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So, I bought a 3D printer, now what?
Posted on 3/17/19 at 12:38 pm
Posted on 3/17/19 at 12:38 pm
Ok, my 8 year old daughter asked if we could get a 3D printer. I didn’t even know she knew what that was. So, like any good dad, I got one. I figured is nothing else it’d be educational. So I just ordered this one from amazon:
I also got a couple of filament spools.
What can I expect from this? What can we do with it? Really all she wants to do is make unicorns.
quote:
Comgrow Creality Ender 3 3D Printer Aluminum DIY with Resume Print 220x220x250mm
I also got a couple of filament spools.
What can I expect from this? What can we do with it? Really all she wants to do is make unicorns.
10
Posted on 3/17/19 at 1:30 pm to white perch
I just used fakespot to check the reviews of that unit. It turns it from 4.5 stars to 2 stars. You may be getting junk.
Posted on 3/17/19 at 1:41 pm to white perch
Search online for a printable unicorn file and print it for your daughter.
Posted on 3/17/19 at 2:13 pm to white perch
go check out thingiverse and try to print a benchy. You're likely going to have to make a bunch of adjustments.
Posted on 3/17/19 at 4:48 pm to white perch
quote:Look around and see how much stuff is made out of plastic. Now you can make any of those things.
What can we do with it?
As already mentioned, find benchy on thingiverse and get it printing well. Then check out the rest of thingiverse, there's lots of stuff from toys to functional prints.
There's also a subreddit for functional prints if you want some ideas. https://www.reddit.com/r/functionalprint/
And now you have an opportunity to learn a new skill (3D CAD) so that you can design your own prints.
Posted on 3/17/19 at 7:43 pm to white perch
Posted on 3/17/19 at 8:17 pm to white perch
If you can imagine it, you can probably build it, within the limitations of the strength of the material, but you're going to need 3D modeling skills to design it if someone already hasn't.
Someone almost certainly already has.
thingiverse.com
As others have said, it's not a plug and go technology. There's a lot of tinkering and fine tuning required to go from electronic file to properly printed physical object.
It will print out of the box, but it may take a bit to get the quality dialed in. The equipment's idiosyncrasies matter and have to be adjusted for in software. It's a tinkerer's hobby.
Someone almost certainly already has.
thingiverse.com
As others have said, it's not a plug and go technology. There's a lot of tinkering and fine tuning required to go from electronic file to properly printed physical object.
It will print out of the box, but it may take a bit to get the quality dialed in. The equipment's idiosyncrasies matter and have to be adjusted for in software. It's a tinkerer's hobby.
This post was edited on 3/17/19 at 8:27 pm
Posted on 3/17/19 at 10:35 pm to white perch
Build a gun
Posted on 3/17/19 at 10:44 pm to white perch
You can print the wife an exact replica of your unit for Christmas?
Posted on 3/19/19 at 3:34 pm to white perch
If she plays any board games, you likely can print up some small unicorns to use in place of game board pieces... Try to think about small plastic items that she uses, or smaller items in general that she uses that could potentially be made from plastic. Earrings could consist of metal hooks with something dangling... boom unicorn earrings. Plastic toy rings... Boom unicorn ring.
Would work backwards from what your daughter enjoys playing with or doing, and then try to see what projects people have made for similar use cases. Eventually, getting more and more creative, but usually good to start with a project that has a solid set of instructions/plans.
Would work backwards from what your daughter enjoys playing with or doing, and then try to see what projects people have made for similar use cases. Eventually, getting more and more creative, but usually good to start with a project that has a solid set of instructions/plans.
Posted on 3/19/19 at 4:46 pm to fibonaccisquared
Check out tinkercad.com, it's a good place to start kids with 3D design. They can even make shite in minecraft and convert things back and forth.
Posted on 3/20/19 at 3:35 pm to TigerstuckinMS
quote:
It will print out of the box, but it may take a bit to get the quality dialed in. The equipment's idiosyncrasies matter and have to be adjusted for in software. It's a tinkerer's hobby.
This post was edited on
Over the years your daughter can become an expert.
Posted on 3/20/19 at 4:07 pm to ruzil
quote:
printable unicorn file
My five year old little girl has unicorn shirts, hair bows, shoes, toys, blankets, etc. She is ate up with unicorn love.
Posted on 3/21/19 at 7:52 pm to white perch
Start with what you received with your printer. In general, find .stl files online (thingiverse.com, myminifactory.com). Start with something small and download file - may need to unzip. You will also need a "slicer" program - Cura probably the most popular as it is free. Set it up for your printer (go to youtube and search "cura setup yourprintername"). This program prepares your .stl file for printing - save as .gcode - this is what your printer will read - probably from a microSD card. Be prepared for problems - leveling your bed, filament stuck in extruder, not printing correctly, etc., etc. I have an inexpensive printer and have thoroughly enjoyed it - it can be frustrating as there is a lot of troubleshooting involved. I just printed an Easter bunny (that was my search on thingiverse) for my grdtr - small, takes about an hour to print. Good luck!
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