Assembly & Set Up
Set up your 3D printer as per the instructions. No matter how experienced you are, your vendor supposedly knows the products better than you do. It is recommended that you use parts, software, and materials from the same brand wherever you can to get the best experience. Remember, every 3D printer has its characteristics. Be open to some trial and error down the road.
Software Update
Keep your system up to date. Manufacturers and slicer companies are constantly experimenting with their software and firmware to fix bugs and improve performance. If your machine features an automatic update, enable it.
Maintenance
Perform regular maintenance and calibration on your 3D printer: Form and maintain a routine of checks; keep your filaments from moisture and dust; calibrate the bed.
Supports
Bear in mind the 45-degree rule and 5mm rule. Any overhangs of above 45 degrees(or 60 degrees depending on your printer) may require supports. Just like overhangs, not all bridges require support. Consider supports only when the bridge is more than 5mm long. “Rafts”, and “brims” are great support tools to increase adhesion. Add support structures to your design for any steep overhanging features or models that have a small base.
While supports are great for some cases, you may want to avoid them, for the following reasons: first, they consume extra filament; second, the print takes longer time; and finally, removing the support structure of the print can be a pain. If you are still not sure whether you need support, run a test print to find out. You can also use your creativity to make the support structures part of your design, in case you think them necessary. Ways to circumvent supports: reorient your model; reduce the overhang angles; and split your model into smaller parts.
The first layer
Your first layer is the foremost important layer of your print. Make sure it sticks well to the bed. Again, support structures, a heated bed, and glue all are great tools to help with adhesion.
Details
Examine the details of your model. Are there any tiny projections or parts that are too small to print on a desktop 3D printer? In your printer, there is a very important but often overlooked variable, that is the line width, which is determined by the diameter of the printer nozzle. Most printers come with a nozzle of 0.4 mm or 0.5 mm in diameter.
]]>Are you a seasoned player in 3D printing, wondering what you can do with all your 3D designs, models and 3D printer, aside from keeping them as a hobby ?
If either of the above scenarios apply to you, you are not alone. Alex, China born and bred, now 27, working and living in Europe, first got into 3D printing when attending university in France. He says one summer afternoon in his sophomore year he ,together with his other three classmates was invited to a small gathering at a local student’s house. At some point his friend showed the guests his 3D printer and started to print a Japanese cartoon character on it. Alex was amazed at how capable this little(well, not exactly little, but Alex thinks so ) machine is.
A few days later, Alex decided to get one himself. So he went online in search of the same 3D printer model his friend was using. As it turns out, the same machine being sold online is priced at $399,not a small expenditure given that he was a student studying overseas and his middle-class family background. He somehow summoned up the courage to ask his parents to buy if for him. According to Alex, his parents were mad at him at first. They wouldn’t get it why he would want to buy such a “useless” but expensive thing. And they were worried that their only son would abandon his study as a result of “playing too much with the machine”.
Long story short, in the end, Alex was able to convince his Dad to buy the printer for him by promising to focus on his study and to return home with a degree,which he did. Fast forward to 1.5 years ago, Alex purchased his first geeetech 3D printer–A20M, and has become a fan of geeetech ever since.
To date, a great number of people still have not heard of desktop 3D printers,just like Alex and his parents years ago, and 3D printing is more of a industrial concept than an everyday conversation topic.
It is projected that 3D printing will be the next big thing in the years to come,with 3D printers for home and office use being more affordable and capable.A similar pattern can be drawn in the developments of smart phones and 3D printers. Smart phones in the early days were expensive,not so “smart”, and known to few.However,a decade later almost everyone owns smart phone. So now is probably the best time to monetize your 3D printing skills and expertise before 3D printers become ubiquitous.
Here are 5 ways to make money with your 3D printer and 3D printing know-how.
Sell Your Design.
One of the best ways to make money using a 3D printers is not to have one. Isn’t it amazing? If you have 3D models/designs you think are great but do not own a 3D printer, put them up for sale.The world is in want of great designs. .
Sell Your Work
If you are a creative creature, why not turn your creativity into reality and sell your work online? Take photos or make videos of your works and make them known to others. Share them on your social media:Facebook, Ins. Twitter. Those impressed with your work may be willing to pay for it. Photos/videos of your printed objects are promotional materials to get customers.
Prototyping
Another way to make money off 3D printing is to sell 3D printed prototypes to local businesses and companies. One advantage of this business model is that you do not have to rack your brain trying to come up with great designs or models. Chances are your clients have a team dedicated to it. All you are left to do is get them printed. It of course would give you a leg-up if you have a good command of 3D modeling (CAD) software.
Printing Services.
As pointed out above, not every one owns(some choose not to ) a 3D printer. 3D printing has been widely used in education, medical, robotics,architecture,jewellery and many other industries, this means there is always a market for printing services. Let others know what your printer is capable of and your rates for such service,and you are all set.
Teaching 3D Printing.
As of today,3D printing is still not commonplace, but is getting more attention and interest from the public, and 3D printers are being introduced into classrooms, offices and homes due to their versatility,causing a gap between the demand for 3D printers and supply of experts, specialists, who understand 3D printing and know how to operate those machines, flying in the face of the fact that desktop 3D printers are becoming more and more user-friendly. All this makes teaching 3D printing technology a lucrative business.
That concludes the list of ways to make a living off 3D printing.
Any questions or ideas? Leave us a comment. We would love to hear from you.
]]>I remember being interviewed by Joanna–team lead in our marketing dept.here at Geeetech. At one point during the interview, she asked: what do you know about 3D printers? To convince her i am no stranger to 3D printing,I found myself telling her stories of how 3D printing technology is used to produce parts for aircraft carriers (By then that was everything i had learned about the 3D printers).After i was finished,Joanna didn’t comment on my answer. She merely replied,calmly:3D printing is used in many areas and desktop 3D printers (which,as it turns out, are what Geeetech does) are capable of creating various kinds of objects such as phone cases, chairs and many more…
And ,as you may have guessed, i nailed the interview.:D.
First day on my new job, i dubbed a video clip in which “Iron Man” and his sidekicks take on their mortal enemy:Thanos and his followers. It took us almost the whole day due to my shyness and awkwardness. But i was genuinely amused by our team’s ingenious ideas and amazed at the fact that 3D printing could be fun too, contrary to what i had pictured it to be.
In the days and weeks that followed,my teammates continued to turn their creativity into reality with the help of Geeetech 3D printers.
Let’s take a look at some of their productions:
Dog Muzzle
Dog muzzles are a controversial topic. Dogs are adorable and usually do not bite.They only bite when feeling threatened.Nevertheless,if your dog has a history of biting, it is advisable that you keep a muzzle at hand in the event of an emergency. Just make sure that the muzzle fits well on your dog. The good news is that you get to design and create one for your dog on your own 3D printer. I mean, who knows better about your dog than you do.
Download STL file here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QCmEQtwgBNzrD-hogXnn7DZR1IRZb0ia/view
Chopstick Helper
Do you often find yourself wrestling with your chopsticks while eating Asian food?
Imagine your crush/date is craving some Chao Mian(fried noodles),but you can’t take her or him to that Chinese restaurant,worrying that your lousy chopsticks skills would make you look silly.
This little device may not look classy.It,however,could solve a real problem, and even be a game changer here.
Download STL file here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PK0lxZEVAzxl5rQpDOxz6dzD_4PDXJ6A/view
Cell Phone Stand
A holder to a phone is what a pillow to a human being. Even though this statement is not exactly correct , there is some truth in it. If you are someone who is constantly glued to your smart phone, having a phone stand would relieve some of the pressure on your neck. This robust smart phone holder is crafted to give support to your smart phone whilst you are using it.
Download STL file here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dBWhMNP_UWLWdLS2SVjQ1dmKa5EfsS61/view
Tool Holder
The benefits of having a tool holder are numerous and obvious, especially if you are a geek ,maker, or a diy enthusiast, which i believe you are. Having a tool holder 3D printed on your printer will definitely help with your future prints.
Download STL file here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JbIPrpXwT1_9fcPRw05Kjcy6eRjbAPLE/view
Grocery Bag Grip
You might be thinking these shopping bag handles are not really that great. But i believe otherwise. The supermarket where i do most of my grocery shopping is about 5 minutes’ walk away from my apartment. And since i only shop 2-3 times a week, every time i buy lots of stuff. And if you consider the vicinity of the supermarket, it does not make much sense to drive or take a ride. So these bag holders would make my shopping experience less painful. I believe delivery guys would find this grip very useful too.
Download STL file here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HsvuOOL4PDpdxfW0c55gp2bXtgdf11_f/view
Paintbox
Why would you buy your kid a paintbox when you could 3D print one yourself? Just imagine your child’s look when you have it 3D printed before his/her eyes.
Download STL file here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b7eMJRxqXsT7lIb7A5jhXgcovRPDPI5h/view
Cable Manager
Nowadays it is not uncommon for an individual to own a smart phone, ipad, laptop. Some people even have more than one of these items for various purposes. And each of these gadgets comes with its own electric cable, making maintaining a tidy work desk seemingly impossible.
If you are looking for ways to keep your workplace organized and neat, this 3D printed, low-profile cable management solution could be the one to go for,or at least, give you some inspiration to design and come up with your own solution.
Download STL file here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ofw11nMThRJEamUpOpTKbcax89cdUm5W/view
Drawing Tool
Besides being aesthetically pleasing to the eye,these around toys have a practical use: to help with drawing circles.
Download STL file here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iMZadCld83DEIlOAVOEKgHVFV34fuhqH/view
Check out the videos below where Joanna tells you more about 3D printing useful gadgets:
Part one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Kf_gSQyHMA&pbjreload=101
]]>I hope you all enjoyed the 1st episode of 3D Maker Salon by “Andreas Braun” who is well-experienced in 3D printing and worked with them for a quite long period. And also known as Co-owner at Geeetech. So I hope it was great listening to him through his journey in the 3D Printing World, skills, tricks and turns with his experience. If you have missed to watch it then here is the link just click on it and enjoy him speaking. Live streaming link of 1st episode: Click to watch
Here comes 2nd episode of 3D Maker Salon with a new speaker “Jens West”. I already mentioned he is being worked for a long period with 3D printers. He is going to share a lot about the 3D printer filaments and his experience with them isn’t it interesting. Then what are you waiting to mark the date and time on your calendar, complete all your works before he is LIVE? Enjoy listening to him and try them out, let us know was it worth watching.
Live Stream: 8:00 pm-9:00 pm Dec 27 -EU Time
Live link: https://bit.ly/2PlgWC9
Merry Christmas to all and here comes a big surprise from Geeetech for Merry Christmas & New Year. Aren’t you guys excited to know what is your surprise gift. Then let me tell you, come close so that no one should hear it and grab the special gift from you.
There will be a Lucky Draw from the audience who is watching the whole event. The lucky audience will get a New Year Special gifts then what are you waiting to mark the date and time of the Live streaming event on your calendar. Hence, complete all your works before it starts and win exciting gifts.
You can also be a speaker if you’re interested to share your experience, skills or innovations related to 3D printing. Therefore, it is a platform for 3D hobbyists and to encourage them. There is also a surprise gift for the Speaker than there is only one step. That can get you a gift, you just need to fill the form.
?Be the speaker, get one A10T
For more information, please visit: https://bit.ly/2PMYgdA
Now let me thanks the audience for making this event a grand success and help us to provide the knowledge related to 3D printing. In the same way without any hurdle in the upcoming episodes of 3D Maker Salon- Geeetech.
Make the best of Geeetech 3D printer only @ Geeetech official site
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