Confession: despite working everyday with new (and old) technology, I wasn’t terribly eager to dive into the world of 3D printing. To be sure, the technology behind it interested me, but, from a standpoint of usefulness, I was pretty skeptical. I mean, does the world really need more plastic junk? So, when ideaLAB set up not one but two 3D printers, I definitely had mixed feelings.
However, working with our printers over the past few months has given me a more nuanced opinion about the world of 3D printing. The code and the mechanics, which were the aspects that always intrigued me, continue to impress. We’re still in the early stages of this technology, but what’s already been developed is quite novel, creative, and complex, and it’s thanks, in part, to worldwide community of tinkerers, developers, and users.
But printing your name in 3D or a model of the Eiffel Tower are still pretty gimmicky, right? Sure, there’s an element of that. A lot of the things we design and print out in ideaLAB are arguably more "fun" than "useful." Yet, we've also had the opportunity to print out a number of things that improve people’s lives, like wall-mountable coat hooks, nuts and bolts, or--more profoundly--a portable storage case for diabetes monitoring equipment. 3D printers offer a unique opportunity to customize everyday objects as well as fix parts for things that may no longer be in production or have to be shipped all the way from China.
The entire process of printing is also a great learning experience. Designing a model from scratch using SketchUp or Tinkercad is fun though often complex, and, even with pre-made models that are downloaded from a site like Thingiverse, some troubleshooting is usually required. Once we’ve got our model ready, we need to export the file in a printable format (usually a .stl) and load it properly into the print software. Prepping the printers also requires some finesse, be it changing out filament, calibrating the build plate, or declogging the extruder. But, if we’re successful with all of the above, we’ll wind up with a corn-based plastic object...in 2-6 hours. Yep, these things take time, folks.
In the end, though, there really is something pretty amazing about watching a machine render a physical model of something you designed, and that’s reason enough for me to want to work more with 3D printing. So, if you’ve heard about 3D printing but never seen it in action, and/or you would like to know more about how to make a 3D model and have it printed at DPL, stop by during Open Lab. Even better, this Tuesday (3/24), we’re hosting a 3D printing open house. Join us!