me time because I'm learning but if it takes experienced amateurs several hours, I just don't see how it would be worth it.

Re:Replacing hard to find spare parts.

[MindPrison]

Valid questions, I'll try to answer a few, and hopefully that answers some of the other peoples concerns as well:

Sure, 3D printing isn't yet for everyone, and yes - it does take both knowledge and experience. One of those things are of course 3D modelling experience, the better 3D modeller you are...the better your results will be, and of course the faster you'll get it done.

Another thing you need to be somewhat experienced at, is how to model things FOR a 3D printer, this is because if you just "print" without any planning, you're most likely to end up with having to experiment so much that you'll make 10s of misprints, costing you a small fortune in ABS plastic.

You also need to know to remove bugs in your model, all STL files must be properly CLEANED before converted to an STL file. This means you need to understand how to make clean models, remove double vertices, double faces, edges etc. You also need to understand where to apply support for the various parts, most printers can't really print into thin air...so you need to model some temporary holders/molds that holds the printed object in place while printing. You also need to consider how to clean up the final model, most cheaper printers will leave some ugly looking stripes (due to the printing process), which you need to sand down later, if you have too many details, it'll make it pretty though to clean up later on.

The design process time depends entirely on the object complexity at hand. For example, a small cover for a battery can take as little as 1 hour to design (I'd probably do it in less than 10 minutes), but the printing process itself takes a lot longer. If you where to make a complex cogwheel construction, that could take hours to days. Nevermind a beautiful detailed statue that could take weeks. But hey, good art doesn't grow on trees, and this is up to each individual to master.

Yes, 3D printing isn't for everyone, but then again... that also makes it worth something to those who are willing to put the time and effort into the learning process. If it was for everyone, there'd be no business for people like me, but sure - 3D printing will improve tremendously over time, so please keep buying those printers! :)

Re:Replacing hard to find spare parts.

[MindPrison]

And people don't explain what they want something to look like. They send a cad or other type of file that defines what they want, not some inaccurate poorly rendered result of a cad file.

Well, I've been working for YEARS in the merchandise/nick-nack/gift production industry and I know my competitors well, in fact...I got my job because everyone else does it the old fashioned way, and if there's something key accountants know...is the hardship of communicating their ideas to the production teams in e.g. China.

Cad files is what we have after visualizing a product anyway, but good luck sending that to the factory in China. Most often the factories and production facilities in China depend heavily old older software and huge machinery that can't even use our files. It's WAY better to send them a sample for them to copy, these people are EXPERTS at copying stuff.

Even little things like a logo on an USB stick, they will and can get wrong if they don't know exactly how it looks from all angles. You'd be amazed how often this happens.

Re:Replacing hard to find spare parts.

[bluefoxlucid]

Yeah, I bought a $1000 machine to make a $2 battery cover for my phone.

Re:Replacing hard to find spare parts.

[pipingguy]

they will and can get wrong if they don't know exactly how it looks from all angles

This is why drafting and technical drawings used to be important.

Re:Replacing hard to find spare parts.

[Anonymous Coward]

They're quite useful if you know what you're doing. For example, you have some kind of toy, gadget, device and whatnot...that's missing the battery cover? Hard to find...even on eBay, so what do you do? Fire up your favourite 3D software and make one. Works like a charm.

If you're working in advertisement/merchandise production... you can make small prototype samples of what you want to have mass produced, this ensures that your oversea production don't get it wrong (and they always do, trust me!) Shipping a sample of what you want mass produced, is a dream come true, and fortunately for (me) most of my competitors have no clue that this can be done, so they still do it the old fashioned way (try to tell the production team with drawings and talk over the phone with a foreign team that hardly understands English).

Pictures say more than a 1000 words they say, well...a prototype object to hold in your hand says more than 1000 pictures.

3D printers are a godsend.

"They're quite useful if you know what you're doing."

So are oscilloscopes, doesn't mean everyone should rush out and buy one.

So, uhm, where in the parent post is he pushing you to buy one?

Re: Replacing hard to find spare parts.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, but you made it. And when you show it off to friends you can say that it's your own design.

It's the same reason anyone spends anytime time being creative.

Mostly replacement parts

[Anonymous Coward]

It's nice to quickly be able do design and print replacements for stuff I happen to break without having to visit a store and adhere to opening hours. A selection of stuff I've printed that have actually been useful: Oscilloscope foot, fire alarm ceiling mount, a new and better 3d printer + a bunch of improvements to it, spacer for the kitchen sink, sprint sled, microphone mounts, electronics boxes, speaker stands, a block to keep the kitchen drain pipe at a good angle and parts for an old and broken curtain system that are no longer manifactured or available anywhere.

Re:Mostly replacement parts

[KGIII]

Fix your drain pipe for your sink properly and stop breaking shit.

Re:Mostly replacement parts

[Anonymous Coward]

I know a chap who used his to fabricate a replacement £1000 paddle for shop photo printer. The plastic part clearly did not deserve to cost that much but they were priced for scarcity. The 3D printer paid for itself in one move.

Re:Mostly replacement parts

[Anonymous Coward]

Fix your drain pipe for your sink properly and stop breaking shit.

Seriously, if your sink is not draining properly it's because the tail piece going down to your p-trap is too long and just needs to be cut a bit shorter.

Projects

[Anonymous Coward]

My 2 main projects I was planning to do with my 3d printer was make my own variant of the inMoov robotics project and also using PLA prints as a "lost wax" mold in aluminium casting (they would eventually fold into the one project after initial prototyping). However, I have an Ultimaker 1 and it is very unreliable so I haven't got very far. I am thinking about ditching it for a Flashforge Creator Pro but I'm waiting for the USD/AUD exchange rate to be more favourable to me.

Re:Projects

[Anonymous Coward]

I've used some printers at a makerspace, including an Ultimaker2 (which crapped out 12.5hrs into a 13 hr print). Also an Orion which was fine, and then there are a bunch at the place that I didn't use because there was always something wrong with them.

Anyway, I recently got a printer and I was thinking of either the Flashforge or a Lulzbot Mini. The Mini has fewer features, but I swear, it's a "print out of the box" experience. It does a self-leveling routine that works great, the heated PEI surface grips everything (no glue, no blue tape, no kapton). It has a year warranty, and being based on Colorado, support is in a language I can understand easily (plus some people in Colorado have work). Finally, it is totally open source, hardware and software. And not just "here's the source, good luck with that" style of open source, step by step illustrated howto type open source: Guides: https://ohai-kit.alephobjects.... Source for all the printers, even retired models: https://www.lulzbot.com/suppor...

Anyway, you might want to check out Lulzbot.

As an aside, and aimed at the original poster's question, I feel like I'm well on the way to saving the price of the printer in the two months I've had it. The makerspace I was using charged $50/mo and 25c per gram, and you had to pay for the garbage prints -- that 13 hour print that failed there cost me an entire Saturday, plus $15 in plastic. I had the thing printed by Sculpteo, but that cost almost $70. Plastic is actually really cheap -- a kilo spool can be had for $25, or 2 cents per gram -- a 50 gm object costs me a buck, and I can do other things I need to do around the house while it prints. At the makerspace, that would be $12.50, plus sitting around for hours. Have I made anything terribly useful? No. But I have plans, and even if I don't, I'm having fun.

Re:Projects

[Anonymous Coward]

Thanks for the pointer to lulzbot. It uses 3mm filament so I can use all my Ultimaker filament (I have quite a bit). Flashforge is 1.75mm so I would have to turf it all. I bought the Ultimaker because at the time (many years ago) it had some of the best specs but since then I have come to realise that reliability is the top priority for me.

How about circuit boards?

[glitch!]

Are any affordable 3D or 2D printers suitable for making circuit boards? I could really go for that. I am tired of doing the laser printer transfer method, and would seriously consider buying something better, if the price is right. Quantities are modest. Thanks.

Re:How about circuit boards?

[skeezixcodejedi]

A little CNC machine would be pretty slick for that .. a CNC and a 3d printer are nearly the same.. one is subtractive, one is additive.. buy thery're "just" x-y-z tables; make an x-y-z and hang a dremel off the carriage instead of an extruder, and you've got a CNC that can carve out PCBs. But as always, the problem with PCBs is.. vias; you can do one sided boards easy, but two sided, with via's.. plating and drilling/lining-up is a drag :) Some filament is conductive, so the theory is about 3d printing the traces, which may work; not practical or cost effective right now (when you can submit a 4" square pcb design to Elecrow and get 10 of them for $10 .. thats hard to beat.)

Re: How about circuit boards?

[Anonymous Coward]

I've had decent success printing pla onto boards and etching them. You need to prep the boards yourself and drill your own vias. You can print dimples in the plastic to make drilling easier. The solvent is the biggest problem. Pla isn't acetone soluble so you need something more exotic. Also the resolution isn't great for small surface mount devices, but that is under your contol to some degree.

Re:How about circuit boards?

[tshawkins]

There is a printed mini cnc called the "cyclone" designed for producing isolation routed pcbs.

http://www.cyclonecnc.4fan.cz/

Re:How about circuit boards?

[WalrusSlayer]

For circuit boards I'm loving my Othermill. Pricey but the software and support seriously flatten the learning curve, which may or may not be worth the price premium to you. I've already transformed a few prototypes from hand-soldered perfboard to actual PCBs, and am currently nowhere near the boundaries of what is feasible with this little gem.

But 3D printers are more useful for making enclosures to said circuit boards, not for fabbing them.

Re:How about circuit boards?

[50000BTU_barbecue]

OSH Park. Why even bother with the decades-old milling and/or toner transfer method? I get plated vias, soldermask and silkscreen.

Re:How about circuit boards?

[ArcadeMan]

I second OSH Park.

Re:How about circuit boards?

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't. Personally, I use dirtypcbs.com, but there's also pcbshopper.com for those who want to be sure they're getting the best price.

For whatever reason, PCB manufacturing in the U.S. is bloody expensive, so if you aren't having the boards made in China, you're paying way too much.

Re:How about circuit boards?

[Anonymous Coward]

"I use dirtypcbs.com"

All I see:
Notice: Undefined index: 11x9 in /var/www/dirtypcbs.com/production-site/status.pcb.class.php on line 142

Notice: Undefined index: 5x9 in /var/www/dirtypcbs.com/production-site/status.pcb.class.php on line 142

Notice: Undefined index: 3x5 in /var/www/dirtypcbs.com/production-site/status.pcb.class.php on line 142

Notice: Undefined index: 3.5x4 in /var/www/dirtypcbs.com/production-site/status.pcb.class.php on line 142

A screen full. I can't even find their data format for gerbers. I'll pass.

The only PCBs I make are for actual circuits that need to be made, as opposed to the stubbornness I see so much among the electronics crowd: "I know I can buy what I need but I must spend 10x that amount to make it myself because I'm such a cool guy"...

Re:How about circuit boards?

[skeezixcodejedi]

Great tip thanks! Same old problem where its best for single layer (single sided) board, but certainly should be great for prototyping small simple boards. (And limits bey9ond that are likely shakiness making medium density surface mount hard.. like TQFP packages and so on.) But seriously cool project -- looks fun, and looks handy. Very tempting! Thanks a lot!

Re:How about circuit boards?

[smellsofbikes]

OSH Park. Why even bother with the decades-old milling and/or toner transfer method? I get plated vias, soldermask and silkscreen.

Speed. I have an admittedly fairly nice dedicated pcb mill. I can make five revisions of circuit boards in a day, and then send the well-tested version out and wait a week to receive my beautiful soldermasked and silkscreened final revision pcb.

Re:How about circuit boards?

[Anonymous Coward]

You work in the PCB industry, don't you? One of you pop up in every discussion about PCB pricing. "Oh, those PCBs are crap, just look at these PHP errors as evidence. Plus I can't find basic information that's easy-to-find because I can't be bothered to look at more than two pages on the web site. Also, the only reason you care about costs anyway is because you're a dumbass spending more money to make things than it would cost to buy them and you're blaming that on the cost of the PCBs and not your own stupidity. If you were making anything out of necessity you'd be willing to pay the higher prices."

My favorite was when someone told me "well, if you're price conscious, you're free to shop around." Yes, because I wouldn't be price conscious when faced with choices like receiving 12 PCBs for $14 in 3 weeks (including shipping time) from China vs. a U.S. manufacturer offering 100 PCBs for $317 in 4 weeks + shipping time, and much worse deals if I don't actually want a hundred boards. I'm willing to pay more for U.S. products, but unfortunately I'm not wealthy and so I have limits.

As for your concern over wasting money, the only PCB I've had manufacturered is my own version of this overpriced thing, and the final cost, components and all, resulted in a savings of $213.60 for the 12 boards I made vs. buying those boards from Digikey. ...not that I actually saved $213.60. I'm not wealthy enough to afford that. What I actually gained was having 12 copies of the board at all, rather than only having two copies of the one from Digikey and having to constantly swap those two boards between electronics projects and be unable to use more than two such projects at a time.

Cost effective for small things, or prototypes

[skeezixcodejedi]

I call it 'dollar store value'; for something about the size of a VHS tape, chess piece (Dalek pieces!) or smaller (er, like 6" square sort of thing) its about break even or cheaper to print it out; if its at all large, its cheaper to just buy it at the dollar store or whatever. You want to make a little box to hold screws? Buy it at the dollar store. You want to make a custom designed thing for your pegboard, or a case for a model car, or whatever.. well, perfect. Of course, if its a self designed thing, the printer is invaluable; you can design somethign, print it out, refine it, print it again. Its amazing. --> I've made a tricopter (liek a quadcopter, but no extra rubbish motors :) So if you are a creative type, who doesn't mind learning to CAD (open source stuff), its fantastic. If you don't have time to CAD, you're relying on existing models to print.. check out sitrs like Thingiverse to see whats out there. If you want to mass produce stuff cheap, its currently the wrong game. Good for makers, not so good for consumers.

Re: Cost effective for small things, or prototypes

[Anonymous Coward]

Unless you've invented artificial muscles to rotate its tail, your tricopter has as many motors as a quad.

Re:make-your-own-dildo

[sumdumass]

They have had kits that do not require a 3d printer for that for a long time now. There are a few different companies offering it. Here are a couple that I know of.

http://www.willykit.com/

http://www.createamate.com/

And I there there is a clone a willy kit somewhere but cannot remember the URL for it. All of these options are much cheaper than a 3d printer and you can put vibrators in them as well as glow in the dark colors and even lights. Lots of fun- just don't make a bunch of them and hand them out in the secret Santa at work next year. Trust me, it's not as fun or funny as you might think.

Making stuff

[sd4f]

Well, the things that I tend to do most often is make my own tools for fairly specific tasks. One of my greatest eureka moments was when I realised that I can 3D print my own tool to open a watch case. It took a few iterations (plastic after all is weak), but I finally hit on something that's reliable enough, and it won't scratch the watch case. This was all because I took it in some years ago for a battery change, and the person kind of made a mess of trying to open it, they bent a strap pin, put tears in the leather strap, and scratched the case back. Fortunately it was my cheap daily watch, but still, I got paranoid after that, and had no intention of going to that person again. Now, I save a few dollars by buying my own batteries, and they're good brand ones too, and use a plastic tool to open the watch. No chance of marking it.

The point isn't so much that 3D printing is awesome, but it's really great when you realise that with this tool (3D printer that is) I can do things which I previously would never do. I'd never consider making a tool before unless it could be made with sheet metal and a hammer and file, and in some ways, the tool I made is better than one I could buy.

I don't have a 3d printer

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

If I had a 3d printer I'd custom design an Arduino case. I want to make one that looks like a tricorder, complete with slots for LEDs etc.

Re:I don't have a 3d printer

[R3d M3rcury]

If I had a 3D Printer,
I'd be 3D printin' in the morning,
I'd be 3D printing' in the evening,
all over this land...

Sorry. It just came to me. Now that I think of it...

If I had a 3D printer, some son-of-a-bitch would die...

Re:make-your-own-dildo

[Eloking]

They have had kits that do not require a 3d printer for that for a long time now. There are a few different companies offering it. Here are a couple that I know of.

http://www.willykit.com/

http://www.createamate.com/

And I there there is a clone a willy kit somewhere but cannot remember the URL for it. All of these options are much cheaper than a 3d printer and you can put vibrators in them as well as glow in the dark colors and even lights. Lots of fun- just don't make a bunch of them and hand them out in the secret Santa at work next year. Trust me, it's not as fun or funny as you might think.

It's....interesting how...well informed you are in the matter

Everything.

[ArylAkamov]

I use mine for all sorts of things. Missing battery covers, custom enclosures (Working on making a custom instrument panel for my project car powered by some 328p's), missing knobs and dials.

I regularly make things for my dad's bosses (Yacht charter company. Lost knob or plastic doohicky and want to buy a replacement? Fuck you, give us $300 because BOATS!). Lots of lost/broken/etc. plastic bits that cost lots of money to replace, I make the parts they want for 25 to 50 percent of the cost to replace them with OEM parts.

Right now I'm printing out a display model of a mechanical torson limited slip differential. Why? Because LSDs are pretty neat.

I'm using a makerfarm I3v 8" model. Comes in a kit, frame is made of laser cut wood. Best customer support I've ever experienced, no problems with the printer that have not been user error. I just got auto bed leveling set up and it's extremely reliable.

Re:Everything.

[Anonymous Coward]

yay selling garbage made (evidently also ripping off boat owners) from a machine that can't even maintain tolerance if the humidity changes 10%. What an awesome world

Various whatsits

[Smidge204]

I carry around a pipe caliper that I designed and 3D printed. A scissor-looking device that tells you the size of a pipe (up to 4") based on outside diameter. Useful on the job.

I designed and printed a custom flashlight holder for those cheap LED flashlights.

Custom replacement handle for a triangular file

Set of custom drawer knobs.

Custom hard drive mounting bracket.

Custom battery holder.

Custom shelf bracket.

~Three dozen clothespins.

3-axis tilt camera stand that mounts on top of a tripod. (replaces one that broke).

Custom 80:1 worm gear reduction for a machine I was working on, as well as a few spur gears and light-duty V-belt pulleys for same machine. Custom thrust bearing and ball bearing holders.

A full set of Meta-Chess pieces.

A custom tool for aligning V-belt pulleys using a 3V line laser module and magnetic base.

Currently in progress is a mostly 3D printed racing wheel controller for my PC, which uses the guts from a dual analog game controller. The controller is unusable because the silicone pads for the buttons cracked, but the electronics are still good and with 4x analog axes I can get steering and three pedals plus 16 digital buttons. My hangup is I can't get the "feel" of the buttons right...

If I ever get off my ass and finish building the electric furnace I've been working on, and manage to melt some aluminum with it, I fully intend to try lost-PLA casting some aluminum parts. That's be awesome...
=Smidge=

Re:Various whatsits

[Skal Tura]

some cool things you've been making :) especially that racing steering wheel for pc :)

Re:Various whatsits

[Anonymous Coward]

There are two general uses for 3d printing: prototyping and custom pieces.

Prototyping is more of a business use than personal, though some people are trying to leverage it for reducing costs sufficient to permit a personal business use.

Custom work is for making things that you can't otherwise get. This could be because they are no longer available (out of production or replacement parts) or because no one ever made them (original work, not necessarily artistic).

Whenever someone starts the "its an investment" and "isn't worth it if you can't competitively manufacture" is entirely missing the point. It isn't a competitor to traditional manufacturing, it is an enabler for custom work. How many places can you buy a lithophane of a personal photo? The value comes from being able to make things that you wouldn't otherwise be able to make or purchase. If that isn't worth it, then 3d printing isn't worth it to you. But knocking out custom lego pieces to enable my son's visions have been on of the ways in which 3d printing has been worthwhile for me. I like making CGI art, but making something substantial that you can touch, feel, hold and use is something else again. Maybe it just goes with the family (my wife is a potter, so she understands making). Not necessarily for everyone, but definitely worth it for those who value making and appreciate this particular expression.

3d printing of commercially produced work is a solution in search of a problem. Unless there is some insane predatory pricing it will always be "better" to buy rather than print. That said, sometimes it can just be fun to knock something off. I was told functional plastic keys were not possible (wrong!) and assumed a 1:1 scale lego minifig wouldn't interoperate due to tolerance issues (close, but wrong!).

There are many websites devoted to answering that

[dan.janzen]

If you don't know what 3D printers are useful for, check out thingiverse.com. If your mind is not blown, then consider taking up knitting.

Action figures, apparently

[Anonymous Coward]

As far as I can tell all 3D printing is used for is:

- printing action figures
- printing boxes for your raspberry pi
- very, very occasionally printing a prosthesis for a crippled dog.

3D printing is pretty silly

Re:Action figures, apparently

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

Are you on the correct site?

Replacements for consumer electronics plastics

[Anonymous Coward]

I have no access to such toys but have thought it would be great if there were a public database where manufacturers provided or users contributed scanned parameters for things like knobs and battery covers for old radios, television sets, ham gear, test equipment etc. In the case of TV, that'd be mostly for 60's and earlier pre-transistor sets. [When I say tube set these days many now think that means c.r.t.]

I don't know how strong printed knobs would be, or if they'd have the problem with getting brittle with age or under U.V. as some plastics do. Some knobs used a metal insert to distribute stress and provide some spring action for a tight fit. Some have a slotted slide-on region with a flat cylindrical "C" clamp for more tightness and strength while still giving some. Some mechanical tv tuners took quite a bit of torque to turn.

Parts for physics experiments.

[EthanBernard]

I use shapeways stainless steel 3D printing to make parts for physics experiments. It's only useful when the parts are small and can have sloppy tolerances. But in these cases it saves a fortune. I recently had a dozen small parts made for $200 that would have cost $1000 made by conventional machining. You can make screw threads (1/4 - 20 and larger; 10-24 might work) by printing the thread and then chasing the printed thread with a die or tap before use.

Once the resolution gets better?

[Anonymous Coward]

Wargaming.

3D printing is going to smack the crap out of wargaming companies and their pricier-than-printer-ink plastic dudesmen.

That's without even considering the idea of 3D "piracy" - aka, printing off a company of spehss mehreens. Got an idea for a cool figure? Bam. Whipped up your own detailed instructions for wargaming a Canadian invasion of the US? Blammo. Need some kick ass terrain? Click, done.

Re:Once the resolution gets better?

[ArcadeMan]

What do you mean, "once the resolution gets better"?

Do you still think that all 3D printers use FDM?

Search "photopolymer 3d printer", there's already a lot of models.

Interested in 3D printer for music

[Da Booster]

I'm a musician. I'd love to test some designs for trombone mouthpieces on a 3D printer. Trombone mouthpieces have been round for a hundred years because that's easier to manufacture on a lathe. What if brass mouthpieces could be different shapes? oval, oblong, rounded triangle? A 3D printer would be great for that kind of experimentation. Likewise, I'm also interested in unusual capo and string mute designs for a guitar.

Re:Interested in 3D printer for music

[Goldsmith]

Wow, this is an excellent idea for a very limited, very niche application.

As a physicist and a (very out of practice) trombone player, this is a niche I can get behind!

If you don't have designs already (or they're just along the lines of "what if..."), you should definitely find someone who knows something about acoustics to collaborate with. That's the kind of thing I would have done for fun in grad school.

For 3D printing, you may want to find someone who can help you out commercially. I used the UPS store for some very high resolution prototype parts for a medical device. I can't speak for all the UPS stores, but the one I went to had a guy who was very experienced with 3D printing. He did some minor tweaking of my files (I generally design for CNC, evidently designing for 3D printing is a little different). He also knew all the high-end 3D printing services in town, and was able to contract with one of them when his in-store printer was insufficient for what I needed.

In my case, I wanted to get my parts made, I didn't want a hands-on tutorial about 3D printing. So this all worked very well.

Re:Interested in 3D printer for music

[KGIII]

It does suck to have to buy another capo and file it down by hand in order to get an alternative tuning. However, I have seen adjustable capos (that can be easily adjusted to must as well it seems) in a number of catalogs though I have never seen one in a music store nor have I played with one in the real world. They basically have pads the fret and mute and can be adjusted by raising and lowering their depth. That is, at least, what it looks like to me but I have not ever used one and have no experience to say if they are actually reliable for any real world situation outside of a studio.

Re:Interested in 3D printer for music

[alfredo]

How about a trombone with a reed?

OLEDs

[Anonymous Coward]

http://kateeva.com/

Works if you are an engineer

[Anonymous Coward]

It's when you are building a part for something and not just replacing something that it shines.

You can iterate fast.

http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Machines-How-They-Work/dp/0486217094

GUNS

[Spankalot]

Why would you want to print anything else? Assault rifles and handguns.. Maybe a sports car down the track....

Re:GUNS

[PopeRatzo]

Why would you want to print anything else? Assault rifles and handguns.

Why not print something you can use?

Re:GUNS

[BlueStrat]

Why would you want to print anything else? Assault rifles and handguns.

Why not print something you can use?

Why can't he use them? Does he not have any high ranking federal government officials within reasonable traveling distances? :)

Strat

Re:GUNS

[PopeRatzo]

Why can't he use them? Does he not have any high ranking federal government officials within reasonable traveling distances? :)

No, it's because a 3D printed gun is not anywhere near as good as a gun made by a gunsmith. I guess if he has a need for a gun that will pass a metal detector or something (though a 3D printed gun probably wouldn't) then I guess he would find some actual use for one, but 3D guns are still not practical. If you want to shoot reliably, would you choose a 3D printed gun over something made by a professional?

Think about the cost of a 3D printer. Now think about the cost of a serious handgun (or as he said, an "assault rifle", though I doubt he knows what that actually is, or what it's for).

Can you think of a legitimate application for which a 3D-printed gun would be superior to a weapon made by a real gunsmith?

Re:GUNS

[BlueStrat]

No, it's because a 3D printed gun is not anywhere near as good as a gun made by a gunsmith.

Not really so true anymore, currently it's the price per copy.

http://3dprint.com/21109/3d-pr...

But as 3D metal printing technology advances (and it won't be long, as it was only a handful of months ago that all there was out there was the Liberator plastic single-shot and now there's metal 1911-style semi-auto pistols being produced.), expect the cost/time required to drop dramatically and for quality to keep pace.

Can you think of a legitimate application for which a 3D-printed gun would be superior to a weapon made by a real gunsmith?

"Superior"? Probably not for a little while yet, but at the same time it will not be long at the rate 3D printing tech advances these days. "Legitimate application"? Depends a lot on what you would consider a "legitimate application", but I get your point and in many cases you would be correct. This will soon not be true as 3D printing technology advances & matures, however.

Strat

Re:GUNS

[drinkypoo]

You can get a pretty good gun for $200 and a really good gun for $500 these days. You can get a CNC'd 1911 for that now... or something more modern :) And yet a 3d printed gun will literally never be as good, because it will never output forged stock. (Perhaps one day we will develop a universal assembler, and that will be better than either of course.)

Re:GUNS

[BlueStrat]

You can get a pretty good gun for $200 and a really good gun for $500 these days. You can get a CNC'd 1911 for that now... or something more modern :) And yet a 3d printed gun will literally never be as good, because it will never output forged stock. (Perhaps one day we will develop a universal assembler, and that will be better than either of course.)

All quite true at this time.

The one thing a 3D printed gun can do that a normal gun cannot: Not yet exist when authorities come to confiscate guns, and then exist once the authorities have departed.

That, more than anything else, is what makes 3D printed guns unique and the ability to produce them attractive, especially to those who live under a government bent on disarming the population.

Strat

Re:GUNS

[drinkypoo]

The one thing a 3D printed gun can do that a normal gun cannot: Not yet exist when authorities come to confiscate guns, and then exist once the authorities have departed.

Well, any hidden gun can do that. If you can't get your hands on an improperly licensed weapon, you must not live in the USA.

Everything but Learn CAD

[captjc]

A 3D printer is great for people who know CAD. I love my little Afinia. Sure, I have printed out my fair share of toys and models. But where it comes in handy is when I need something very specific to solve a problem both at home and work.

For instance, I bought my grandma a weather station for her birthday. However, there was no place to mount some of the sensors. After about a half-hour of design work and about 45 minutes printing time, I had some quick plates that I could glue to the shed and screw to the fence posts to mount the temperature and wind sensors. Sure, I might have went to the hardware store and looked for a solution, but that would have taken much longer than the hour and 15 minutes it took me to design and print something.

Simply put, if you know CAD or are willing to learn, 3D printers are great. If you are only going to print what other people have made, don't bother. After the toys and other tat, you will lose interest and probably feel like you wasted your money.

Re:Everything but Learn CAD

[Anonymous Coward]

That was my though exactly! Start by learning to use a simple CAD program to model some of the things you think you'd like to print. Once have designed so many things that you gaze longingly at them on the screen and the very thought that they could physically exist and you could caress them with your bare hands you'll no longer be able to survive without a 3D printer... That's when you should buy. If you buy the printer but don't have the CAD skills to design whatever you want then the experience will not be as fulfilling - you may even get so frustrated that you give up trying!

Perhaps you could treat the purchase as a reward for the hard work you put in to leaning the CAD skills?

Not machining anymore

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm a tinkerer. In the past I would occasionally have parts milled overseas for my contraptions. It's a one off so there's a setup fee and then the work is kind of shoddy, and you wait two months before you have a prototype in your hand. That's why I laugh when people tell me how slow my printer. I have a prototype in a few hours now vs months.

I actually built my printer, it is a prusa i3. At some point I came to a stark realization. All technology creates a net economic decline but most of the time it's driven by a small group making large profits at the detriment of everyone else. Real quick example, smart phones have made billions in profits while at the same time destroying many industries (no more electronic metronomes, no more handheld electronic games ie tiger, no more egg timers, electronic tuners, handheld auto diagnostic devices, and so on. Soon universal remote controls will even be a thing of the past.

But a 3d printer is the first piece of technology that will directly empower a regular man at home at the detriment of corporations. There is really no way for it to benefit any corporation. All it can do is drive them to their knees. Look at the 3d printed prosthetics man! Do you know what this is going to do to that industry! Holy cow!

I have a design right now for a lantern that uses a translucent plastic jar as a shade (very common item). I can print out the lid that will house all of the electronics and the switch for pennies. It is water proof, shatter proof, shock proof, lights evenly and will illuminate an entire room, uses pulse width modulated dimming so that power is not lost to heat, and the whole shebang is driven off two chips. It runs on two AA batteries. Best part is it has a header on board so that you can reprogram it to do anything that you need, If you are a tinkerer such as myself. Set it up to stay on for a few hours while you go to sleep and then it turns itself off. Make it into a strobe light.

The whole project costs next to nothing. And it's made possible in part by 3d printing. You could build my lantern for $10. Or you could buy an inferior clumsy anachronistic florescent coleman from walmart that is designed as if you were pouring oil into the bottom. Load it up with 6 D cells and lug it around like Joe Jack headed to the barn for some late night milkin.

What do I use 3d printing for? Improving the world. I don't need coleman to buy into me. I don't need the financial support of some mega corporation to make my designs a reality.

And when I'm done I will upload the whole project to thingiverse and anyone can do what they want with it. Maybe a guy in West Africa will find a way to improve my circuit. Maybe he'll find a chip that is equivalent and uses a few milliamps less power. He'll upload his improvements and the community will get an extra 15 minutes battery life.

I'm also working on a low cost wind turbine. It doesn't produce much juice, but if you can throw up 100 of them in a village without power...

at our biotech com pany

[Anonymous Coward]

where we get parts from engineers, so they cost something, most our parts (ymmv) are cnc out of acrylic with a Tomach machine
occaisionally it is cheaper to make things from the 3D printer

however, most of our parts require some smooth surfaces, and the CNC works better for us

A/C Louvers

[tmosley]

I was thinking of making some louvers for my car, which mysteriously had all four missing when I got it. Buy one, scan it, and make the other three with the printer. Should be the perfect application, and would save me about $75, assuming the plastic costs nearly nothing.

Re:A/C Louvers

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

Buy one, scan it, and then return the reference part for a refund whilst you print out four of them. :)

Re:A/C Louvers

[drinkypoo]

It might be easier to get a quality part subtractively, with a dremel, unless you don't mean the vent louvers.

What *I* need is some fiddly little plastic pieces that go between servos and vent flaps. Thanks, Audi! Assholes. I think they're nylon, originally, and they certainly look like they're designed to fail. I think, though, that I should probably hand-make replacements from Aluminum rod stock.

Human sized 3D Printing

[Anonymous Coward]

re3d.org and their Open Gigabyte rocks for those of us that want to build things human sized...

Use for 3D printing

[Proudrooster]

Custom Model Rockets
Movie Props (Make your own light saber)
Prototypes
Inventions
Robot Parts (FIRST Robotics)
Phone Cases (with gears)
Thingiverse
Custom connectors for Legos

The biggest questions you have to answer are 1) what material do you want to use, and 2) what the max size of your part? Personally, I like ABS. It is flexible and more forgiving and assembles easily with acetone. My favorite lowend 3D printer is the Makerbot 2X, however you won't get an iron man costume out if it with the 6x9x12 build volume. However, with a few mods you can print, ABS, Ninjaflex, and even PLA.

The Ultimaker 2 is a great printer for PLA, nice resolution, however it uses 3mm filament which is not as common as at the 1.7mm that most of the other printers use.

My lease favorite low end 3D printer is the Makerbot Z18.

It's all good fun, go for it!

Trailer wiring

[Anonymous Coward]

I 3d printed replacement connectors for my Mazda's tail light systems, so I could T-in a trailer wiring system without actually modifying the wiring harness. I ordered such a thing from the internet, but the connectors were all mirrored from what I needed. So I modeled them up, printed out the replacements, and now I'm good to go.

Re:There are many websites devoted to answering th

[Anonymous Coward]

Not blown. Go to McMaster-Carr or Digikey, look at all the truly useful stuff you can get delivered the next day.

If your mind thinks it can do better at home, I suggest taking up Haloperidol.

3D printer parts and various accessories

[Anonymous Coward]

Lots of various upgrade parts for my 3D printer.
Probably about $200 in GoPro accessories so far.
A couple of Roomba accessories.
Laptop and iPad accessories.
Comet 67P.

Re:3D printer parts and various accessories

[KGIII]

Roomba accessories? WTF are you doing with your vacuum cleaner?

Re:3D printer parts and various accessories

[cerberusss]

Roomba accessories? WTF are you doing with your vacuum cleaner?

Roombas break in certain, specific ways. For example, the (outer case of the) gear box often develops cracks. I'd like to be able to print out a new cover, because that's the only thing broken right now. Getting it replaced involves buying a complete swiper assembly, $100-150 or so.

Great thing about the Roomba is that these problems are well-known. I've been keeping mine running 7-8 years, replacing infrared LEDs, ball bearings and probably the outer gear box this year.

Re:3D printer parts and various accessories

[KGIII]

I have had one for about five years now. It gets used and has not broken or anything - that I have noticed at least. However, I have a lady that I pay to come make sure I am not dead, cook, clean, and generally make sure that I remember to take care of basic things. She still vacuums. She says the Roomba does a crappy job and she likes my Kirby. There is a total of one person living in my house, most of the time, so it does not get dirty and I have often wondered if she just likes the additional hours. I'd pay her even if she was too sick to come to "work." I know, I do. So I guess it is fine if she is just trying to keep things going.

I think I have been paying her the same amount for like five years anyhow. Maybe I should give her a raise. Thanks for making me think about that. At the same time, I think I am just going to skip the middle man and give her my Roomba. I still can not think of anything I would 3D print. I can think of lots of things I would say I would do. I'd do exactly none of them.

I've no use for one

[msobkow]

While I find the technology interesting, I've never thought of a single thing I'd want to use one to manufacture or build. I am completely bereft of ideas for things I need (other than a new computer.)

Life is ever so much less stressful when you don't have a long list of "needs". :D

well

[Anonymous Coward]

bridgeport series 1 2hp
logan screwcutting lathe with a 7" throw
miller dynasty 200 tig
powermatic 87 vertical bandsaw
old 7" horizontal bandsaw with no cylinder
bosch 18v cordless drill
1908 camelback benchtop drillpress

good for most 3d printing jobs

Re:well

[Anonymous Coward]

damn late onset dyslexia. i read that as 'what are you using for 3d printing'

the only thing i use 3d printing for is making positives for molds that i'm going to
cast in bronze and then machine and weld

small wind turbine

[BatesMethod]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rmrdtech/a-small-wind-turbine-for-a-big-difference/description

Made possible by 3D printing. Kickstarter only has 10 hours to go.

Nothing important or expected to last

[Nemesisghost]

I got my 3d printer not to make something that's going to last a very long time, but more for novelty items & a few custom builds. For example, I bought some Red, White & Blue PLA so I could make some July 4th decorations & stuff. I think I'll print some custom cookie cutters for my sis-in-law. Oh, and my dad wants some letters so he can see how to place them on a wind chime he's making. I've also printed some things for my Cubscouts. The other things I've printed have mainly been to show it off or play with it. I'd put owning a 3d printer along the same lines as owning a regular printer these days, unnecessary but can be fun or useful.

Re:Nothing important or expected to last

[Skal Tura]

no wonder your prints are not lasting, you are using PLA :)
Also, even ABS is best printed with strong cooling at around 280C+
Very strong layer bonding, less warping. Those parts last better too.

An actual answer in case you wanted one.

[Anonymous Coward]

Hi. I'm and aerospace engineer and machinist who works for an led lighting manufacturer. We own many 3d printers. My favorite and I believe the best value is the Printrbot simple metal at $600 us. Make sure you get a heated bed which reduces warpage. We use our $1600 form one plus for dimensionally accurate prototyping and it wins us jobs, but it's slow and parts take extra time to cure and stop being tacky. The Printerbot is pretty fast and will finish before my add kicks in, but surface finish is pretty bad and you will get plus or minus .25mm dimensions at best. We have made a nerf machine gun that fits inside a teddy bear, little clips that hold our lights in the t slots in extrusion, a working 3d printed moving light, a bunch of cheap linear slide components which we open sourced for students, a bunch of beam modification accessories, a napkin holder, a dinosaur, and a bunch of other stuff. I model this stuff on Solidworks. I recommend the Printrbot for beginners.

maker movement

[Anonymous Coward]

I take my 3d printer to maker spaces and print out useless junk and call it innovation.

Teaching numeracy/problem solving skills.

[Anonymous Coward]

My friend and I are both highschool teachers. I have been teaching science and special education and he is in a nearby highschool teaching art and tech design.

My focus has been using it as a vehicle to inject numeracy and the concepts of iterative design into my spec ed classes and I have also thought up a few science applications for my biology classes. He has been doing amazing work with the printers themselves (he has worked really well with Printrbot and has heavily modded his printer) and also runs an amazing Maker club.

Here is our work so far this year:
https://sway.com/SlSR0E6GeBg4LGIH

I 3D print things quite often

[laird]

The things that I print range pretty widely:
- 3D printed prosthetics for people. See http://www.enablingthefuture.o... . Yes, home printers can make prosthetics that hold up to real world use, and for a lot of people (particularly kids and uninsured) the difference between $50 and $5,000 is insurmountable. Of course you should work with a professional if you can, for obvious reasons, but they're getting into 3d printed prosthetics.
- Parts that you can't buy. For example, a clip in my dishwasher broke, and the manufacturer only wanted to sell the whole drawer assembly for $400. So I printed my own, which have lasted for years. (Nylon)
- And parts that you can buy, but it's more fun (or cheaper) to make your own. Like a replacement watch band for the Pebble.
- Scans. I have a portable scanner (structure.io) and I scan people at Maker Faires and F&SF Conventions. Fun to share and print.
- Art. I like designing things and printing them because they look cool. And there's tons of great art to download.
- Personalized/unique stuff. I've published tons of designs using Thingiverse Customizer, that let you personalize or randomly generate a unique pen, your wallet, minions, snowflakes, etc.

That being said, I don't think 3d printing is quite at the level to be ready for people with no technical or artistic interest, because there's little for those people to do with a 3d printer. They can download and print other people's designs, but I'd think they'd get bored of that after a while. Designing your own stuff is a lot more fun!

Wide and varied things I have printed:

[thegarbz]

- A new indexing pin for the adjustment of a 15 year old discontinued coffee grinder. Part no longer available.
- Custom cases for my electronics projects.
- A focusing mask for my telescope.
- A Dremel routing accessory on a Sunday when all the shops were closed and when I didn't feel like forking out $60 for 1 part needed for 1 job.
- A new mounting bracket to allow me to mount a gimbal upside down.
- A hose adapter allowing me to attach a different vacuum hose to a vacuum cleaner.

Re:make-your-own-dildo

[ArcadeMan]

I guess he's been told to go fuck himself too many times.

If you have to ask... you probably don't need one.

[BusyDuckman]

These things have a serious "novelties over, now what" effect. Go to your local hacker-space and use one there, very soon you will know if its worthwhile getting one of your own. You will also learn the type of features you need.

Simpler & cheaper to use someone else's

[Kazoo the Clown]

I 3D print from time to time but I use one of the mail order services. They provide far more material and printer options, and have the in-house expertise to keep them operating smoothly. If they make a bad print it's their problem, and they'll make another. For me it's been far more cost effective and simpler than buying my own, which is guaranteed to become obsolete in short order.

Re:There are many websites devoted to answering th

[ArcadeMan]

Or you could also combine 3D printing and knitting.

For What Are You Using 3-D Printing?

[recharged95]

For drone parts of course!

They're not for you.

[0100010001010011]

They're for your kids. I'm shocked at the number of Slashdotters that are talking about 3D printers like this.

Our local library bought one through Grand money and there are kids in there every week trying to learn to use it. MakerBot and Thing Verse work really well together.

It's how I learned how to Program. First I copied someone's program. Then I modified someone's program. Then I wrote my own programs. Kids are printing things out. Some get bored with it, some spend a lot of time with it. Guys are making desk top figures or monster trucks. Girls are 3D printing jewelery. The librarian has asked me to help out with teaching them some 'theory' behind stuff and I just gave them my parametric modeling book from freshmen year in college.

There are 10 year olds out there that can model better than your average college senior could 15 years ago. FIRST robotics is going to get a lot more interesting when you have people that can actually model. People that may be contracting your CNC shop to make a part. Kids that have grown up doing parametric modeling and actually know how to design for machining. (Because if they screwed it up on a cheap piece of ABS plastic and not your CNC machine.) There are going to be girls that will be asking their parents for a Revo 540CX CNC machine so they can make their own rings.

Re:They're not for you.

[Anonymous Coward]

It's how I learned how to Program. First I copied someone's program. Then I modified someone's program. Then I wrote my own programs.

You have confessed to having committed a heinous crime against the Economy, citizen-consumer. The Copyright Police will be knocking at your door at short notice. Please open the door readily and stay calm as they read the accusations against you. You have the right to apologize for your crimes, which we strongly advise you to do in order to avoid the torture before the mandatory execution and incineration.

Re:They're not for you.

[Anonymous Coward]

"Grand" money? What's that?

"There are 10 year olds out there that can model better than your average college senior could 15 years ago. "

What nonsense. 15 years ago was the year 2000. Has human genetics changed? Have computers changed so much?

Why do you post such utter nonsense?

Re:They're not for you.

[0100010001010011]

"Grand" money? What's that?

Typo, Grant money.

What nonsense. 15 years ago was the year 2000. Has human genetics changed? Have computers changed so much?

What does anything have to do with genetics? And computers have changed. You don't need a multi-thousand dollar AutoCAD or CATIA license to do modeling.

Why do you post such utter nonsense?

Why do you post as AC?

Re:They're not for you.

[DrLudicrous]

Non sequitur: why is your name binary for the higher prime of a twin prime? Just curious.

Re:They're not for you.

[0100010001010011]

You're decoding it wrong :)

Mostly custom brackets

[aXis100]

I have a solidoodle and mostly print in ABS. 90% of what I print would be custom brackets, but occasionally I make something more significant.

- Replacement car ash tray with 4 port USB charger
- Rotors and bearing mounts for magnetic clutch for my home brewing HERMS system.
- Keg feet and valve brackets for home brewing system
- Open frame power supply terminal cover
- Custom junction box cover
- Tablet stands.
- Custom Odroid mounting brackets
- Bicycle GPS mounting bracket
- Various RPi cases

Next project is a custom diffuser for an air duct vent because I cant buy anything even remotely similar from the hardware shop.

Re:make-your-own-dildo

[Anonymous Coward]

Is Cynthia Plastercaster still around?

Filling in technology gaps

[Anonymous Coward]

My beloved Volvo 240 has no provision for a cup holder. So, I came upon a design at Thingiverse. Printed it at my local maker-space.

http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=66748

Re:Filling in technology gaps

[KGIII]

This is true. This is very true. I sent out an '82 245 and had it fully restored and upgraded (not factory restored - better than factory) in Portland, Oregon. If you own an old Volvo you know the company. I will avoid linking them here but they start with IPD in the name and they have great service/support. I am already considering buying another and having them do the same but dropping in a 5L. Anyhow, the coffee cup idea is a good one. I also could have rebuilt the shift lever's internal wiring housing and probably made the NSS work better instead of dropping almost $400 on a new one and soldering the bastard on myself. That was before I sent it out. Also, do not even bother trying to fix the blower motor. You might just as well set that bastard on fire and get all the heat at once. What year is your Volvo? I love my old brick... I really do. I spent more on its restoration than almost every other car I have restored. Worth it. Some upgrades, of course, but still worth it.

Prototyping, Repair

[Anonymous Coward]

I design, build, and maintain robots, so I print tons of new prototype parts and sometimes small replacement parts. Anything small and non-structural can probably be printed (thermal deposition printing). That includes PCB/sensor/electronics mounts, low precision mechanisms and linkages, and anything else where plastic would work for the final product. For larger and stronger prototypes, particularly anything with high complexity where the final part will be CNC milled, I usually prototype it out of some type of plastic with laser sintering. I probably print a few parts a month on average.

It's hard to know til you have it

[dbrueck]

A lot of the stuff I've used it for are things I didn't plan on using it for, i.e. it's not until it's an option that you start to find some uses for it. Anyway, I'm not a very good 3d modeler but I've used my printer for:

- a custom laptop stand
- replacement knobs for washer, dryer, etc. (not sure why so many broke off, but kinda cool to print replacements)
- mods for my kids' toys (e.g. an equipment connector for Nerf guns)
- wall mount for a quadcopter so I could get it off my desk
- computer speaker mounts
- odds and ends for organization of household items - containers, dividers, custom holders of random stuff around the house
- a couple of small camp gadgets - simple hooks for flashlight, hanger attachments for stuff on a rope
- custom/replacement Lego parts (results are mixed so far)
- similar to knobs for washer & dryer, replacement parts for other things around the house like a part that broke in my window blinds

Parts for a 3D printer

[ctrl-alt-canc]

These parts are then assembled, and then the new 3D printer prints other parts of a 3D printer, and so on...

Re:There are many websites devoted to answering th

[KGIII]

Try as I might I can not get interested in actually making anything. I would go out and buy the most expensive equipment, learn all about it - spend weeks learning before even making a purchase, get it home, set it up, and make nothing... I know this to be true - I have done similar with so many things. I do have a woodshop that I use a few times a week. It is full of Delta equipment, even the dust collection is top-tier but not Delta, and I have turned the lathe on less than a dozen times. I use the other stuff, most of it, but I have equipment that is still in boxes. I just can not see me actually doing anything with 3D printing.

I like the hobby but it is as an outsider. I watch people talk about it. I learn what they are doing. I pay attention to the tech. I could name a dozen companies and a dozen varieties of software that are the most popular and tell you why people like them. I can tell you what sort of projects people are working on (and sometimes recount who was doing what as I meander off to another thread on the subject). It is sort of like how I enjoy watching someone play a video game (not competitively) but I have no interest in playing. I am very interested. I am just not interested in doing it. I appreciate learning about it. It is not my hobby but I appreciate hobbies and I appreciate tech hobbies.

Re:make-your-own-dildo

[davester666]

He's one of the few who really took it to heart.

Printing parts to build more/better 3D printers...

[Anonymous Coward]

I bought a Kossel Clear kite for my first printer, and started making improvements for it right away.
So far I've built two more Kossel printers and had lots of fun doing it!

I've also printed a jigs for cabinet making, parts for sculptures, architectural models, beautiful twisted boxes, and the occasional sculpture.

Probably the thing I've done the most is print parts for other people to improve their printers with.
I've invented a particularly good way to make magnetic zero-backlash joints for these printers.
It is a fun little home business.

I've been a programmer all my life, but I haven't been able to contribute much of value to the Free Software world, but now I've published many of my designs on Thingiverse.com and YouMagine. Occasionally I see other people who have improved them or come with other uses for them. I feel good about what I've done. :-)

think of the children!

[themusicgod1]

we have 3 3d printers at our hackerspace. So far 1) Children love them. We had one little girl design her own toy, and since then kids have been in a rush to learn how to design 3d. I can only imagine what they'll do once they start encountering real needs. 2) Inventors and their prototypes, typically custom boxes. Best I've seen is some casing for sonar equipment for making cell walls perforate enough to let medicine in. 3) We've got one guy who's building a replica of the enigma machine, and has learned how to design gears and simple plastic machine parts. The question isn't "what are you using 3d printing for" anymore. Once you've used one for a couple of months you start looking at everything around you in a completely different way. I no longer, for example, would be content to merely buy a new bicycle helmet. I'd want the STL file for it, and the materials in a way that could be printed/assembled locally.

Re:think of the children!

[drinkypoo]

I no longer, for example, would be content to merely buy a new bicycle helmet. I'd want the STL file for it, and the materials in a way that could be printed/assembled locally.

Your comment seemed so intelligent until we found out how little you value your brain.

Depends

[nospam007]

Decades ago I paid 12.000$ for a Postscript Laserprinter and a bit later almost 1500$ for the first color Deskjet HP500C, because I _needed_ them.

According to your question, you don't _need_ a 3d printer, you just _want_ one and you have money and time to burn.

Re:There are many websites devoted to answering th

[findoutmoretoday]

I know this disease, although doing it with older historical equipment is more excusable and can be cheaper. Does it have a name?

a lot of small things

[vyvepe]

cases (avr-dragon, beaglebone)

replacement parts (e.g. knobs for scope, handle for a valve, dust cover for a bicycle pedal ...)

coil spools

holder type things (e.g. PSU holder, HDD holder, CPU water cooler holder, ...)

toys for kids (e.g. a planetary gear assembly to teach them how it works)

improvement parts for the 3d printer itself

prototyping stuff (e.g. usable ergonomic contoured keyboard case)

If you don't already know

[AgentElrond]

I've had a printer for about 2 years now, an Ultimaker 2, and for me it's been worth every cent. But if you're not the sort of person who is often frustrated by not being able to make some complicated one-off, hand-sized widget that is outside the range of things that can be made without a machine shop, then probably a printer is not a good investment.

To get value out of a printer you need to be willing to learn how to turn an idea in your head into a printable STL, which means learning some CAD package. I use blender most often because that's what I know best, but there are about a dozen good choices now and it really doesn't matter which you pick. Interoperability has been a non-issue for me - blender will import STLs fine, which everything else can generate.

In the last week I've designed and printed a bump guard to friction-fit onto my Dad's computer desk to protect it from the arm of his electric wheelchair, and printed a holder for my electric toothbrush from youmagine.com. In the past I've designed and printed things like a bracket to mount the numberplate on my KLR650 at an angle to take it out of reach of the aggressive knobblies I fitted; a bracket to mount the line sensor board I designed to the robot chassis we were using in a nodebots workshop; a case for a usb power adapter I hacked up one Sunday afternoon.

If you often find yourself wanting to do these sort of things and find joy in dreaming up something and then making it, then a 3D printer will change your life. But if you're just intrigued by the hype, then you're likely to be disappointed.

The Ultimaker 2 is a fantastic printer, with a low hassle-factor for doing everyday work (but, as with all printers, is a tool that you will need to put in time to become skilled with). I'm currently looking at building a second printer to expand the range of things I can build - the range of filaments available now is amazing but not every printer can use each of them: polycarbonate requires very high temperatures, carbon fibre is too abrasive for brass nozzles, flexible filaments aren't a good match for a boden setup, some do best with very large or very small nozzles. So my second printer will be built with this in mind - to maximize hackability.

If you're the maker type, I recommend building a printer from a kit - you will gain a useful understanding of the machine, which is essential to tuning it effectively (which is required to get acceptable quality prints in less cooperative materials like nylon). It will also make you fearless to modify it later, which means that you can keep up with new developments.

Building little machines

[Anonymous Coward]

like robot parts, pcb cyclone, replacement parts... for everything else the printquality of FDM is useless. I use lasercutted parts for everything that has to look good.

Well, it's fun, BUT

[Anonymous Coward]

...maintenance is an issue. Using a Makerbot 2X and a Solidoodle 2. The Makerbot has ABS filament in it and suffers warping issues that we've been fighting since day 1. Makerbot has been good to us, giving us spare parts when we've had failures (and we've had several now). The Solidoodle is loaded with ABS-H and has less warping issues, but still has some. Both suffer frequent clogging issues.

Great if you want something to fiddle around with and have tons of spare time. If you want a push button object maker, maybe try back in another year or 2...

"Like the look"

[foreverdisillusioned]

Err, I think that buying a truck because you like how it looks and not because you need a truck is one of the clearest cases of conspicuous consumption I've ever seen. It's a free country and all of that, but do you really think this sort of thing should pass uncommented on? It's a goddamn truck. It has shit mileage, shit road handling, and shit passenger space. If you buy a truck but you don't need any of its cargo/towing/offroad capabilities then I think people are entitled to shake their heads a little. And you're entitled to console yourself by... I don't know, doing whatever it is in your new truck that makes you smile. Everybody wins.

Re:"Like the look"

[Coren22]

I agree with your point, but:

hit road handling, and shit passenger space.

Steering, maybe, but the rain handling of a truck with "off road" consumer tires is pretty amazing.

Passenger space on a four door truck is really comfortable. I bought a Tundra Double Cab (smaller 4 door vs extended cab) and it has enough room for four adults to sit comfortably. I however fall into the scratched truck group. I bought the truck for Boy Scouts, I am one of the designated tow vehicles, so my truck's sides are scratched to hell.

Re:"Like the look"

[Anonymous Coward]

"Everybody wins."

Yeah, except for the family of 3 who dies when they get rear-ended by the 4,500 pound ton dick prosthetic going 50 mph. Fucking with his iPhone? Almost definitely.

Engineering prototypes mostly...

[Thammuz]

My wife and I started a rapid prototyping business 2 years ago, based in Sheffield UK. We've had all kinds to print in that time, from high resolution miniatures for war-gaming to engineering part prototypes and all the way back again for jewellery. Combined with some of the better scanners, there are loads of possibilities.

What we've found so far:
- Loads of people sneer at FDM filament based printers. Mostly because the media has oversold them. But they are great in their application, as long as you just treat them as a tool rather than a replicator. They aren't going to print your final part and they have limited geometries - but they are a nice alternative to CNC for a lot of models.
- SLA resin based machines are really nice. Wider range of geometries, better finishes, and they polish up nicely for finished models too. Their drawback is that for the most part the materials are brittle and get worse over time (crosslinking reaction continues with UV exposure), although new materials are being released that try to address that.
- There is no substitute for holding something in your hands to check it. You have to be very experienced with CAD before you don't need that step, and we've found lots of our customers go through several part revisions with us before taking the next production step.
- As a poster above mentioned, combining printing with investment casting allows you to cheaply make very nice metal parts that would be a pain to make using other methods. With investment casting you just need to be able to get ceramic around the part and away again - slush dipping with ultrasound and job done for anything we've had so far.
      - This has allowed us to make finished engineering parts for small batches in aluminium to date, but there is no reason why we couldn't do it in ferrous metals or titanium too.
      - We've also done a lot of jewellery castings for people. Very easy to make bespoke gold items, and gem settings from there aren't that hard
-SLS powder sintering is expensive, scary (explosive!) and messy. Also the parts in polymers tend to be hydroscopic so need some coatings as quickly as possible after printing to maintain proper geometry. Avoid if possible!!

I think the real point is that there are a lot of possibilities this tech opens up, especially when you combine it with other methods. Printing is a tool and isn't going to mean you don't need that hammer anymore, but will compliment its presence nicely.

The strangest print we've had to date is probably some body jewellery. The most difficult some LED models (very fine features >0.3mm). The most satisfying would be combined with our scanning, of a flute dug up not so long ago estimated to be 40,000 years old according to the PhD student who brought it in. She plays the flute and wanted a version in silver to find out what it would have sounded like without risking damage. The biggest would probably be some of the parts we've been prototyping for a company in the rail industry. My personal favourite though would be going from hand painted Chinese calligraphy to solid gold pendant.

I designed and built my own printer.

[mark_reh]

I use it to support my other activities- right now I'm working on a large volume chocolate printer (3.5 l) that contains parts that I made on my 3D printer. I have also started trying to print prosthetic hands for E-nable. I have designed and printed adapters to mount a web cam and cell phone on two microscopes and a telescope. You can see some of my designs here: https://www.youmagine.com/user... and here: http://www.thingiverse.com/the...
If you're into electronics, a 3D printer is great for printing custom enclosures.

You can see my printer here: http://www.instructables.com/i...

I'm no fan of the $300 printer kits that have become so common. They are junk and will cause you to give up on 3D printing. Don't buy one of those. Like everything else in life, as the price goes down, the quality goes down with it. And no, it doesn't make sense as a "starter" printer. Junk is junk.

Re:I designed and built my own printer.

[Thammuz]

With the chocolate project I'd be interested to know how you intend to get around the phase diagram? If memory serves it forms several crystal structures based on cooling rate, and the one you want for eating is also the one with the slowest rate required. You could seed it with a layer of tempered chocolate on the build plate I suppose, but you're asking for trouble with that if you get your heat control wrong not just in the extruder but also in the environment in general...

The only printers I've seen in chocolate either start out with a powder or melt, and both ignore this issue entirely. The product would have a very soft texture and melt on your hand before it found its way to your mouth I think.

Great for Custom Designs

[Anonymous Coward]

I make equipment for people with disabilities. Almost everything I make is custom for one person, maybe a few. I have always been clumsy and not all that good with traditional shop tools. 3D printing gives me the ability to design something exactly the way I want without my fingers getting in the way.

Prosthetic spoon for boy without hands
Microwave opener for woman without hands
Hooks for our map rail for storage
$5 replacements for $95 parts
$4 replacements for $60 parts
Tactile communication blocks (unique shapes and braille) for children with multiple disabilities
Tactile markers for blind telephone
Hinges for PVC designs, now PVC designs can move and flex
Reading Guide for dyslexia
Low vision dice (raised bumps)
Clamping work area for man with hand tremors
Pen/Marker holders for people with cerebral palsy
Rolling stand for iPad, replaces $2000 part
Replacement parts for all sorts of things that aren't available
Brackets to make a tent for children in wheelchairs

and so forth .....

Toys, Tools, Art, Prototypes

[n2hightech]

Most of the stuff I have made would fall in the Art/Toy categories. Model Train parts for my grandson, Lighted pumpkins for all my grandchildren. Ornaments for the christmas tree. More practical/useful things Humming bird feeders. Cup holders for a friends boat dock. Gun stock. Knobs for tools in my workshop. Brackets for a friends outdoor lighting. Battery case for LED work lights. Wine Rack. Olive Oil stopper for oil bottle by the stove. I have the tools to make things out of wood, metal and plastic however I find that I can design and print things and get a better quality and more complex part than fabbing it from raw materials. If its something that will take a lot of heat or mechanical abuse or needs real high strength I will make it from metal by cutting and welding, however, there are many things that just don't need that. The real advantage of 3D printing is complexity is nearly free. Making a part with complex shape and lots of holes is easy with 3D printing. Doing that on a manual milling machine and drill press takes lots of time. One wrong setup and you start over. Your 3D print is the wrong size you change the design (minutes) and start a new print. Go watch a movie, eat dinner surf the internet and get your new part. If you are a creative person you need a 3D printer to unlock your potential. If not just stick to buying your stuff from the store.

Useful things I've made with my 3D Printer

[Anonymous Coward]

* Car sun visor hook. Mine broke, and though it would have been $12-$15 to replace, I was able to model a pretty close replica.
* Missing wing on G1 Rodimus Prime.
* Small pieces that held a window frame in place. Some of the previous ones broke, so I was able to take the ones that hadn't and model them. Worked like a charm and cheaper than replacing the entire door window frame.
* Light scoop for my camera - bounces the flash off a mirrored surface to hit the ceiling so you get better indirect light in your shots. The piece fit the camera perfectly. I think a real one cost $20-$40.
* Small container that I printed the night before a trip to carry a small amount of hair gel. Nice to be able to custom size how big a container I needed for my airplane bag.

Sure you could get all of this, but I've actually been surprised at how many "non-statues" I've printed with the printer. And I have a pretty old one (Solidoodle 2). The one caveate is that I have decent 3D modelling skills, so that helps a lot, but that's something you can learn. But no, mom and dad are likely not going to learn how to do 3D modelling to use their printer.

105C room temperature?

[Anonymous Coward]

Who cares? I want my plastic to melt at 105C. I want it to melt at just above room temperature.

Where do you live that room temperature is 105C (221 F)? Water boils at 100C (fresh water at sea level, that is).

Just bought mine a few months ago

[Marcus8675]

fishing lures, custom peg board tool holders, stands/mounts/cases for electronic projects, and a lot of miniature D&D models. When I was able to get a printer for sub $200 it became a hobby and I am not really concerned with the practical use any more even though I have found some use. It is more of an entertainment item than anything else.

Useful stuff around the house

[WillAdams]

replacement bracket for my reel lawn mower: http://www.shapeoko.com/forum/...
drag knife for my CNC machine: http://www.shapeoko.com/forum/...
other odds and ends...

Its a great solution but not yet economical

[Markvs]

The problem is (as Makerbot has discovered) that it's really a solution in search of a market. The average person has no use for this technology beyond perhaps a part or toy or whatever a couple of times a year at best, and even then the piece is relatively high due to the cost of materials. That's what's killing the industry (along with all the IP wrangling) and that's why Makerbot is laying off workers and has closed their retail stores. http://www.greenwichtime.com/b... http://www.dezeen.com/2015/06/...

Re: Its a great solution but not yet economical

[Anonymous Coward]

Their selling out to Stratysis didn't exactly do their reputation any good either

Doodads and Gewgaws

[XxtraLarGe]

I've been testing out a da Vinci 1.0 AiO. The results haven't been very impressive. Over half the time the PLA filament doesn't stick to the bed, resulting in a blob of plastic just sticking to the extruder. The 3D scanner is just about useless. I haven't had a scan work even close to accurate yet. Anything with black scans as negative space. Pretty much the only things you can scan with any degree of success are small, white geometric objects with a matte finish.

Today I'm testing out a Cube Pro 3D printer, and expecting much better results. We'll be using our printers for student projects in arts & sciences.

over-priced paper towel dispenser key

[Anonymous Coward]

Our last use of the $20K+ ABS with support material 3D printer was to print a paper towel dispenser key so that we could swap out towel roll in dispenser that custodial staff keeps skipping. That would be the one in our lab.

3D printer $21,000
modeling filament $1.80
support filament $0.40
modeling base $5.00
Key to replace towels - Priceless

Prototype Raspberry Pi Case

[grilled-cheese]

I've used ours as part of an internal innovation challenge to prototype a specialty purpose raspberry pi case we could securely mount inside a classroom that could house a touchscreen and a magstripe card swipe, but was tough enough it could be smacked with a backpack without significant damage and expose only the barest of essential external ports of the raspberry pi.

Re:make-your-own-dildo

[wasteoid]

I don't think his heart is where he ended up taking it.

A dashboard adapter to hold a Nexus 7

[DRMShill]

These are pics from when I was using a Huawei Mediapad:

http://www.mp3car.com/show-off...

I think it's good for making things that don't exist. Saves me from having to walk up and down Home Depot looking for just the right thing to butcher. Also, abs plastic is pretty tough stuff. It's good for a fair number of applications which require some strength.

incomplete list of stuff we've printed

[smellsofbikes]

Mold for lost-PLA investment casting of complex intake manifold. Rat trap. (It was a very bright rat and wouldn't go near commercial traps.) Sewer system cutout plug. LCD bezel for the tachometer on my lathe. Same for the milling machine. Adapter for the PCB milling machine, to hook the metric vacuum output to my shopvac. Mounting bracket to hook a stepper motor to the back of the speedometer in my Little English Sportscar, that has never in its life until now had an accurate speedometer. Pogo pin test fixture for PCB testing. Bearing holders for a shaft hobbing mechanism for the lathe. LED diffusers for some task lighting in the shop. Outlet cover for an outlet combo that doesn't exist (sideways switches plus GFCI outlets in one box.) Power amplifier enclosure for automated test equipment. Fan shroud/grille. Adapter to mount LED lighting system on a microscope. Adapter to mount LED lighting system on the PCB milling machine. Replacement doohickey for a 6" digital calipers that had the little wheel that opens/closes the calipers break off. Adapter to mount 24" digital calipers to the back of the small lathe as part of a digital read out display. Adapter to mount Garmin 305 to an odd-size, odd-cross-section aero handlebar on my time trial bike. I could go on but that's probably enough for now.
I did most of the modeling in FreeCAD or HeeksCAD, by the way, with a little bit in OpenSCAD.

prototyping for devices in magnetic fields

[DrLudicrous]

Part of my job is to design objects that will be used in a high-magnetic field environment, namely MRI scanners. Metal is not an option for me. Prototyping with traditional methods (e.g., CNC machining) is extremely cost-prohibitive. So I use 3D-printing. Some I do in-house with an FDM machine, in ABS. A lot I outsource to a better printer that can use other materials, say polycarb, or other methods, like laser sintering. At the end of the day, I get functional prototypes that I can check for utility, than design molds for injection-molded parts based on feedback from those prototypes. 3D printing enables me to do this part of my job. Without it, there would be no prototyping, due to cost, and thus no objects in the magnetic field. Truly a gamechanger.

3d scanners

[Anonymous Coward]

So I can print 3d printers

Gummi World!

[Anonymous Coward]

I think we need to take a look at the episode of China, IL called Gummi World.
That is the 3D Printing I want to see. :-)

Part for a model lighthouse

[Anonymous Coward]

A 10-sided roof for a scratch-built model lighthouse for my model railroad. Used Blender and Shapeways. Cost about $12, including postage.

My printers

[n2hightech]

What printer to get depends on what you want to do. If you believe you are going to do high quality figurines, jewelry models for investment casting and other art pieces then a printer like the Form1+ would be good. If you plan on doing mostly mechanical and less resolution demanding work an FDM printer would be a good choice. I have a form1+ as well as a Robo3D and a Delta Maker delta style printer. The Robo3D is a good value. It has a big work envelope reasonable resolution and a heated bed. The Delta Maker looks good however I have found the Bowden Tube feed system to not perform that well (strings). The auto bed leveling sounds good but does not do what it should (I have to shim the build plate after auto leveling) The Form1 can and has done amazing prints and they are adding to the resin types so there are some new ones that give better mechanical properties. It is much more messy and expensive to operate than either of the FDM printers. Print failures are also higher.

I keep dropping and then stepping on my sunglasses

[cmrogers04]

I am a product of the 80s - got my first pair of "Fakeleys" (fake oakleys) in high school for skee ball tickets - and have loved them ever since - except that in the past couple of decades I've actually paid for the real things - and it irritates me to no end to break a really expensive pair of sunglasses! If I had a printer and a 3D scanner (and would have had the foresight to scan individual pieces of sunglasses prior to breaking them) I would be in pretty good shape right now - but alas I have none of the aforementioned! so that is something I would use that equipment for in the future should I A. get the equipment, and B. plan ahead enough to disassemble them and scan them before they ever leave the house! (anyone in AZ have all this equipment and want to see if it's possible, contact me - if that's even possible with this post) I'd love to see what we could come up with!

This:

[stoned_ritual]

I 3D printed my Trilby, fixed gear bike, wayfarers, turn-up raw denim jeans, vintage bowling shirt, and I also 3D print my sriracha, bacon, and fair trade coffee from ethiopia. I used to 3d print my apps, but apps are so 2012.

printing Medieval armour

[dimmthewitted]

My fellow medieval enthusiasts who fight in recreational armour with groups such as the SCA.org print plated armour such as laminar plates for under the tunic protection.

Odd things

[snadrus]

Shapes for wax molds of kids broken crayons.
Cartooney 3d charecters
Weird stuff mostly molds for other making

Tell us about "AlmostAllAdsBlocked+" Coren22

[Anonymous Coward]

See subject & LMAO @ U, boy -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

FACT: "AlmostALLAdsBlocked+" is INFERIOR vs. hosts - hugely so!

AB+ doesn't even DO what it's supposed to fully anymore being BRIBED http://finance.yahoo.com/news/... not to!

AB+ doesn't do a FRACTION of what hosts do for more speed, security, reliability, + anonymity online!

AB+ EATS 128mb of RAM (vs. hosts @ 11 *maybe* tops via my program with CURRENT data, the important kind vs. current threats + ads) http://cdn.ghacks.net/wp-conte...

AB+ adds messagepassing overheads!

AB+ operates in SLOWER usermode (vs. hosts in PnP kernelmode)

AB+ creates huge CPU consumption!

AB+ is also detectable by clarityray (via native browser methods) nullifying it (not hosts).

---

I use what you already have that works & does more with LESS, no less - you by way of comparison? Pile on "MoAr" that doesn't do as nearly as much & what it's supposed to do, massively inefficiently no less (see above)?

Ab+ NO LONGER DOES!

* AFTER ALL THAT?

AB+ = "better", Coren22?? LMAO - NO f'ing way!

If you say it is, you are *TRULY* stupid & I'd reply saying "argue with the numbers" & facts above, from reputable sources & analysis proving my points for me!

APK

P.S.=> Gonna go "cry in your cereal" now, boy?

(You ought to for being STUPID enough to use OR SUGGEST a blatantly INFERIOR solution! See above - it's fact & truth via reputable sources)... apk

Re:Tell us about "AlmostAllAdsBlocked+" Coren22

[Anonymous Coward]

Harassing your critics shows that you know they're right.

Alexander Peter Kowalski endorses AdBlock Plus.

Re:Tell us about "AlmostAllAdsBlocked+" Coren22

[Anonymous Coward]

Coren22 and friends started it. Apk finished it and them with it.

Re:Tell us about "AlmostAllAdsBlocked+" Coren22

[Anonymous Coward]

After reading the link I deduce you're blind, stupid, lying or insane http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

Re:Tell us about "AlmostAllAdsBlocked+" Coren22

[Anonymous Coward]

Nobody has been "finished", and you have never fooled anyone into believing you have support.

Alexander Peter Kowalksi endorses AdBlock Plus.

Alexander Peter Kowalski pretends to be other people cheering himself on.

Re:Tell us about "AlmostAllAdsBlocked+" Coren22

[Anonymous Coward]

Are you stupid or blind? Read again here http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

Re:Tell us about "AlmostAllAdsBlocked+" Coren22

[Anonymous Coward]

I am objectively smarter than you and my eyesight is perfect.

You stalk your critics because you lack confidence in your own position. No other reason is possible.

You pretend you are other people to cheerlead yourself because you know that nobody else will ever have a reason to take you seriously. No other reason is possible for that either.

Alexander Peter Kowalski endorses AdBlock Plus, and admits that it is superior to the clumsy, obsolete script that represents his entire life's work.

Re:Tell us about "AlmostAllAdsBlocked+" Coren22

[Anonymous Coward]

Ya ran from apk's post Coren22: Ya can't prove apk wrong http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

Re:Tell us about "AlmostAllAdsBlocked+" Coren22

[Anonymous Coward]

Apk's gloating at seeing you defeat yourself Coren22 http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

Re:Tell us about "AlmostAllAdsBlocked+" Coren22

[Anonymous Coward]

Alexander Peter Kowalski continues to endorse AdBlock Plus.

Re:There are many websites devoted to answering th

[KGIII]

I think they call it "a hobby" but it probably has a Latin name and I do not know it. I think it falls under the same psychosis as addiction. I went through a serious bout with this addiction and eBay. Like all addictions we will use self-talk and poor logic to justify our continued use of the stimuli. I, too, feel your pain. I have computer equipment that goes back to the 70s and, worse, it still works which means I can never free myself from this dungeon of pain. I have video games that go back to that same era and handheld games that came up through the ages. I have two stand-up video game consoles that I intend to turn into MIME machines - and my good intentions remain but they have not been touched in a few years so they sit idle, dark, like a homeless person's toothy grin. I have dozens of laptops, even more desktops, enough cell phones to start my own business selling them, tablets from the early Motion days on XP and tablets with Android, clothing enough to make the Salvation Army blush, a shop full of woodcraft tools, a shop full of automotive tools that let me weld and cut if I ever want to although I never do, a room dedicated entirely to electronics with more than one Fluke sitting idle in its original packaging, books on every subject, a shed full of lawn-care tools, and a variety of vehicles that span the ages but get brought out to a variety of shows and, still, do nothing most of the time.

I do not have a solution but I have a theory. I sold my business and retired. I had this property and it had a house already on it but I wanted one of my own design. So, I had that built. It is quite large and I have noticed that the larger the house the more stuff I will attempt to fit into it. Also, avoid letting it even start to clutter - that is a bad road to head down. Anyhow, it seems that there is a mathematical equation for this. I have not crunched the numbers but it appears to be an attempt to fit 1.5x the amount into the designed space. Nothing good can come of this - no matter what we think. Well, it is amusing and that is good - and our goal, right?

I know of no way to cure this addiction. If I did then my sick brain would tell me that it will not work. You can try throwing it all away (ha!) and moving to a single room efficiency apartment. You will only end up filling up that space in short order. You can try getting a storage unit (or ten) but that does not do anything except MAYBE hide some of it. A spouse does not help. So, you are stuck with it. All you can do is avoid becoming a real hoarder (and you, if you are like me, are a bit too close to that line) by ensuring it is neat, topical, and something you are genuinely interested in and not kept simply because of a need that may arise if you throw it away. You have to, absolutely must, be willing to throw stuff away AND act on that. You are not going to fix that old 5.25" floppy drive and there are no parts inside that are going to help you out. No, nobody else wants it either. Throw it away.

Re:There are many websites devoted to answering th

[findoutmoretoday]

On my small scale I imagine professions like software development (or business creation) attracts-creates this behavior. Much time can be spent looking and understanding practice, assembling and making tools, leaving precise instructions for daemons and users alike without ever doing the real job.

Production and some side projects

[freeschwag]

We have a HD2x from airwolf3d. Phone cases and a phone holder that fits in my car cd slot were the initial tryout projects. Im gonna try drone parts next. I made some custom filament spool holders as we found 4 types and sizes of spools are all different. But its primary purpose is churning out art centerpieces for these. Hope the gf efforts can pay it off :) https://www.etsy.com/shop/Samj...

Sex toys!!!!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Sex toys! Ninja flex you friend :)

Coren22 (posting ac): Questions 4u... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

See subject & "Run, Forrest: RUN!!!" - Can ab+ do 16 things hosts do for speed, security, & reliability:

1.) Protect vs. malicious sites/servers (beyond ads)
2.) Protect vs. fastflux botnets + stops C&C communique
3.) Protect vs. dynamic dns botnets + stops C&C communique
4.) Protect vs. DGA botnets + stops C&C communique
5.) Protect vs. downed DNS (adds reliability)
6.) Protect vs. DNS redirect poisoned dns
7.) Protect vs. trackers
8.) Protect vs. spam
9.) Protect vs. phish
10.) Protect vs. caps
11.) Get you past a dnsbl
12.) Keep you off dns request logs
13.) Speed up surfing by adblocks & hardcoded fav. sites
14.) Work on anything webbound (ie email programs) multiplatform.
15.) Give you easily controlled data
16.) Do all that & block ads more efficiently in cpu cycles + memory usage vs. addons

* ANSWER ="NO" to each on ab+ doing it + hosts = already on every device natively.

APK

P.S.=> Ab+ does less than hosts & less efficiently - hosts do MORE w/ less + Hosts start w/ the IP stack before REDUNDANT inefficient addons BEGIN to operate (as 1st resolver queried):

Ab+'s 128mb memory inefficiency -> http://cdn.ghacks.net/wp-conte... (hosts consume 3-11mb using my program initially).

+

ClarityRay defeats it dumping addons in use in a browser via native browser methods to do so!

+

Ab+'s paid to not do its job http://finance.yahoo.com/news/...

Ab+ adds complexity + slower mode of operations (usermode = more messagepassing overheads vs. hosts in kernelmode).

What's best?

APK Hosts File Engine 9.0++ SR-2 32/64-bit -> http://start64.com/index.php?o...

MalwareBytes' hpHosts Admin (MalwareBytes employee) hosts & recommends it -> http://hosts-file.net/?s=Downl... & MalwareBytes = BEST antivirus http://www.av-test.org/en/news...

&

It's GUARANTEED safe & clean per it being checked by 57 antivirus programs recently in BOTH its 64-bit model https://www.virustotal.com/en/...

+

In its 32-bit model also https://www.virustotal.com/en/...

... apk

Cubicle Phone Mount

[Anonymous Coward]

I can't justify the purchase of a MakerBot for myself (too expensive and no daily need) but I recently started looking for something to mount my Cisco 7942 phone to the cubicle wall at work and came across this "thing": http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:513661

So, I downloaded the .STL file and after looking at a few different companies that offer 3D printing services, went with MakeXYZ. The cost was around $12 and it shipped the next day after placing the order. It is supposed to be delivered today so I don't know how well it will work, but I'm excited about the whole process and if the thing works then it will have been worth the cost.

AlmostAllAdsBlocked+ = Inferior & Souled-Out

[Anonymous Coward]

Can ab+ do 16 things hosts do for speed, security, & reliability:

1.) Protect vs. malicious sites/servers (past ads)
2.) Protect vs. fastflux botnets + stops C&C communique
3.) Protect vs. dynamic dns botnets + stops C&C communique
4.) Protect vs. DGA botnets + stops C&C communique
5.) Protect vs. downed DNS (adds reliability)
6.) Protect vs. DNS redirect poisoned dns
7.) Protect vs. trackers
8.) Protect vs. spam
9.) Protect vs. phish
10.) Protect vs. caps
11.) Get you past a dnsbl
12.) Keep you off dns request logs
13.) Speed up surfing by adblocks & hardcoded fav. sites
14.) Work on anything webbound (ie email programs) multiplatform.
15.) Give you easily controlled data
16.) Do all that & block ads more efficiently in cpu + memory usage vs. addons

* ANSWER ="NO" to each on ab+ doing it or as well + hosts = already on every device natively.

APK

P.S.=> Ab+ does less than hosts & less efficiently - hosts do MORE w/ less + Hosts start w/ the IP stack before REDUNDANT inefficient addons BEGIN to operate (as 1st resolver queried):

Ab+'s 128mb memory inefficiency -> http://cdn.ghacks.net/wp-conte... (hosts consume 3-11mb using my program initially).

+

ClarityRay defeats it dumping addons in use in a browser via native browser methods to do so!

+

Ab+'s paid to not do its job http://finance.yahoo.com/news/...

Ab+ adds complexity + slower mode of operations (usermode = more messagepassing overheads vs. hosts in kernelmode).

What's best?

APK Hosts File Engine 9.0++ SR-2 32/64-bit -> http://start64.com/index.php?o...

MalwareBytes' hpHosts Admin (MalwareBytes employee) hosts & recommends it -> http://hosts-file.net/?s=Downl... & MalwareBytes = BEST antivirus http://www.av-test.org/en/news...

&

It's GUARANTEED safe & clean per it being checked by 57 antivirus programs recently in BOTH its 64-bit model https://www.virustotal.com/en/...

+

In its 32-bit model also https://www.virustotal.com/en/...

... apk