Month: June 2017

Why I love the 3D Printing Scene

I have always wanted a 3D printer for the past 5 or so years, just when they started to commercially hit the market. Due to my single parent’s low income, that just wasn’t even a possibility because of the outrageously high prices. Recently, though, I started to do some private tutoring for kids at my high school and saved up some money.I was browsing YouTube, where I follow tons of 3D printing channels, and I saw someone who did a video of the Anet A8 3D Printer. It’s a super cheap ~$160 printer that you have to assemble yourself. Some people don’t like that DIY aspect, but I actually really enjoyed building it and understanding how everything worked, and the price was just too low not to buy. After taking roughly 8 straight hours to assemble it, I finally was able to print something. I started with one of the default files, an Aztec Pyramid. After that, I almost didn’t know what to print due to the practically infinite possibilities.I did some more YouTube watching and blog browsing, and the first thing that people recommended to print was an upgrade to the existing fan. I was in such a state of awe when I realized that, because of the capabilities of a 3D printer, I could actually upgrade it with itself. I learned about Thingiverse and saw what seemed to be thousands of printable upgrades to the 3D printer I just bought. The whole community of people with this love for 3D Printing, the aspiration to build things, all came together to share their work with one another. These people are so amazing and kind and are just willing to help at a moments notice.Another thing that really amazed me was this feature called remixes. People post something, then someone can take that model and fine tune it just a little bit to make it better than before. Then, someone can remix that, and so on, causing an amazing, fully-improved outcome. There is just this giant collaborative effort put forth to make things, to improve things, and also just to help.Now that I am a part of this such incredible community, I only hope to give back and help, just like it has been done to me. Thank you guys for being such amazing people, whether you know it or not. You inspire me to continue to express my passion for all things, and to know that there are great people still out there who are willing to help others really makes me just that more proud that I am alive in such a wonderful time.TL;DR: A sappy narrative about my 3D printing experience. I got an Anet A8 and there were just so many resources and people to help which I am really grateful for.Edit: paragraphs per request http://ift.tt/2rszYdP