50 Times People Took 3D Printing To Another Level And Made These Cool Things (New Pics)

Creativity can also help with mental health. Ruth Richards, author of “Everyday Creativity: Coping and Thriving in the 21st Century,” believes that creativity is strongly connected with self-actualization. The feeling of being engaged and in control is directly related to a person’s mental wellbeing. Without an outlet, people can feel trapped, depressed or burnt out. Humans who feel like they have some impact on their environment, like redesigning a room or painting a fence, are more resilient to some mental disorders. If you are not sure where to begin, some psychologists recommend finding a problem. A simple mental challenge, like finding ten ways to improve your workspace this month can help positively stimulate the brain. And if you do it right, maybe you’ll generate some useful ideas in the meantime. 

We also had the chance to ask the 3D Printing Guru about his journey with this topic. "In my experience the biggest barrier to entry for 3D printing is the misperceptions around the complexity and cost of the technology. Before the 3D printing boom around 2015, 3d printers consisted of high cost enterprise solutions and a handful of hobby printers which required a baseline knowledge around coding and most certainly did not work straight out of the box. Today in 2023, the learning curve and costs have reached historic lows. With this a new barrier has presented itself, knowing which printer to pick amongst all the competition that has popped up. Do you go with a name brand printer with a large support network? Or… do you go with a dupe at a lower price with less support? My advice? Do your research and don’t bite off more than you can chew. If you are less technically inclined, spend the extra couple bucks and go for the name brand printer with strong support. If you have an engineering background, are very patient, or just enjoy a challenge; think about opting for a lower cost, entry level printer and purchasing upgrades you can install to make it even better than the higher priced alternatives."

Like many others, he started 3D printing as a side business' that grew into an obsession. "I got involved in 3D printing in 2015 while I was in high school. I really wanted to buy a car as I was turning 16 soon, so I was brainstorming business ideas and got an ad for a Makerbot 3dprinter. I had some money saved up, but nowhere near enough to cover their high price tag. I did though, have enough to get a lower cost printer from XYZ 3D Printing; A “no name” brand at the time with proprietary materials. I quickly learned that working with a machine that used overpriced cartridges with chips that prevented you from using 3rd party materials was a mistake. I am fortunately technically inclined and was able to build a micro computer that could reset the chip with whatever information I pleased. This allowed me to leave the empty cartridge in the machine and feed in a 3rd party filament into the printer."

"Once I got used to the printer and dialed in my settings, I started to look for opportunities to make money using the printer. I decided to launch “TK 3D Printing” an On-Demand 3D printing service, servicing the greater New Haven county area. I would cold call business at the age of 16 asking if they could benefit from my services. I quickly realized there was a high demand for custom keychains, and that very quickly became my Niche. On that small 200mmX200mm print bed I would crank out over 1,000 keychains for companies. I had key rings ordered in bulk, a quality assurance process, and even some friends who helped with distribution. By the end of that year, i had scaled to 3 printers, expanded my offerings to include 3D modeling services, and had successfully bought my first car with a little money left over to customize it and make it mine. Today, roughly 8 years later, I have a degree in Marketing from Bentley University, I have worked at 3D Printing companies like Formlabs, and through my social media efforts, I have worked with almost all 3D printer manufacturers on the market."