3D printing

My passion for 3D printing started back in 2021. My wife bought me an Anycubic Photon Mono, a resin printer. I was very enthusiastic about it. It could print literally anything out of liquid resin! Well, as long as that anything fitted inside the vat, which was quite small! Resin printing is how I got into the hobby, but despite the initial boost, I did not print as much or as often as I would have liked.

You know, resin printing is messy. Very messy. Resin can easily spill if one is not careful. It requires patience, preparation and equipment. Resin is also toxic and cannot be inhaled, especially for longer stretches of time. It requires to wear PPE such as a respirator and nitrile gloves, and the printer itself should not be left in living quarters. A 3D model also needs to be pre-supported, a task that requires intent and time; and after being printed, the item needs to be washed with alcohol (which also emits toxic fumes), and then cured with UV light. All while consuming an inordinate amount of paper towels to clean every surface. Oh, and the printer really does not like a cold environment, so it needs to be warmed up to be toasty so that the resin can maintain a good enough viscosity. At the end of the day, the whole printing process is very cumbersome! At least, it was at the time. Nowadays, resin printers manufacturers are making giant leaps and making the hobby easier and less messy every year.

Nevertheless, that’s how I got into FDM printing. That is, printing with filament, i.e. plastic. I got myself a Bambu Lab A1 in December 2024 because I wanted to build a small encloser for my home server. Oh boy, I was clueless! I printed PETG with PLA settings! But regardless, the print finished, it was fast, it was simple, it was straightforward. No mess, no extra cleaning. I could touch the printed item with my bare hands without worrying about its toxicity. I fell in love.

Shortly after, I started printing all sorts of things. I started learning CAD, and bought a Shapr3D license to keep designing my own models. I printed stuff for the house: brackets, socket covers, containers, organisers. Then I started printing fun objects: flexi animals, articulated dragons, fidgets, and the amazing N3D poke balls. The next year I started attending craft shows, selling my abundant stock of vibrant and colorful items. I adored them. And above everything, I enjoyed seeing the expression of pure wonder on people’s faces when they discover how such objects come into reality.

With the help of my wife, I attended more shows, started a small independent side business called Filament Owl, created my own brand, and of course bought more filament, more materials, more equipment, more printers. Right now, my garage is a full-fldged 3D printing workshop. Needless to say, I spend more than I earn, but I see this business as means to fuel my passion. Making money is not my goal. Funding the hobby is my goal, at least most of it!

I could have not done it without the help and support of my wife, who is ultimately responsible for starting my addiction! All I can say is thank you - and I want to invite you in reading further about my progress and journey throughout articles I will publish.