3D Printing. Noob Impressions.

So I am quickly learning that some 3D prints are easier to accomplish than others.
Super solid things turn out well.

Things I printed today: 

• Namaste lotus pendant that broke- can't separate from raft. 
• A tiny Naruto figurine that broke! Then I re-printed it at 2000% scale. I will need to figure out how to make supports as gravity pulled the arms apart a little.
• cement truck
• cat-ears ring 
• lucky coin
• 2 mini shelves for my bulletin board
• a cat treat catapult
• cat pendant jewelry item
• Something in Orange that I won't say here because it is a gift. My first time changing the filament, which was easy and straightforward!

It took me several tries on jewelry items to figure out that I didn't want to place them on a raft. Other than 2-footed figurines that don't look like they will balance well, I don't see much use for rafts so far. I think it has to do with the texture of my printer plate. Many printers have glass plates that people put painters tape on so that their prints didn't slip around. This printer has a special non-slip surface. However, it does make taking things off the printing plate quite tricky.  I use a wall scraper and sometimes a hammer with that to chisel the items off the plate!

 

Makerbot's software is fantastic. Super easy to use for this newbie and I love that I can use it from my phone or an iPad. Having a camera on the device is awesome! I can see if the plate has been cleared before I start and I can also see if there are any problems with the filament.  I do wish the camera was mounted just a little higher so you could see better at the start.

I can really easily preview the items, arrange them on the printing plate, and scale and rotate as needed. The software is great for unloading and loading the filament too.

I've even learned how to put multiple items on the same print. 

So far, I'm having a blast.