95 3D Printing Fans Show Off Their Most Useful DIY Creations

3D printing, aka additive manufacturing, has been around since the 1980s, and, in a nutshell, it uses equipment to take a digital file and create a solid, three-dimensional object, layer by layer. The tech has come a long way over the past few decades, even if the hype isn’t what is used to be!

This technology is commonly used in the manufacturing and automotive industries. However, we are also seeing amazing applications in the medical field.

Meanwhile, 3D printing enthusiasts and hobbyists are making, well, pretty much anything they can think of, from toy models and proof-of-concept designs to functional parts to improve their homes.

It is predicted that the value of 3D printing will continue to increase along with its capabilities. It’s estimated that the 3D printing industry will be worth $84 billion by 2029.

“This growth means we are bound to interact with products — and even homes and buildings — made with 3D printing,” Built In writes.

3D printing, at its core, involves layering various materials (plastics, composites, bio-materials, etc.) to create whatever objects you want. Depending on what you use, you can make a product that can be super rigid or very flexible, too.

In some cases, 3D printing can be life-saving. For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic, some healthcare facilities used the tech to create protective equipment and to fix ventilators.

Meanwhile, this tech is also changing how prosthetics and implants are made, improving patients’ quality of life.

One of the biggest business upsides of 3D printing tech is that it allows companies of all sizes to create prototypes very quickly. In other words, it is a low-risk, cheap, and very quick way to test out a product’s efficiency.

Meanwhile, as 3D printing becomes ever more functional and precise, it allows for the rapid manufacturing of proprietary or inaccessible parts. Maintenance becomes much easier.

“Additionally, machines and devices wear down over time and may be in need of swift repair, which 3D printing produces a streamlined solution to,” Built In explains.

“Like functional parts, tools also wear down over time and may become inaccessible, obsolete or expensive to replace. 3D printing allows tools to be easily produced and replaced for multiple applications with high durability and reusability.”

The ‘Functional Print’ community has been inspiring and entertaining the internet for over a decade. Created way back in early 2014, it currently gets 136k online visitors every week.

At the core of this group is the idea that this is a place to share and discuss 3D prints that have a “specific, practical function or use in everyday life.”

According to the moderators who keep the friendly 3D hobby-related community running, there are a few main things to keep in mind before you start posting everything and anything in the group.

Underpinning everything is the main focus of the entire community: what you’re making and sharing online has to be very practical, not just aesthetic.

So, for example, the mods emphasize that ‘Functional Print’ is not a community for sharing so-called ‘dust collectors.’ In other words, if you have 3D printed an object that will sit on a shelf and do nothing but collect dust, this is not the group to boast about it. There are plenty of other online communities for sharing pics of those kinds of objects; it’s just not this one.

What’s more, ‘Functional Print’ is not the place to share 3D printed toys or games, unless you are modifying or repairing parts for already existing things.

You’re also supposed to move beyond decorative containers, holders, and stands. And you should avoid posting jewelry, ornaments, lamps, signs, and lithophanes.