This post was published more than a few years ago (on 2011-12-07) and may contain inaccurate technical information, outmoded thoughts, or cringe takes. Proceed at your own risk.
I recently ordered a kit to build a Prusa Mendel RepRap FDM 3D printer, so of course, waiting for the kit to arrive, now I’m seeing the entire world through the lenses of “what can I print when it gets here?” Here’s a few cool things that cost extravagant amounts of money that I bet I could make myself:
- iPhone speaker horn
- QLOCKTWO (with the addition of some lexan, some LEDs and a tiny bit of code on an Arduino)
- Mario-inspired Pipe Mug
- Bear Paw Meat Handler Forks
What would you print with a 3D printer?
I would check to see if the plastic used in the 3D printer is food and temperature safe. Your pipe mug might melt or leech chemicals into your coffee.
That's a good point. Temperature should be okay for drinking, though it might not like being in the dishwasher. ABS has a food-grade variant, and I'm not sure which they're selling. I could also print from PLA, though, which they make water bottles out of, and is made from corn starch. Definitely worth looking into the food-safe issue. I mean, mugs are a stretch, but custom cookie cutters could be really fun.
Can't wait to get my first three d printer, but only in your post have i realised that this will be the next Battlefront in the IP ownership wars. If there isn't an RIAA of industrial design, there probably soon will be