Getting Started with a 3D Printer

3D Printing & Imaging Workshop
3D printed yellow plastic draft of the "Klein Bottle Opener" next to a finished model printed in brass and bronze from Shapeways.

3D printed yellow plastic draft of the "Klein Bottle Opener" next to a finished model printed in brass and bronze from Shapeways.

Early in 2012, I picked up an Ultimaker, put it together, and joined the growing ranks of 3D printing households. It has been an adventure both filled with reward and rife with frustration. The goal of this article is to share what I’ve learned while studying the DIY portion of the 3D printing realm. The focus is on budgets less than $2,500, with a goal of producing parts out of various kinds of plastic.

2013 MAKE Ultimate Guide To 3D Printing

  • 3D Printers Buyer's Guide — 15 Reviewed
  • Getting Started in 3D
  • Learn the Software Toolchain
  • 3D Design for Beginners
  • 3D Printing without a Printer

Buy now!

Just Released! 2014 MAKE Ultimate Guide To 3D Printing

6 thoughts on “Getting Started with a 3D Printer

  1. Mario says:

    I just received my issue on the mail and it’s great! However, there seems to be some text missing on page 16. Page 15 ends with the “Alternative materials” paragraph, and page 16 starts with “is Thingiverse (thingiverse.com)…”. Perhaps a layout problem with the picture at the beginning of the page?

  2. mattdonino says:

    I’m confused. Was this going to be an article? I see no way to continue or link to anymore content. The photo link gives a generic error message. Am I missing something?

    1. Craig Couden says:

      This page is a teaser for the original article. The full article appears in our Guide to 3D Printing special issue. The full article will be uploaded in the future, but for now it’s exclusive to the print version of the magazine.

      Not sure why the photo link is broken, though. Should link to the full-size image.

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Bill Bumgarner

Bill Bumgarner (friday.com/bbum) plays with high voltage, cooks with fier and water, incubates microbes, hacks code, corrals bugs with his son, and tries to make stuff do things that were never intended.

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