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Do You Need a 3D Printer for Basic Household Needs? By Sarah Duke.
We’ve often heard futurists talk about using 3D printers for medical needs, like printing custom organs or making prosthetics. Some companies are even 3D printing houses. But what if you wanted to use it for more basic items, like household needs. Will this technology be a good choice?
What Household Items Can You Make?
When you have a 3D printer, you will be able to make a wide range of household items. For example, you might be able to use it for kitchen items like measuring cups and coasters. You can also use it to make things for your home office, like pen holders or outlet protectors. This article goes into more depth about the household projects that your 3D printer can help you with.
While these are some of the most common examples of household items, they aren’t the only options that you have at your disposal. Almost anything you can make can be 3D printed. But if you don’t want to design something yourself, there are hundreds of free online designs to choose from.
It should be noted that most of these items can be bought from a local store. But there are a few advantages to printing them yourself. First, it will allow you to express your creativity. You will be able to find a basic pen holder in any office stationery store. But what about one that is shaped like your favorite pet? While this can seem like a trivial point, it can be a great benefit to your mental health. It can help you maintain a positive attitude, even when faced with a difficult day at work.
Another big benefit is that you will be helping the environment. When you purchase something from the store, it comes with a lot of plastic packaging, which will need to be discarded, getting sent to a landfill. Plus, it will burn fossil fuels to transport it to the store. You won’t need any of these contaminants when you are printing at home. There are even machines that allow you to make filament out of recycled materials.
Finally, you might want to use the printer to extend the life of your household items. A common example of this is when you need to get a replacement part. If the warranty has expired or the part is no longer being produced, you are in trouble. You might need to throw away and replace the whole item. Or you can design a new part and create it with your 3D printer.
Is 3D Printing At Home Cheaper?
The finances involved with 3D printing can’t be ignored. It will often determine whether printing at home is a good choice. This will often depend on what you are seeking to print and your setup. The materials you are using also play a big role, as this article discusses. Sometimes, you will be getting a custom-made part or something that needs to be ordered online. When you factor in the shipping costs, it’s probably easier to manufacture the part at home.
But if you are talking about a small generic part, it’s often easier and cheaper to purchase the part from the store. Don’t forget, you need to factor in the costs of electricity when you are running the machine. However, if you are using solar power and make your filament from recycled plastic, there won’t be any significant printing costs.
Will a 3D Printer Become a Household Necessity?
The future of this technology remains relatively unknown. But, while their current state is useful, it remains a relatively niche item. Before it can become more widespread, some things will need to change. First, the printing speed will need to be improved. It should be able to print most items within a few minutes.
The interface will also need to be improved, to make it easier for ordinary people to use. It will need to be seamless to select and print an item, rather than having to design and slice it on the computer first.
While these changes will be challenging, it won’t be impossible to make these adjustments. Should they happen, mass-market adoption could occur very quickly. A good example of these concepts being applied is CoreXY. They have gone out of their way to make their printers as easy to operate as possible. This is why they have become a hit both at home and in the office. If you want to learn more check out this list of CoreXY 3D Printers.
Conclusion
Once you start to use a 3D printer, likely, you will quickly discover how useful this technology can be. You can make a huge array of household items, everything from desk ornaments to cups and cutlery. Everything you produce will be customized to suit your needs. Because of this, many people with 3D printers report using it every few days.
By, Sarah Duke
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