This week we had the chance to explore various websites for 3D printing and finally print our very first item!
The website my group got was Thingiverse, which is awesome for newbies since it was in ready in print files. We looked at Hyperbolic Planetary Gearset, which is “a visually exciting object which is a practical demonstration of both simple and advanced principles in the design of geared systems.” or basically, a plaything.
This is a really cool design though, consisting of 7 printed parts that had to be put together with screws. The remixed version (where people upgraded the original files) doesn’t require screws which is great.
When it came to our turn to print items, I picked a relatively small one (it printed in less than 20 mins), Cable Holder (Cable Clip), which I resized to 75%, following one of the comments that mentioned that this was too big for iPhone cables. It still turns out a little too big though, so most likely 65-70% would have been the right size.
Since I took videos of the printing with Snapchat i lost the files (forgot to save them!!!), but still!
Dale Dougherty said in “The Maker Mindset”: “While technology has been the spark of the Maker Movement, it has also become a social movement that includes all kinds of making and all kinds of makers, connecting to the past as well as changing how we look at the future.” This is especially true in the Thingiverse website, where all sorts of items can be found. That said, here are 4 functional items form Thingiverse that I would definitely print sometime in the future.
Since I have so many cables running around my room, I figured this would come in handy. I would probably customize this to the thickness of my table (since it’s a glass piece and not a thick slice of wood), and my dresser.
Mini Tape Gun – Tape Dispenser
This looks awesome! I would most likely enlarge this until it’s the size of masking tapes though, since i always have trouble tearing strips of it when I am shifting houses.
These are always handy, since everyone brushes their teeth (or I’m sure most do). No more squeezing the paste up for it to slide down again!
UBO – The Universal Bottle Opener
Trouble opening bottles? No worries, here’s the universal bottle opener! I’ve always relied on my apartment mates to open jam jars for me, so this would be a welcome addition!
I’d be really interested to see how that bottle opener does, and if the plastic is durable enough to stand up to repeated use.
These everyday household tools are amazing finds on thingiverse, I can’t wait to think of ideas and add them to this websites for so many others to find and use just like we are now.
Elaine, loved the pictures you included! I really think finding a way to wire around desks is tricky so the holder you found is great! Also, the paste pusher was something I picked out as well!