3d printing is actually pretty amazing for ADHD brains

Technology
#1

Who else here has gotten sucked into 3d printing? Rapid prototyping, customizing, being able to make a thing you had an idea for right now (or at last get started on it…) and having a timer system that doesn’t feel artificial (because all the prints I make are small because I get impatient…) it’s seriously something I’d recommend.

Also, you can design and make your own fidgets. and constantly redesign and tweek the design until you get the best possible one for you. (I always joke that making fidgets is my meta-fidget.)

So yeah, anyone wanna just chat up 3d printing or wanna ask questions about stuff?

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#2

Not a 3D printer but I got a hold of a 35 watt laser engraver. It will cut ply and acrylic up to 6 mm. I have been playing with that a fair bit but a 3D printer is next on the list. Just keeping an eye out for a good deal. I like the look of the Prusa printers. But a little more than my wife will let me spend.

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#3

How much is the Prusa? I’ve seen Creality at around $250 (don’t remember if it was the regular or Pro version, though)…

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#4

I like the robotics club in high school and we do have a 3D printer but I haven’t used it and don’t know how.

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#5

Nice! I keep debating getting one of those (but I’m outfitting the wood shop first I think.)

For a newbie printer, I tend to recommend the FlashForge Finder. It’s about $300 at this point and it’s the closest thing to “prints right out of the box” I’ve found so far. No heated bed, which is sometimes a bit annoying, but still very worth it.

The real-deal Prusa’s are about I think 1k? A little cheaper for the kit version. I keep being tempted because I really want a color-mix system for the next one.

Spicy-AI: Which printer do they have? At the very basic level, you need a 3d model, and a slicing program to convert it to gcode or whichever format the printer uses. The specifics of how to start the print depend on the printer itself, but most are pretty much the same: Turn on, preheat, load filament, load file, hit print, hope it works.

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#6

What do you like to make with the 3D printer? Have you ever been to a makerspace?

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#7

There isn’t any nearby makerspace where I am, so I haven’t been to one yet. Been debating starting one but I don’t think I can handle yet another project on the list…

The biggest amount of things I make with the printer is fidgets. Making and selling fidgets has paid for the printer and filament and acts as a 2nd/3rd job for me. But really, the joy of having a printer is that you can make almost anything with it. One of the first designs I made was a bead sifter set for separating out different sized seed beads from mixed bags. Lots of little organizational things, keychains, making a custom fandom pendant for a friend at the moment, going to be printing out a replacement part for my brother’s bike, printed out a tonne of base 10 blocks for classroom use…

Honestly, I just like MAKING things, and having a 3d printer makes it so nice. Also, I’m a junky for color so my filament collection is… huge. ( https://kinetic-color.com/pages/filament <— an outdated list. And a photo of last years set up. Thing have been rearranged since. Because of course they have :smiley: )

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#8

I was reading along when I came to the part about being a color junkie…being a bit of one myself I just had to follow the link and see your pics. :open_mouth: I love all the colors and subtle variations to colors!!! They’re all so organized too!

What software do you use for your 3D printer designs? I have access to some but haven’t used them much yet. Laser cutting is my thing. It’s also great for the quick turnaround from idea to creation…version 2…3… you get the idea.

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#9

They’re a bit less so now, since the studio got pulled back into the main living space due to the garage they were in being just… way too cold in winter. (Also, I missed being where the cat and the dog were :smiley: ) The bins downstairs are still all sorted by color, but up here where the printer is… is ab it more chaos. Still rainbow order the majority of them, however. It’s just so much nicer…

I do my modeling with https://www.tinkercad.com/ since it’s hella easy and I can also import SVGs (which I make/edit in GIMP.) The slicer I use is Simplify3D which is a pay program and honestly, the free ones have made leaps and bounds so when the next pay version goes up for this one, I may swap over to the free/open source ones.

I keep debating getting a laser cutter. And a CNC machine… and— well. :sweat_smile:

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