3D Printing is Cool!

What Is 3D Printing?

3D Printing is an additive manufacturing process where material is built up layer by layer to create custom parts.

The most common types are:

FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication): Plastic filament is melted and deposited in small (~.2mm) layers
- Most popular, simplest to use, great results for little fuss
SLA (Stereo Lithography): UV sensitive liquid resin is exposed to a UV laser, projector or masked by an LCD to cure the resin in each layer
- Most accurate consumer technology currently (micron scale), requires handling toxic resin
SLS (Selective Laser Sintering): A high power laser melts the top layer of powder 'sandbox' and adds more powder on top
- Most expensive but allows for 3d printing metal in almost impossible shapes

Most of the time, when people refer to 3D printing, they are talking about the filament based FFF printers since they are the easiest to use.

What Printers Do I Have

Ender 3V2

A mostly stock Ender 3V2 with a replaced extruder and a bed leveling sensor.

Monoprice Select Mini V2

My first printer, the smol one. Has gone through a 'few' upgrades

It actually broke once and I had to replace a section of the wire that snapped due to how terrible the wires for the bed are run from the factory

Some Neat Stuff I've Done

Here's a few cool projects I've done or am working on

Jedidiah Kerman model

I found a model of Jeb from Kerbal Space Program and wanted him on my desk >:]

First I had to figure out how to print something that small and bought a tiny nozzle to get all the details

Then I had to slice each model to get it ready for the printer


One of the smaller pieces in the slicer, 5.5 hours!	View of it being printed (it took over 8 hours!)

Printing all the parts took forever. I was working on this project with my friend so printing two of each part took about 2 weeks solid (each helmet took 24 hours each!)

Once everything was printed my friend and I sanded, primed and painted each of our little green space dudes.

Other stuff

Camera holder mod from an old music stand, currently holding the print monitoring webcam

Dirt cheap automatic smart blinds

Door hook spacer to reduce noise from it moving

Some dudes (Work in progress :] )

Rats Rats Rats