What do you use your 3D Printer for the most?

[JamesTuthill]

Right now I don't see too many practical uses for 3D printing at home. I was wondering what you guys all use your printers for he most. Perhaps you can give me some ideas of what I could be doing with it.

[MeoWorks]

I do agree there aren't many practical uses for it in the home unless you specifically design your own parts or art and want to print them out. Aside from that, why print a fork when you can just go buy one that's cheaper and metal?

I use it mainly to rapid prototype my 1/6 scale sculptures and figures before transferring them to wax for finishing and detailing.

[MysteryAlabaster]

I design custom parts for airsoft guns and make large novelty items to sell.

My latest project is a 27' scepter with a head on the top and a jewel on the bottom.

[MeoWorks]

Nice! Do you have any links to your airsoft parts?

[MysteryAlabaster]

Nice! Do you have any links to your airsoft parts?

Sorry but everything I've made so far has been for personal use only. Once I get a bit better at it I'll start making things for public use.

[ralphzoontjens]

I'm a product designer so I use it for quick early prototypes of parts that I design. This allows me to get better insight in the visual and mechanical properties, and to some extent test the products in actual use. I also do some 3d design, more artistic work, for which the 3d printer allows me to see how the object looks in real life, with all the imperfections that the 3d printing process introduces to the object such as layer stepping and support structure removal marks. I can then adapt the model for example by aligning certain details and lines in the model better to the lines created by the printed layers, or to change the scale of certain details so they come out better.

If you really can't think of anything at least you can experiment/hobby/toy around with it. Create a few objects every week, and I'm sure through such creative processes you'll naturally evolve a better idea of what you could do with it. Creating toys is an excellent purpose for 3d printers at the moment - design some interesting new toys and sell them to parents you know, for example. Or you could experiment with the technical side of 3d printing and help the community grow by developing better 3d printers for more and more affordable prices.

[QuiveringToad]

I mostly use mine for having fun. I just like experimenting by changing designs around, scanning in already created things and then redesigning them. I must say that if you were to walk into my house you would immediately know that I have a 3D printer, by all the plastic things I have laying around. I think it's fun. I know that right now it's not that practical, but in the coming years I think we will see more and more practical things that can be printed, and more and more cool designs that become available.