Rolling Stone: 3D printing is a modern marvel, providing you with the ability to print original creations and designs by other users out of all sorts of different materials. Best of all, there’s no need to go anywhere to get it done – a 3D printer fits right into your home or office workstation, connecting to your computer via USB or WiFi, and letting you see what was just a blueprint a few minutes ago now coming to life right before your eyes.
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I know nearly nothing about 3D printers, other than they’re probably expensive and require quite a bit of training to use. But I found this piece interesting nonetheless. I wonder if people who avidly use 3D printers if they have one or want to have one at home or if they just one that is at their school, institution, place of employment or otherwise. Having one, while cool and a very interesting fun fact, seems like a bit of a hassle. But I am not somebody who will be needing a 3D printer, so maybe I am not one to speak on this.
I have written about 3D printers in a number of articles and for each new article, I am still blown away by how far this technology has come in a decade. As I have begun paying closer and closer attention to the 3D printing industry, I am realizing that the home version 3D printer is still using a similar material but the extrusion heads are getting more and more precise. Additionally, the price point of these 3D printers is still dropping, some on this list retail for less than $300 which is mind-blowing. While the 3D printing industry perhaps missed the mark they were shooting for with at-home 3D printers, they have still innovated this idea and clearly seem very dedicated to the practice of at-home 3D printing. Personally, I do not think I would ever buy a personal 3D printer, but I love keeping up with how this industry is evolving over the years.
The first time that I actually saw and used the 3D printer was at my high school. I would print finger-sized models that were already designed and provided within the machine, and that was just about how much I interacted with the 3D printer. Now, it is quite amazing to imagine how 3D printer will become more omnipresent in the future. Although I don’t think they would be absolutely necessary in every household (at least less than the normal printers), but I think people will find more usage of 3D printers so that they could be more attractive to consumers, even though they might not have tasks that are related to 3D Printing. I wonder how they could be incorporated into theatrical usages as well. First thing that comes into my mind is that it would be extremely useful for prop-making, especially when we need a very specific design for the performance. If they could be further utilized to make even huge parts of the stage, that would be awesome.
As an avid 3D printing nerd, this article is kind of odd. It reads kind of like the author was given a bunch of bullet points about 3D printers, but knew little to nothing about it themself. For example, the 'How Do 3D Printers Work' section actually discusses various random aspects of 3D printing, only some of which actually describe how they work (extruders, axes/accuracy), while others are just constraints to consider when purchasing a printer (Kits vs fully-assembled, print bed size, heated bed). Further, the selection of printers is really odd. While the Ender 3 is a staple in the 3D printing community for both beginners and veterans alike, and the Flashforge Finder is a decent choice for beginners, the BIBO unit is anything but beginner friendly (though the guy who makes them is super friendly and helpful) and the Anycubic MEGA X is really just an upgraded Ender 3 clone. It seems more likely that the author was given some affiliate links to weave into the article. If anyone is looking for actually good advice, tutorials, and reviews, All3DP is a great resource! Check them out at all3dp.com
I have to agree with Al here that this article is a bit odd, and not really a great rundown of basic 3D printers. The overview of what 3D printers are and their components is valid, but not exhaustive or useful for that matter, and then to have only 4 printers listed seems lacking when there are now hundreds of printers out there on the market. Personally, I think the Ender 3 is a great starting point for anyone wanting to get more invested into printing. It is probably has the best bang-for-your-buck of any printer on the market at or under $300, so you're not making a huge investment up front. Additionally, the Ender 3 is extremely customizable with 3rd party hardware and software alike. While upgrades often cost more than buying a nice 3D printer up front, I think it gives invaluable insight and understanding into the 3D printing process and how to optimize all the basic parameters 3D printers have to offer. The others are also decent starting off points depending on how much you want your printer to be plug-and-play. My vote for a beginner 3D printer is the Ender 3.
I’ve often wanted to get into 3D modeling printing for making art and props, and I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. I remember a couple years ago the idea of home 3D printers was insane, and the costs were not nearly as affordable as they are now. It’s crazy how fast these are developing and becoming more widely available. I don’t know all that much about the 3D printing world yet, but from everything I’ve seen so far it’s incredibly expansive and there are so many things to learn about. The kind of work I like doing often involves very small parts or fine details, so I’d probably want to use one that can use a very fine nozzle and extrusion. I hope that I can get a home printer someday soon so I can start working with one and making cool things.
I have to agree with Al and Elliot and while I’m not a 3D printing nerd I do consider myself to be somewhat knowledgeable at least for a DIY level and this article feels really out of place to me. The how it work section of this article I guess is what confused me the most as it seems to be less of a description of how they actually work and more a call out of different parts of 3d printers. I also feel as though the author is actually struggling to see past their own biases. I see this a lot in maker and particular computer based hobbies there is an inherit basis based off what the person writing or talking thinks is “beginner”. They can’t quite understand what a true beginner needs because that’s impossible to understand as everyone comes into it with different levels of experience. But that being said I think the printer choices aside from the Ender 3 aren’t necessarily ones that I would recommend to a true beginner to 3d printing.
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