Maker culture is alive and well thanks to an army of creators who are passionate about making things by hand. That's why 3D printing has started like never before. My interest in 3D printing started in 2018 when I was pretty deep in the weed creating everything from tabletop game accessories to phone stands to one cute mini Millennium Falcon. Since then, 3D printing technology has come a long way, and I've doubled in size and now I've moved on to 3D scanning and even laser cutting, which you can use to shape real-world designs out of leather and wood.
And right now, 3D printing know-how is more in demand than ever. Everyday citizens design and print PPE equipment to aid in the fight against them COVID-19.
Dan Ackerman / CNET
These could be headbands for plastic face shields, clips for surgical or homemade masks, and even hands-free door handle add-ons. Greater Companies like HP and Formlabs have also got involvedon a much larger scale. I have personally made a variety of fasteners for homemade cloth masks, face shield headbands, and myself designed a magnetic mask closure from scratch which you can find here.
Continue reading: Create 3D printed face shields, mask accessories, and other coronavirus tools
Sarah Tew / CNET
These creative tools, which range from affordable (under $ 300) to high quality (over $ 3,000), make great gifts for a creative person or 3D printing enthusiast in your life - or better yet - they are suitable excellent for making your own personalized designs.
If you've found the best 3D printer and are completely addicted to 3D printing, don't blame me. (But if you do, here's a practical one FAQ about 3D printing that should answer some of your questions.)
3D printers for beginners
Dan Ackerman / CNET
The ambitious da Vinci Jr. 1.0 A Pro is a step-up printer with a large 6.9-inch square surface and optional add-ons for both laser engraving and the use of specialty materials such as carbon fiber filaments. It is currently $ 450 on Amazon. The lack of built-in WiFi is a major problem, however, and for this price point, an unheated print bed is a serious void. Some of the company's printers are tied to proprietary filaments, but luckily they don't (which is good as the sample roll of PLA filament that came with it wasn't great).
Despite some additional bug fixes required during setup, I liked the modular design of the printer, its big, easy-to-use buttons, and frankly, the cheerful bright orange color.
3D midrange driver
High quality and professional 3D printer
Sarah Tew / CNET
I can't tell you how much I love the Glowforge professional 3D printer. Laser cutters can shape projects out of wood, leather, lucite and other materials, making them an interesting alternative to filament-based 3D printers. What's even better is that a 3D printer in the Glowforge only takes a few minutes to work.
I used it to create laser-etched LED lights, birch wood tool boxes and even a three-tier box for my Nespresso cases. There is a robust community of manufacturers who create and share files, but just about any line drawing you can create in Adobe Illustrator can be turned into a project.
The software is completely cloud-based which adds an added complication (you need internet service to use it) but the ability to make amazing gifts and amazing gifts from simple cheap 1/8 "or 1/4" plywood Creating more is pretty empowering.
Dan Ackerman / CNET
BCN's new printer is a much smaller desktop version of its more industrial, large 3D printer and a twin extruder model that allows two different reels of material to be used at the same time.
This allows you to either 3D print two copies of something at the same time, or use two different colors of material to create a multicolored 3D object. The build volume is huge too, at least when compared to the simpler models listed above.
I just unpacked the Sigma D25 so I don't have much time with it yet. The build quality, menu system, and the included custom version of Cura (a 3D slicing software) are all excellent. So far, the instructions and documentation, at least in English, are thin and setup is nowhere near as plug-and-play as some of the simpler printers on this list. I will update my impressions when I have more time with the D25 desktop 3D printer.
