When I first started downloading and printing for the sheer joy of being able to see random cool objects come into existence I created bins full of random Benchy’s, fidget toys, and other random things. Not to mention failed prints due to inexperience!
Nowadays I rarely download anything but instead create my waste by the trial and error that has come wth trying to make things for myself.
I think that the waste is part of the process, and while it can be minimized it can’t be avoided. What I am trying to work out though is exactly what is the “normal” amount of waste one could expect when 3D printing. Of the YouTube video channels I have followed, it seems to me it is more than reasonable to expect to be printing both test parts and iterations on an idea. I feel it is same to assume nobody is creating a file and printing it perfect the very first time. Well nobody who is creating anything worth printing anyway. I also am sure that is always a good habit to create test parts to check fit and such before committing to the final print.
This question has really formed in my mind from seeing threads of conversation on Reddit that always respond to multi-colour prints with derision about “poop”. The idea always seems to revolve around the idea that one can create something by 3D printing without generating any waste. I can agree that on the user side one can minimize the plastic used to print something but I think that those who are taking that stance are ignoring what it took to let them have that print file in the first place.
Either way, I am not trying to vilify plastic or the use of it. I am going to keep printing. I am going to assume anyone here is also going to keep printing.
(I think I am starting to ramble, so I will stop and hope this makes sense to those who see it.)
I used to do a lot of woodworking. Woodworking creates a lot of waste between sawdust and cut-offs. It is a major concern for serious woodworkers.
I first bought a Bambu Lab printer because the idea of printing in multiple colors was very compelling. I have designed things using as many as eight different filaments. When I compare the models of those who insist on printing one filament at a time and then assemble the colors in an assembly, I find that those models with the parts printed in place tend to be of noticeably higher quality. And, of course the parts always fit when printed in place rather than being assembled afterwards.
The plastic poop is just part of the process. Every manufacturing process has wastes to deal with.
Just a thought, you can ‘minimise’ waste by adding a model to the build plate and telling the slicer to print it with the purge material.
So, add a fidget spinner or any other model where the presentation is less important. It will still be a quality finish, but formed of the waste matter that would otherwise be ejected. The final appearance can be quite beautiful.
You can then give the, away if you get far more than you have hands.
I only created sawdust in my few attempts at woodwork but this is the first thing I always think of when it comes to the complaints about waste. I can’t think of any creative hobby that doesn’t generate at least some amount of waste, especially when you add in the argument about “trinkets and other useless objects” to the mix. I am just going ahead and assuming those who complain about fidget toys or flexi-whatevers are also against drawing, painting and other uses of paper.
I really am of two minds of multi-colour printing vs. model type assembly when it comes to that aspect of printing. I like both. I think that multi-coloured printing in place allows for a more solid model which I appreciate having when it comes to something that I can hand out without worry that my glue job is going to fall apart. I typically use PLA for the fun things and I find glue just doesn’t always hold the way I expect. I am sure that it can boil down to method and glue selection but it call all be avoided by the multi-colour process. I look forward to the next generation multi-tool printers and will invest in one sooner or later. On the other hand with well crafted multi-parted prints I love how clean the lines between parts can look. A robot printed from multiple parts can look a lot like one I would buy in a store!
I keep thinking about dragging a box or two to my day job to see if I can get away with leaving it there to give away.
By day job I mean my job, because while I dream of letting my hobby help at least pay for itself, I am not there yet. It would be so cool to actually get way with calling my job a day job though for real though!
I call my printed waste storage “the box of shame.”
Yea I don’t see how it can be avoided entirely, but I’m certainly conscious of it. For multi-color of course something like the Vortek or a tool changer can make a nice difference. For me the most waste is by far from prototypes/tests (if that can be called “waste”), followed by failed prints, with purge/calibration a distant last. I don’t do much multi-color/material, but when I do, with an H2C the extra waste (vs. single material) is minimal anyway.
Overall I think plastic waste is one of the banes of modern society, so the irony of owning a plastic-printer isn’t lost on me. I somewhat justify it by being able to make exactly the items I need, vs. buying the closest equivalent (which is often a compromise, if one even exists). If it’s more useful or more sturdy or whatever then in theory it will be useful for longer as well. Hopefully the total impact is at least a wash in the end.
I was disappointed to find out this plastic isn’t as easy to recycle as “household” plastics. (I’m well aware of where a lot of our “recycling” ends up in the world, so… yeah.) There are no filament recyclers anywhere near me, but hopefully that can become more of a thing. Turning the waste back into at least “prototyping grade” filament would be potentially nice.
Wood waste is also painful of course, especially with prices these days for anything decent, but at least it won’t still be around 1000 years from now or be collecting in our brains. Due to the material cost (and possible prep time), I also tend to “make it work” even with an imperfect cut or fit, whereas I’m more likely to re-print something until it’s exactly how I want it.
I can’t imagine anyone can avoid at least some amount of waste. At least with 3D printing my waste is less than my attempts at woodwork!
I think I just need to spend less time Reddit. I wouldn’t even be really thinking about this much if it were not the constant barrage of people complaining about perceived waste by others.
An adjacent question plastic waste. Does anyone else struggle with perceiving what exactly a 3D model is really going to look like when looking at it on screen? Right now I find I really don’t fully understand the object until I print it and can hold it in my hand. Something about holding, turning and examining it helps me fully appreciate things like size and how pieces really fit together. It seems stupid or at least think or something though to need to hold it when all I need to know really is in front of me on my screen. Do any of you have tricks to help fully understand what you are looking at before you go ahead and print it?
(As I am typing this I am wondering if a banana for scale would help me. I suppose I can both print an object and load it into FreeCad or Bambu Studio. I try to use a ruler, but maybe a fully 3D object that I can turn around both in my hands and on the screen can let me compare without having to print everything else every time just to see what it is really is going to look like in real life.)
Personally, I don’t struggle with perception of the outcome. Just as I don’t struggle with the outcome of a wood working project. I see it in my head and make it become something I can hold. 3D printing takes away a bit of that control by using the machine, but I still see the outcome.
I wouldn’t even be really thinking about this much if it were not the constant barrage of people complaining about perceived waste by others.