When 3D Printing is (and is not) the Right Solution

This morning after walking the dogs I got a random call from a guy who wanted a 3d-printed “pebble” in clear plastic. I suggested instead he go to the glass works on granville island and get a bead of actual glass, and explained what 3d printing is good for.

To me, 3D printing is great when you have to prototype something in many iterations. Take my work, for example. Just this morning I made four different computer models of the Makelangelo 2 box because I kept making mistakes refining and improving it. See what I did there? That’s where it comes in really handy. The first time I printed the end effector for the four-armed delta robot I discovered that the bolts couldn’t be put in without overlapping in space. 20 minutes later I had a new one printed with the correction. If I had done that in metal I would be out several hundred dollars.

Of course I’m still willing to print anything in off-white ABS plastic. All you have to provide is an STL file of your model. Parts for my kits, stuff you want to prototype, or even parts from Thingiverse. Send me an email with your part and I’ll be happy to give you an estimate.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go use my other favorite prototyping tool – the laser cutter at the Vancouver Hack Space.