I started this new venture as a maker in April when I put my old, useless printer on the floor and realized with the A1 mini I could actually create viable models.
I’m still absolutely baffled by the complexity of models that are popular. I started under the assumption that using parts that were not 3d printed would represent more friction and lead to models being unpopular or having few downloads. MakerWorld is proving me wrong time and time again. As an impatient printer myself (as a user), I find it really surprising to see how many hours, filament and parts users are willing to put into a finished model and it’s honestly exciting.
I have not ventured too far into mixing hardware with prints myself (except for my fishing lures), but I think Bambu’s approach is incredibly clever both for the makers and users. My interest is piqued.
My only concern is that while I’ve spent a life writing all manner of software, I’m not a mechanical engineer… I build and fix bicycles, but that’s about it. How rough is my entry into this mixed-media world going to be? Should I expect to cry once a week, or almost every day? Once a week is ok for a hobby, but more often it’s straddling the ‘job’ territory.
I’m happy people aren’t scared of getting a little more involved with additional hardware. I don’t think it’s viable to make everything 3d printed, especially when moving parts are involved. I’m rather keen on Makerworld/Bambu’s approach in this front too, since it’s helping making getting the hardware easier than ever.
I think the combination of printed parts with actual hardware is doing a lot to take 3d printing from the proof of concept stage to actual producible products with longevity.
My only concern is that while I’ve spent a life writing all manner of software, I’m not a mechanical engineer…
Imagine what will be possible if / when MicroControllers like an ESP32 come into the Maker Supply Store. I guess the only thing we need to make it not too complicated for end-users would be a support to upload the binaries to MakerWorld and have an WebInterface on the models page to flash the ESP through it. In a similar way like the WLED LED Project offers it.
The only hurdle can sometimes be drivers on the private machines and the browser limitation. Especially Safari / Webkit often doesn’t support such things, but with Chrome based browsers it wouldn’t be a problem.
I was thinking the same thing when I noticed the maker’s hardware kit comes with a servo. I used to make little robots a few years ago using mostly picaxe controllers, so seeing a servo in the kit reminded me there is incredible potential for 3d printing robot bodies and parts.
Once bambu lab offers microcontrollers and a way to flash them, it’ll have incredible potential. Exciting times.
I was thinking of putting in a wishlist request for something like the sparkfun qwiic system. I mean the graphic at the top of that page shows it nicely. I would love to do some more advanced setups and stuff, but there’s certainly that issue of skill for the end user, and making it as easy as can be for them. Something like this could open up doors without requiring soldering skills!
I’m also surprised. A friend of mine asked if I could do a MOPAR clock for him and I decided to include a real glass cover for the clock face that has to be ordered from a specialty company. It’s nearing its second reward level for 20 downloads.
Small potatoes but still surprising. I thought using real glass that needs to be ordered would stop people from printing it. On the other hand, the glass looks amazing and really framed/complimented the print. I’ve got other designs in the works for the same glass now.
Who knows? Just for me, though, if a print really appeals to me, I don’t see ordering 3rd party bits to complete it as an obstacle. It’s just a delay.
Thanks for posting about Qwiic! What a cool system! Makes it trivial to create custom projects that others can just connect up. Really lowers the bar to entry. Very cool!
I got into 3D printing because of my hobby of electronics.
Initially for containers to house the components.
My tremors killed off my ability to manipulate many of the smaller electronics.
I also gave up on 3D printing for the same reason. I gave everything away, thousands of pounds worth of electronics, printers and tens of kilos of filaments.
When the A1 mini was launched, I decided to try it to see if I could use it. It turned out I could. Since then I’ve added the A1 (now recalled) and now the P1S with two AMS units.
I am going to dip my hand back into to some arduino circuits. My designs would be based on breadboard wiring as I can’t manipulate anything else and that will be hard enough.
I wrote code commercially for 35 years (desktop, web, embedded & mobile) before I had to close my business due to ill health. Coding is fun for me.
Arduino based electronics would blend the ease of use of 3D printers with electronic for the average person without previous knowledge.
Most people could connect an Arduino board to a USB cable and paste the supplied code into the Arduino editor to upload to the board.
I used to provide colourful wiring PDFs to my friend’s kids so they could use the projects I made. They were 10 & 12 at the time and they figured it out.
@Contributing_Factor - I think/hope you will be pleasantly surprised. It’s a learning curve for sure but each project will undoubtedly teach you something. Also, studying other projects that you like and how their creators did certain things is another great way to learn. And you don’t even need to print to learn from designs but that completes the circle especially for complex prints with support or other things.
If you want to create models, Autodesk Fusion is my go-to for design. It’s a complex program though and takes some getting used to, but once you learn what you need, it’s easy. One hint is it’s kind of procedural and recalculates a little like a spreadsheet. If you draw something up and maybe it’s a little wide or a hole is the wrong size, you don’t need to add/subtract new material to fix it. You can go back to where you originally created features and just edit them. The program then applies all the subsequent edits you had made past that point. Some things may not work but it’s a big time saver and makes for cleaner models.
Fusion is free to download and use as long as any income from your projects is below some specified threshold. Others use other programs like TinkerCAD, etc. It’s all what works best for you. I’ll also recommend Inkscape if you want to add graphics to designs by creating and adding SVG (scalable vector graphics) files.
Anyway, welcome and have fun. I’m always amazed when stuff comes off the printer created virtually from thin air and plastic.
I wouldn’t even wait for that. If you have favorite microcontrollers and ideas already, I’d say go ahead and get busy since models that use specific bits can help influence those being chosen to offer in their store - especially if your models are popular.
If you include sourcing information in the project description, it’s not that different from being a store item except users in some countries may have issues getting the parts. If you pick really popular microcontrollers like Arduino or Raspberry Pi (more computer than microcontroller), or other popular controllers, few will have difficulty getting what they need.
I just forayed into hardware models with a fidget button that needs just a pen spring or one of the Maker’s Supply springs. Downloads are comparable to my usual models
Thank you. You made me realize it’s a spectrum of hardware usage. I’m dipping my toe in with a project that uses a few screws.
EDIT: Here it is. What could possibly go wrong?!
