One of the most exciting technological innovations to come along in the twenty-first century is the 3D printer! With these amazing devices you can print all kinds of useful and decorative objects you couldn’t get otherwise. With the right software, you can even create original objects of your own.
Until recently, 3D printers were too large and expensive to fit in the average home. But as the technology has evolved, there have been new models that are small enough to fit on your desk, and at a fraction of the price!
Read on to discover seven amazing 3D printer uses that will make you want to go out and buy one right away!
1. Practical, Useful Objects
There are so many little objects that, while useful, don’t warrant a whole trip to the store. Take a doorstop, for example. That troublesome door might annoy you every day, but you keep forgetting to get one while you’re at the store, and isn’t worth the cost of shipping to buy one online.
With a 3D printer, you can simply make a doorstop of your own in minutes! All you have to do is find the right file online, and you can find many such files for free. You can print all kinds of useful little objects like wall hooks, pencil holders, or paperweights.
Practical objects aren’t just limited to the office either. You can make all sorts of useful things to use in the kitchen like measuring spoons, cookie cutters, and lemon juicers. Just make sure you are using food-safe plastic and don’t use them at high temperatures!
2. Toys
Ok, so you’ve printed out all of the odds and ends you need to make your office totally functional. What next? Try something fun!
There are countless artists out there who have taken to this new medium with gusto. You can find so many wonderful toy designs out there. Some are detailed action figure statues, while others have intricate interlinking parts that allow for mobile arms. You can even print out a whole spirograph set to make hypnotizing designs.
If you’ve got a favorite superhero, you can be sure that someone out there has already made some fan art based on them. It’s a much cheaper way to build your collection and decorate your home, or find that perfect gift!
3. Personalized Gifts
It is so draining to go from store to store, trying to find the perfect gift for that special someone. You see something amazing one day, but it’s gone when you go back the next week! And shopping online isn’t much better with endless pages of junk and all the good stuff out of stock.
3D printing makes it so much easier. Nothing ever goes out of stock because you can always print another one! And you can customize your gift with a name, date, or image of your choosing. And all from the comfort of your own home!
4. Start a Side-Business
These days, we could all use a little extra income. With such helpful websites as Etsy and Depop, you can start your own online store in no time!
All you have to do is come up with a niche. We found one artisan who uses their 3D printer to make 45 adapters for turntables. Each one goes for $15! Maybe not enough to retire on, but hey, one sale buys coffee for the whole week!
5. Save Time
Say you are about to have a fancy dinner party. The guests are due to arrive any minute and you think you have everything ready. But wait! You forgot to buy labels for the wine glasses. There’s no time to run to the store, so what do you do? 3D print them!
With a 3D printer, you can come up with all sorts of helpful items in a pinch. It’s a lifesaver when you are caught in that kind of situation. And you can do away with waiting for items to arrive and shipping fees!
There’s a reason that they even have a 3D printer on the International Space Station. It’s not like they have the time to send a rocket up into space every time they need a new screwdriver!
6. Enhance Your Phone
Tired of holding your phone while you watch videos? Keep getting flour on your screen while trying to follow that new recipe? Try printing your own phone stand!
You can print all sorts of handy things to get more out of your phone. You can even print a stand with a special funnel that acts as a loudspeaker, so you can listen to your tunes at super-maximum volume!
7. Spare Parts
So that beloved chair you bought years ago lost a wheel. Oh no! The company that made the chair isn’t even in business anymore, and no one seems to have a wheel that’s just the right size. Guess you are stuck with a wobbly chair for the rest of your life, huh?
Wrong! If you take careful measurements of one of the remaining wheels, you can feed those parameters into your computer and print out an exact replica. You can have handy spare parts for all of your belongings as you need them!
Now You Know Seven Amazing 3D Printer Uses
So there you have it, seven of the best ways t get started in the wide world of 3D printing. With these 3D printer uses, you will be living with more thrift and efficiency than ever before.
If this article has piqued your interest, check out our blog about getting started with 3D printing. It will have you up and running in no time!
