10 Worthwhile 3D Printing Ideas

Are you planning (or simply dreaming, that is!) on buying a 3D printer? Or do you already have your hands on one and can't wait to make some out of this world art pieces? Whichever side you're at, you can't deny the thought of looking for ideas of what to print in 3D. A new iPad case maybe? How about a miniature statue of you?

You can discover lots of 3D printing designs on the Web. Thingiverse is Makerbot's free online hub for sharing files that work with any 3D printer (not only Makerbot's). You can either download and then print the designs, or customize the designs in 3D modeling software. Pretty neat, huh? So, we give you a compilation of the ten project categories that will inspire you to master your 3D printing skills -- which is not bad for a new hobby, right?

Household Items
Wouldn't it be a great idea to save some hard-earned money by creating your own household items instead of buying them? Do you need some shower curtain hooks? Or probably a flowering pot for your garden? With your 3D printer, keep those few bucks by printing these simple household items yourself. Makerbot's Thingiverse provide different projects that will save you money while giving you some home improvement tools at the same time. Add a little twist to your home by creating a 3D-printed wine-glass rack or a customizable sheath for your kitchen knives. You can also create your own pasta strainer, toothbrush holder, ice cube trays, and even doorknobs!

Musical Instruments

Been a frustrated violin player since you were 5? If you've always wanted to learn how to play a musical instrument, well, now is probably the time to give it a shot. You can start your own one-man band by printing a wind instrument, like a trumpet or a flute, to start off.

Then, you can proceed with the stringed instruments -- a violin would be a good try. And if you're not really a die-hard musical fan, you can simply settle printing a 3D harmonica.

Gaming accessories

Turn back time with a 3D-printed arcade stick for Commodore and Atari gaming systems, and relive the adrenalin rush while playing Pong, Asteroids, and Missile Command right at the comfort of your office chair.

For those who'd like to stay modern, Thingiverse also features and enclosure for the OUYA game console, which is an Android-based gaming system. Though OUYA already comes with its own enclosure, the company still allows gamers to make their own customized version of the console due to its open-source policy. What's cooler than printing your own gaming gear?

Surveillance systems
Want to put up some security features on your home but on a tight budget? Don't worry, because Thingiverse offers several projects for security-conscious consumers. A perfect example of this is a robot designed to serve as a household surveillance. Dubbed by its creator as "A Little Bird Told Me," this futuristic robot can be controlled remotely and can send live stream footage from your home directly to your mobile device.

Now, if you have an old webcam that you're no longer using, you can recycle it by printing a camera case, which will convert your obsolete gadget into a discreet surveillance system.

Headphones
If you love both music and 3D printing, why not make your own headphones? Teague Labs' 13:30 headphones is a perfect example of an easy-to-build alternative to more expensive headphone models. To build this project, it will cost you around $15 only for the required electric components. The project's creator also provides a step-by-step tutorial on how to assemble the headphones with their electric parts once all the required casings are printed.

Cameras
Mix your newfound obsession for 3D printing with your old time passion for photography by printing your own camera! Yes, you can even make a camera from your awesome 3D printer. Open Reflex is a 3D-printed camera that is compatible with any type of camera lens. This analog film camera design is open source, so if you're a real sucker for photography, you can add your own improvements to this project. There's also a wide array of printable projects for digital photographers, courtesy of Thingiverse, including mounts for GoPro wearable action cameras as well as tripod mounts for your iPhone.

3D printing orthotics
If you're a skating enthusiast and would like to make your own 3D-printed skates, then you better keep this next project idea on hand, too. Splast, a combined design of a plaster cast with that of a wrist splint, was first created via 3D printing by a mathematician at Make magazine. This 3D-printed removable splast is designed to be flexible and breathable at the same time.

Gadget accessories

You can also use your 3D printer to make customized accessories for your favorite gadget. There are dozens of designs offered by Thingiverse that you can work with to accessorize your smartphone, tablet, or digital camera, making it more personalized.

Whether you would like to make a simple casing for your iPhone, or a hip and funky docking station for your iPhone, your 3D printer will allow you to enjoy both worlds, and save some bucks at the same time.

Bird houses
Well, it's not like everybody would go with this idea, but if you're a bird-watching enthusiast, why not give this project a go? Spread your passion for 3D printing to your feathered friends by creating your own 3D-printed birdhouse. Whether it's a three-storey mansion decorated with chimneys and a spiral staircase or just a plain one with a small peep door, your feathered guests will surely come back to pay your pretty 3D-printed bird house a visit.

Sporting equipment
You can also venture your 3D printing ideas on sporting equipments like the 3D-printed inline skates, which is featured on the famous do-it-yourself site Instructables. The simplified skates have been tested by their creator, work just as well as their store-bought counterparts, and can be customized according to your exact specifications.



















3D printers are now becoming the hottest and most promising technology because of the endless possibilities that it could bring. 3D printing will play a huge role in manufacturing in the future, and it’s already started to change the way products are created. Though it's really a big risk to invest in a piece of equipment like these, having a 3D printer will surely bring out the creator in you, and you'll also get to learn a new hobby or two. Get to know more about the power that your 3D printer can do by trying these useful printing ideas. Happy printing!

Molten Metal 3D Printer: The Next Generation od 3D Printing

Home 3D printers made of plastic such as the Cubify Cube and the MakerBot Replicator build objects by laying down layers of melted plastic filament. They awaken people's originality and creativity by turning ideas into reality by allowing them to create original and custom-designed objects. However, we have to admit it -- no matter how original or awesome some things may be, it's still plastic. Plastic is ideal for industrial prototypes, low-cost toys, and tools. It's not the the best material for precise parts, or polished durable objects.

During the Maker Faire held in New York City, a father and son attempted to create the next level of 3D printing by using molten metals such as aluminum and copper instead of plastic. Scott and Zachary Vader, debuted their prototype machine, called the Mark 1, can be tagged as the "inkjet printer for metals."

These units will be custom-built works and progress and will likely be sold at a staggering price range of $20,000 to $100,000. Zachary Vader told Tom's Guide that they intend to make a cheaper version of this, which would be priced below $10,000 in the next year. However, he said that there's no finality yet on what it will look like.

Soon, "maker" inventors will be able to build their very own machines in small workshops using 3D printers. Although metal printing is now a reality, it's still not suitable for heavy-duty industrial parts. Selective laser sintering is one of the most common process in metal printing, which involves laying down a layer of metal powder and then heats it with a laser so that the metal melts and flows together. But according to Zachary Vader, the objects produced aren't ideal for building machine parts because they are slightly porous.

That's why the Vaders developed a different metal printing technology, which is more like the inkjet printers that inspired 3D printing in the first place. Their printing process starts with an electric furnace up top that melts the metal ingots -- a process that is considerably energy efficient. The printer runs off a regular wall outlet. The furnace is enclosed in a glossy-black cube with the family's name printed in bold. According to mechanical engineer Zachary Vader, the liquid metal jet printing or direct-to-metal printing process -- uses magnetism to propel melted metal onto the printer bed. But for metals like aluminum, the printer will have to apply an electrical charge to the metal. Its mechanism is similar to some inkjet printers, which apply an electrical charge to droplets of ink and use magnetic force to direct them onto a sheet of paper. Cheap inkjet printers can propel them through thousands of nozzles, thousands of times per second, instead squirting out one drop at a time. The Vaders' device can likewise have thousands of nozzles and run close to or even faster than the speed of an inkjet. Plastic printers today have just one nozzle, and at most about a half dozen, that trace out a design.

And since the electrical conductivity of the metal is the key factor to the printing mechanism, it may require some reconfiguration of its original process when adding new materials. Zachary believes copper, silver, and gold are materials that are fairly easy to add.

One of the main benefits of 3D metal printing is that it can make a single, unique object that normally could only be produced by mass manufacturing. This will allow companies to produce products in smaller quantities or prototypes in the quantities of a hundred or even just ten. It could also lower the cost of custom metal items such as prosthetic or medical implants.

It would also be possible to create new types of lightweight metal components with metal printing. Instead of creating solid pieces of plastic, 3D printers can print out a honeycomb-like internal structure to save on weight, as well as material. The Vader printer can most likely do the same thing on metal.

With all those reasons and benefits people all over the world would get in the near future, there's no doubt that 3D metal printing will be a part of almost half of the manufacturing world.