Useful things to be printed with a reprap
The entry of this week will focus in the real practical advantage of having a 3D printer. The idea is not just to spend between $400 and $1000 to have an expensive cool object on your desktop. We want a real revolution!
Unfortunately, to the date 3D printers have become sadly popular in the news about 3D printing guns by Mr Cody Wilson and his Defense Distributed group. The reality is, most likely guns will not be necessary anymore to anyone since we are talking about a civilized revolution (which is the really revolutionary concept!). The bloody type of revolutions are quite “passe”, so lets get to the constructive part…
From the moment you receive your 3D printer, a full landscape of creativity opens in front of your eyes…or maybe not. In this case, the repository located at www.thingiverse.com can be of much help to find some inspiration. However, the display, no matter how overwhelmingly wide it is, looks a bit…geekish? so, what if one is just an average person? What use can one give to this newly acquired wonder?
For this entry we have prepared a short list with some common objects that, once printed, will immediately pay back the investment, plus the great satisfaction of having one’s self involvement. We have made the comparison to the latest prices on Ebay, for convenience, and the link to their counterpart most similar thingiverse projects:
- A pair of cool ice cube trays: 2 x $6 = $12 (ebay price) (thingiverse project)
- A frame for the glasses: $10 (ebay price) (thingiverse project)
- A pair of sandals: $5 (ebay price) (thingiverse project)
- A cool smartphone case (a classic): $10 (ebay price) (thingiverse project)
- A cool soap dish: $5 (ebay price) (thingiverse project)
- A fancy flower pot: $18 (ebay price) (thingiverse project)
- A desk lamp: $40 (ebay price) (thingiverse project)
- A distinctive lampshade: $165 (ebay price) (thingiverse project)
- A set of knobs for the kitchen: 5 x $8 = $40 (ebay price) (thingiverse project)
- A door handle set for the car: $48 (ebay price) (thingiverse project)
- A set of wall switch and plug covers: 10 x $3’5 = $35 (ebay price) (thingiverse project)
So, with just one print per month (and about 1kg of plastic at $45), the ROI is guaranteed! Not to mention the advantage of having unlimited access to spare parts for life…
