50 Times People Took 3D Printing To Another Level And Made These Cool Things (New Pics)
Interview
While the words “3D printing” may still conjure up ideas right out of science fiction, some users of the 3D printing subreddit are already creating things from the comfort of their homes. Below we’ve put together photos of some of the most creative projects on r/3Dprinting.
The actual technology isn’t that complicated. Basically, 3D printing involves laying down material, layer by layer, until it forms the desired 3D object. This “layer“ can be anything from plastic to metal or even clay! If there is a digital 3D model and enough printing material, the sky's the limit. And it’s not just passion projects and art, some creators are solving real world problems. Make sure to upvote the creations that you just realized you need in your house and check out part 1 for more.
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This Kid Answered A Request From Local Hospitals To Create Ear Guards, To Help Take The Pressure Off Healthcare Worker’s Ears From Wearing Masks All Day. He Also Made The 3D Printing Patterns Available To Everyone
To find out more, we reached out to Joel Telling, self-described 3D printing nerd and educator. He was kind enough to share his own thoughts on the hobby. “I believe the biggest barrier to entry for new people who want to get started with 3D printing is the cost of the machines and materials. 3D printers can be expensive, or at least not within the budget ranges of many. Plus, the cost of filaments and other materials can add up over time,” he shared when discussing common concerns would-be 3D printing enthusiasts might have.
Fortunately, there is a plethora of good, educational content out there. “What initially drew me to explore 3d printing was reading about it and watching videos on it around 2013 and 2014. I read articles on Slashdot and watched videos by Barnacles Nerdgasm and Thomas Sanladerer. Reading about it was really cool because it showed me what was coming up, and watching the videos by those two really inspired me to want to get into it myself,” Joel added, regarding his own experience.
Printed A 4-Foot T-Rex And Buried It In My Yard For My Nieces To Discover And Excavate
Last Weekend We Began Delivering 3D Printed Bionic Hands To Ukraine! First Up, A 24 Year Old Soldier
“I'd like to add that while 3d printing can be a scary unknown to some, I and others are working not just to enable more people to learn about this amazing field, but also demystify the professional and industrial side. It's crazy to think that we are in a spot where many of the jobs that kids in school will have when they are older just don't exist yet."
Wife And I (Mostly Her) Added Hearing Aids To Our Niece's Gift. They Match Hers
Damn onion ninjas. This has got to be the sweetest thing I've ever seen what an absolutely beautiful thing to do
This Eagle Was Shot In The Face And Got 3D Printed Beak Which Made Him More Badass
From what I found by googling it was a poacher who shot it. It was rescued when they saw it scavenging on a dump. They had to take it in because it would not be able to survive in the wild. The 3d print helped the eagle to drink and feed by its own in captivity, but it's was not strong enough for life in nature. Further it says birds can regenerate their beak slowly over a long time. The 3d print no longer fit, but as we understand it is actually a good sign. Now the beak is re-generated sufficiently that it's large and sturdy enough the eagle can eat by itself. It has its own aviary in Birds of Prey Northwest. Don't know if they will release in the wild later. But at least things have turned to the better.
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Poor eagle. How dare the shooter harm an innocent animal!!? Honestly, it blows my mind how cruel humans can be
There was a case with a swan. The first thing it did with its new beak was bite someone
Good! Why would anyone put a swan through that?!
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You better not. Not all Americans are stupid, heartless, pro life creatures. I certainly am not
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A lot of people are saying it was an American redneck, but that’s the type of person who would avoid injuring an American symbol.
WHO WOULD DO THAT. 😡 See?? Guns in the wrong hands. No one wants to “take all your guns away” or strip fellow Americans of their right to bear arms. It’s about 1) Banning only assault rifles, because why on EARTH does any civilian need an assault rifle?! and 2) Taking meaningful steps towards keeping guns out of the hands of unstable people. Responsible gun owners don’t take issue with gun safety. Only people with questionable intentions do that.
Awww! That eagle's name is Beauty... my 4th graders just read a story about him.
Whoever did this needs to be shot in the face😡😡😡 poor baby 😭 that is one badass eagle!!! 🦅
That poor bird. Who shoots at such a beautiful creature! I'm glad that the bird was able to be saved and that we have this amazing technology to help rehabilitate him or her.
Those people are messed up in the head would they like to be shot I wouldn’t think so
First off.. why shoot one of these amazing creatures!? I hope if done purposely, that person was shot in their kneecaps! Secondly.. this is awesome. He got his beak back, and I hope it stays put and doesn't fall off while he's using it
I am so impressed, and so grateful to those individuals who came up with this solution to what could of been detrimental to it's life.
There are some sh1t people in this world. Who would shoot an eagle? Birdie looks cool though.
Regardless of the sh*ttyness if the act, am I the only who finds the expression cute/hilarious? Unrelated to that though I watched an eagle take one of my lambs. It left it half eaten and half alive. Won't describe it further, but it was bad. Likely took a few of my neighbor's too. I won't have a gun in my home. But that was one of the times that tested that conviction.
How strong is the beak now. Might have to be trained to come back to the workshop for a monthly checkup.
It no longer fits. https://www.birdsofpreynorthwest.org/beauty-and-the-beak
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Are you all vegetarians? Because that's what happened to your ham or steak or ribs. It got shot.
I am, yes. Thank you for asking. And they don't shoot animals for mass consumption. Look up what they do to them.
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Bro what? eagles are protected creatures! they are majestic! they also help control the rodent population, so that helps your snooty little home stay safe. stupid bastard
https://www.birdsofpreynorthwest.org/beauty-and-the-beak
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Original article, for those interested, https://www.birdsandblooms.com/birding/bird-species/birds-of-prey/beauty-beak-bald-eagle/
https://www.birdsofpreynorthwest.org/beauty-and-the-beak
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"Once we can empower more young people to get started in 3d printing, that experience in their schools or at home in the garages will get them ready for the professional and industrial Additive Manufacturing jobs many will take. It's a VERY exciting time!”
I Designed A 3D Printed Mirror Array To Propose! The Mirrors Are Angled So That Just Before Sunset, They Reflect The Sunlight To Spell “Marry Me?”
I Had To 3D Print This Just In Case!!
A Moon Staff That I Made For My Renaissance Faire Costume This Year. Turns On By Hitting The Base Of The Staff On The Ground
Like many inventions, 3D printing does actually have its roots in science fiction. US fiction writer William Fitzgerald Jenkins, operating under the pen name Murray Leinster, depicted a device that functions very similarly to modern 3D printers. In his 1945 short story “Things Pass By,” a character describes a machine that takes raw plastic, then molds and shapes it based on scanned drawings. The first real world attempts to design a 3D printer were met with general disinterest. In 1981 Dr. Hideo Kodama designed and prototyped a machine that would apply a resin, layer by layer. Unfortunately for him and the world in general, his superiors showed little interest in the idea. Without adequate funding, Dr. Kodama abandoned the project.
My Wife Got A New Job As A School Bus Driver. Her First Day Of Training She Only Hit One Cone. I Was So Proud Of Her I Had To Make Her Something To Remember The Day
Someone Kept Drinking My Milk From The Office Fridge, So I've Made A Lock For The Milk Bottle
I 3D Printed Matching Helmets For Myself And My Nub. "Don't Talk To Me Or My Son Ever Again."
Other industries experimented with the idea of “printing” parts and pieces to use in manufacturing or tests, but the first publicly available printer was created in 2005. Called RepRap, the printer was designed to be affordable and self replicating. That’s right, a RepRap owner could use RepRap to make another 3D printer. And another. And another…
Ugh... Another Bird Feeder... But This One Is For The Common Good!
My Wife Keeps Asking For Help In The Kitchen, Apparently This Doesn't Count
A Walk Around Of The 1:1 T-Rex Print. Started Printing The Ribs Today
By 2009, many of the licenses and copyrights for older 3D printing technologies had entered the public domain. As the costs dropped, more hobbyists could afford to buy 3D printers for personal use. Internet resources, from forums to freely available designs lowered the barrier for entry, which was often the biggest hurdle. Enthusiasts were now free to share designs, tips and tricks. Now a person who wanted to get into 3D printing could find helpful guides online instead of being forced to rely on technical manuals. Plus, hobbyists at home have quite different ideas from a manufacturing business regarding what they should print.
Began Making Bootleg Collectibles With My Mars 3
Dragon Finally Done! She’s Not Perfect, But After Some Surgery, She’s Beautiful. Almost 5 Feet Long!
Look around you. Coat hangers, coasters. The case for your glasses or a pen holder. Imagine being able to just make them at home, with almost infinite customization options. Plus, as the technology improves, the range of materials could grow. And it’s not just decorations of knick-knacks. Some creative hobbyists have already worked out how to make 3D printers that use chocolate or sugar. Envision the look of awe on your dinner guests faces when you unveil a 1-to-1 chocolate replica of the Taj Mahal or whatever else strikes your fancy.
Finished My Iron Man Lamp
A Friend Of Mine Recently Lost A Lot Of Weight. So I Made This Figure To Celebrate That!
Ultimate Tic Tac Toe
So you play each small square to determine who places the big tic tac toe, impressive.
It can be inspiring to see what creative individuals do when given the opportunity to express themselves. 3D printing, despite advances over the last decade, still remains a daunting hobby to start with. Imagine paying four figures just for the equipment alone! But on a wider scale, hopefully these creations inspire you to find that creative niche in your own life. Besides having a hobby, there are actual medical benefits to being creative. In an analysis of the effects of creative activities on wellbeing, researchers Scott and James Kaufman found that creative writing could even improve a person's immune system.
I 3D Printed A Completely Pointless New Lid For My Sharpie, Based On A Medieval Mace In The Royal Armouries Collection
Ran Out Of Filament Overnight But The Print Was Too Pretty To Waste So I Found A Hat On Thingiverse And Made A Spooky Squirtle Instead!
I Made A Reusable Grocery Shopping List
Creativity can also help with mental health. Ruth Richards, author of “Everyday Creativity: Coping and Thriving in the 21st Century,” believes that creativity is strongly connected with self-actualization. The feeling of being engaged and in control is directly related to a person’s mental wellbeing. Without an outlet, people can feel trapped, depressed or burnt out. Humans who feel like they have some impact on their environment, like redesigning a room or painting a fence, are more resilient to some mental disorders. If you are not sure where to begin, some psychologists recommend finding a problem. A simple mental challenge, like finding ten ways to improve your workspace this month can help positively stimulate the brain. And if you do it right, maybe you’ll generate some useful ideas in the meantime.
Yes! Finally Dialed In Wood Filament On My Printer!
Made The Rocketeer Helmet And Pack Myself
My Latest Dual-Pattern Mechanical Dice Box
We also had the chance to ask the 3D Printing Guru about his journey with this topic. "In my experience the biggest barrier to entry for 3D printing is the misperceptions around the complexity and cost of the technology. Before the 3D printing boom around 2015, 3d printers consisted of high cost enterprise solutions and a handful of hobby printers which required a baseline knowledge around coding and most certainly did not work straight out of the box. Today in 2023, the learning curve and costs have reached historic lows. With this a new barrier has presented itself, knowing which printer to pick amongst all the competition that has popped up. Do you go with a name brand printer with a large support network? Or… do you go with a dupe at a lower price with less support? My advice? Do your research and don’t bite off more than you can chew. If you are less technically inclined, spend the extra couple bucks and go for the name brand printer with strong support. If you have an engineering background, are very patient, or just enjoy a challenge; think about opting for a lower cost, entry level printer and purchasing upgrades you can install to make it even better than the higher priced alternatives."
I Printed Eyes For My VR Headset
Tired Of Having Your Charging Cable Stolen? Try Security By Obfuscation
I Designed Drawer/Cabinet Knobs In The Shape Of Rock Wall Climbing Holds
Like many others, he started 3D printing as a side business' that grew into an obsession. "I got involved in 3D printing in 2015 while I was in high school. I really wanted to buy a car as I was turning 16 soon, so I was brainstorming business ideas and got an ad for a Makerbot 3dprinter. I had some money saved up, but nowhere near enough to cover their high price tag. I did though, have enough to get a lower cost printer from XYZ 3D Printing; A “no name” brand at the time with proprietary materials. I quickly learned that working with a machine that used overpriced cartridges with chips that prevented you from using 3rd party materials was a mistake. I am fortunately technically inclined and was able to build a micro computer that could reset the chip with whatever information I pleased. This allowed me to leave the empty cartridge in the machine and feed in a 3rd party filament into the printer."
Checkout My Carina Nebula Version Of My Jwst Night Light!
Over 3500 Print Hours, To Hold 100 Raspberry Pi Cameras. For A Custom 3D Scanning Rig
I'm Happy With How My Chess Board Came Out
"Once I got used to the printer and dialed in my settings, I started to look for opportunities to make money using the printer. I decided to launch “TK 3D Printing” an On-Demand 3D printing service, servicing the greater New Haven county area. I would cold call business at the age of 16 asking if they could benefit from my services. I quickly realized there was a high demand for custom keychains, and that very quickly became my Niche. On that small 200mmX200mm print bed I would crank out over 1,000 keychains for companies. I had key rings ordered in bulk, a quality assurance process, and even some friends who helped with distribution. By the end of that year, i had scaled to 3 printers, expanded my offerings to include 3D modeling services, and had successfully bought my first car with a little money left over to customize it and make it mine. Today, roughly 8 years later, I have a degree in Marketing from Bentley University, I have worked at 3D Printing companies like Formlabs, and through my social media efforts, I have worked with almost all 3D printer manufacturers on the market."
I Love 3D Printing!
Now With Random Eye Movement. Powered By A Arduino. Any Suggestions?
I Had A Stupid Idea That I Think Is Hilarious. Meet Licking Lickitung
4 Days Later
I Designed And Printed A Working Desktop-Sized Model Of An Escalator
I Pranked My Family By Secretly Upgrading My Submarine Into A U-Boat!
Business Card Enbosser. I Know That I Am Not The First With This Idea But I Managed To Design It From Scratch With Only Two Prototypes And Am Quite Happy With The Result
Pet Bottle To 3D Print!
Bender Futurama
I Couldn't Find A Product That Could Open My Curtains So I Made My Own
That's why I want to start learning how to 3D print - because I think it's the coolest thing: I couldn't find one... SO I MADE ONE :D
I Designed And Printed A Scale Model Of The Titanics Engine, And Today Was The First Time She Ran By Itself On Air. Still Work In Progress
Translucent Orange Benchy Right Out Of The Oven
After 8 Years Of 3D Printing, I Finally Found Out My Thing
A Bearded Christmas Gnome I Designed
I Think My Dad Dislikes My Latest Print
I Designed This Charger For My Apple Watch
Honestly, I Don't Think It's A Problem That Needs That Kind Of Solution, It Just Came Across My Head While I Was... Well You Know
Of Everything I've Designed And 3D Printed, This Simple Toy Still Wins
Note: this post originally had 72 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
3-D printing is revolutionary. It’s fun as hell, and yet also owning “the means of production” inside your own home. Forget copyright protections… if you can imagine it you can build it.
(If anyone wants it, here's the model: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1189237)
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I don’t see the point of most of these gadgets — just more plastic to add to the landfill.
Why would you assume this is going to a landfill? These plastics are recyclable. I have a 3-D printer in my home, and the most remarkable thing about it to me is the ability to produce the thing I want and need in my own home, without any of the shipping or packaging involved. It has also allowed us to fix and repair plastic items with missing or broken parts for both Myself and many friends and family… Keeping more of that junk out of the landfill you are worried about. Owning a 3-D printer is owning the means of production in a profound way. I understand your environmental concerns, but the focus should be on improving our existing recycling processes not abandoning all plastic as a means of production.
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I know the first thing I'd 3D print... and it would be moulded from Harry Styles ;)
absolutely terrific, some very talented people on here. great job everyone
I love the 3D printing rage. It's like Lego grown ups - building next level and making engineering an everyday thing.
I've had two cr@ptastic printers so far and I don't want another. What's a good brand that won't be so obsolete you can't use it in 3 years and takes minimal fiddling to get it working right?
It's the first step towards Star Trek-style replicators. Whether it's more efficient to carry the input and a printer to the moonbase than the original objects, I don't know.
Same cost for mass (generally the most restrictive limit for earth to space) but use of space would be more efficient. Would come into its own for replacement parts as you dont need to carry spares that arent required.
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I wanted my brother to make a smart funnel for me because I thought my broken one was no longer available. He said he couldn't do it because he needed the number of the piece or patent or something similar, even though I gave him all the dimensions. Was he wrong because not one person talked about that in the post? Disappointed he couldn't deliver but then I found a better model and the name had changed so I bought 4.
3-D printing is revolutionary. It’s fun as hell, and yet also owning “the means of production” inside your own home. Forget copyright protections… if you can imagine it you can build it.
(If anyone wants it, here's the model: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1189237)
Load More Replies... I don’t see the point of most of these gadgets — just more plastic to add to the landfill.
Why would you assume this is going to a landfill? These plastics are recyclable. I have a 3-D printer in my home, and the most remarkable thing about it to me is the ability to produce the thing I want and need in my own home, without any of the shipping or packaging involved. It has also allowed us to fix and repair plastic items with missing or broken parts for both Myself and many friends and family… Keeping more of that junk out of the landfill you are worried about. Owning a 3-D printer is owning the means of production in a profound way. I understand your environmental concerns, but the focus should be on improving our existing recycling processes not abandoning all plastic as a means of production.
Load More Replies... I know the first thing I'd 3D print... and it would be moulded from Harry Styles ;)
absolutely terrific, some very talented people on here. great job everyone
I love the 3D printing rage. It's like Lego grown ups - building next level and making engineering an everyday thing.
I've had two cr@ptastic printers so far and I don't want another. What's a good brand that won't be so obsolete you can't use it in 3 years and takes minimal fiddling to get it working right?
It's the first step towards Star Trek-style replicators. Whether it's more efficient to carry the input and a printer to the moonbase than the original objects, I don't know.
Same cost for mass (generally the most restrictive limit for earth to space) but use of space would be more efficient. Would come into its own for replacement parts as you dont need to carry spares that arent required.
Load More Replies... I wanted my brother to make a smart funnel for me because I thought my broken one was no longer available. He said he couldn't do it because he needed the number of the piece or patent or something similar, even though I gave him all the dimensions. Was he wrong because not one person talked about that in the post? Disappointed he couldn't deliver but then I found a better model and the name had changed so I bought 4.
