For our first installment of this column, we’d like to introduce our home 3-D Printing lab, which occupies the corner table and a few buckets of filament nearby. We’re working on upgrading to a dedicated cabinet and installing a second unit; that’s how bullish we are on this new technology. That’s not to say that our setup isn’t absolutely “for dummies.” If we can do it, so can you.
Our Setup: The Prusa i3 MK3S with MMU2 attachment
We purchased the MK3 as a kit in October 2018. It had won several awards (All3DP & 3D Printing Industry), and after reading up on the project, it was clear that we were going to drink Josef Prusa’s Kool-Aid. What’s even more disturbing is that each kit comes complete with a bag of Haribo gummy bears — I’ve been waiting for a sign that Prusa Research is aware of the Amazon Reviews on the sugar-free form of these, but they’ve yet to reveal that they’re in on the joke.
The assembly was clearly documented by the Prusa team — quick shout out to Jakub Dolezal at Prusa Research for an incredible feat of technical writing. We began printing armies of Benchies and articulated slugs to test filament brands and plastic types, eventually settling into a comfortable rhythm. We’ve since learned to customize STL files via TinkerCAD, a user-friendly approach that allows for tons of utility despite it’s simplistic look. We’ve created a custom trophy for our local trivia night, and they’ve been a big hit.
Flash forward to now, and we’re ready to feature some of the best printable files that we’ve found out there. We’ll feature our favorites each month and let you know what we love about the print and how we use (or plan to use) them. We’ll try to get in touch with the creators and maybe get a little bit of an interview format with certain designers. Let us know what you think at [email protected].
This month’s pick: Steampunk Alphabet at Cults 3D
So let’s go ahead and discuss the elephant in the room. This is a paid download. It’s not free. It is, however, a full alphabet capable of multi-color printing, and it’s just completely sick. The designer has a deep catalog on Cults 3D and has released multiple creations over the past few years. About half of the alphabet is available free on the site, and the other half will set you back about $35 USD. We just forked out the money today so that we can fully emphasize that some things are worth dishing the money out. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be printing a large-format “CYBERPUNKS.COM” for the wall, and maybe even incorporate some lighting options by keeping the body transparent. We’ll keep you updated, but for now, be sure to check out the links below for the free (and paid) versions of Steampunk Alphabet. Don’t let the name fool you, this design is CPAF.
