So this week was the first time ever using a 3D printer for a lot of us. I cant help but be surprised by how easy and intuitive it was. The whole process, from finding exactly the right 3D model on Thingiverse, to importing it in Cura, to starting the print on the actual printer was incredibly user-friendly and not nearly as intimidating as I had imagined it would be. I chose to print a figurine from the video game League of Legends.
It came out so great that instantly I knew I would be coming to the makerlab all of the time to print out small things for around my apartment. I have already printed out some things for my roommates, and my other friends already have little figurines or gadgets that they want me to print for them.
After browsing Thingiverse and Shapeways I have bookmarked a few items for around my apartment that I could definitely see myself taking advantage of.
The first is this desk hook from Thingiverse. I have been trying for months to Macgyver a hook to hold my headphones, with little success. I would have to alter the design a little to accommodate the size of the headset, but this is definitely something I can see myself printing.
The next is a simple bottle opener. My roommates and I are always talking about how difficult it is to use our bottle opener. So why not 3D print one? I’m not sure about how strong the material is though, and whether or not it would break if you encountered a stubborn bottle cap.
Over the summer I built my first desktop computer, and along with it I bought my first mechanical keyboard. I have wanted to get some cool keycaps for it, but I am always deterred by the price. However, I found this spacebar keycap and made me realize that I can just print my own keycaps! The only thing that worries me about printing keycaps is the texture of the plastic. I’m not sure if it makes for a great keyboard key.
The last item I looked at was a phone case. I recently got a new phone for Christmas, and I have been debating on getting a case for it or not. I am reluctant to because the back of the phone is wooden and it looks amazing, I wouldn’t want to cover it up with a case. However, I saw some other people printing some phone cases on Monday that had these cool designs where the back wasn’t a solid piece. That could be perfect for me. While I have no idea what “City of Heros” is, which apparently is the theme of the case I linked, I could hopefully alter the design to something I like.
I completely understand what you’re saying about finding so many small things that we can make and use in our daily lives, I’m really excited to keep working with and learning more about these machines!
Kyle, loved the desk hook find! I am having the same problem, so hopefully this can help us both! Totally agree as well that 3D printing was not as hard as I had previously thought! Getting the introduction we did really helped!