My thoughts on owning a 3d printer.
May 5, 2025, 8:48 a.m.
After months of using my public library’s 3D printer, I decided on getting my own. I found that owning a 3D printer has downsides, like its bulkiness and the need for optimal printing practices. However, owning a 3D printer also has upsides like faster prototyping and the ability to print complex shapes.
After living with the 3D printer and experiencing its footprint firsthand, I can say that some 3D printers can be quite large. When purchasing a 3D printer, I considered the trade-offs between multiple factors such as size, price, convenience features, etc. I recently moved, so, I had to figure out how to safely transport the 3D printer. Fortunately, I kept the 3D printer’s original box and padding because I thought finding a similarly shaped box might be difficult to obtain.
This next point may have been due to user error or maybe other machines are better suited for the task of printing large, flat objects. I found large, flat prints can be time consuming or even more expensive than by simply obtaining a similar object from the hardware store. On several occasions, when I needed a large flat object, it was easier to purchase a large flat object from the hardware store and cut it to dimensions.
That said, owning a 3D printer has been great for prototyping. Previously, I relied on my public library’s 3D printer. I would send the print file to the library and have someone tell me when to go pick it up (it usually took about a week or less depending on availability). However, I frequently made small edits that would take a relatively long time. This bottleneck changed after I purchased my current 3D printer and the edited prints were made quicker as I also didn’t have to drive to the library.
I found my 3D printer shines when small complex prints are involved. By this I mean small prints are quick and if I’m going through the effort of printing I may as well include all the fixings like overhangs, holes, chamfers, etc. I once even printed an object with multiple moving parts and it really spoke to me how awesome 3d printing can be. Thank you for reading this far! If you enjoy this type of content, please feel free to share.