My favorite hobby is 3D printing. As I posted a basic outline of how I do it in the previous essay for English, I’m not going to devote much time to HOW I do it here. However, I will talk about some of the tools I use, where I do it, why I like it, etc. So lets get right into it!
First up, the tools I use. I always use a duel card reader, one that can read a micro SD or SD. However, when I’m printing, I always use the micro SD. I also, of course, have the printer itself, and in the gallery below, I have some photos of it. I don’t know if you would call this a tool exactly, but we have the spool of filament that goes on top of the printer. That is all the post-print tools, and then there are others for fine-tuning the finished part.
The first of the after print tools is the filament cutters. I use them whenever I change the filament to get a sharp point and go through to the extruder. There is also a blade that I use for some of the fine tuning, like removing support. I also use pliers, a vise, a hammer, and a flat-head screwdriver for removing support.
I 3D print in our maker’s space in our basement. For more information on where in our house that is, check out this post. On the bottom of the workbenches, we have storage for several projects and paints and tools. We have a pegboard on one wall, a whiteboard to the right of it, with a tool cabinet in-between.
On the other bench, we have a broken TV that we sometimes hook up raspberry pi’s to. To the right of that is a computer monitor, and we have our 3D printing computer hooked up to it. Right again is a little vacant space where I do most of my measuring of small pieces. It is also where I keep my micrometer. Right of that is our pc for gaming, and on the edge of the bench is a vice. Right of the workbench is a set of draws with artsy stuff, card making, cutting, drawing, etc. These two workbenches make an L shape, and there is a table right in the center of the room, rather low, but good for card making and stuff for my 6-year-old brother.
I really enjoy 3D printing, probably in part because I’m good at it. If a design is simple, I can whip it up pretty quickly, and if its hard, I can do it without feeling overwhelmed, though if I work at it more than 3 hours at a time, I get a headache. Also, it’s cool to see an item built up out of a spool of filament.
So that is a little bit about what I use, where I work, and why I like 3D printing.