WTFFF?! 3D Printing Podcast Volume One: 3D Print Tips | 3D Print Tools | 3D Start Point

For people born in the 1970's and earlier, shop class was the place that most students first learned to design, build, and create. Today shop class is on the endangered species list of educational programs. In this WTFFF?! episode brought to you live from the SoCal MakerCon show floor, Tom and Tracy spend some time with Gene Sherman, Founder and CEO of Vocademy, the world's first education focused...

Is Shapeways the best place on the internet to sell your 3D printed designs? Eric Ho sure thinks so, and he should know because he worked there as their Social Media Manager. Now he has a stable of designers that work with him to create original 3D printed memes (with a lot of Corgis!), and sells them in his Raw Legend Collaborations shop on Shapeways (ShopKeepCorgis). In this WTFFF?! episode Tom...

What does a coder and world traveler like Drew Taylor do when he falls in love with 3D printing? Well, of course he leaves his former career behind and starts Astroprint 3D Printing App Store. In this WTFFF?! episode brought to you live from the show floor, Tom and Tracy discuss how Astroprint is positioning itself as the "Android" of the 3D Printing space by providing apps to improve and enhance...

We first met Taj Chiu, then of Toy Builder Labs, at the first SoCal MakerCon. We sat down with her again to learn why she was exhibiting at this SoCal MakerCon in a Raise 3D booth. In this WTFFF?! episode brought to you live from the show floor, Tom and Tracy learn about the recent Kickstarter campaign, and printer advancements coming to the American 3D Printer market by Raise 3D. To send us a voi...

This year's SoCal MakerCon Convention attracted so many more attendees and exhibitors than last year that it had to be moved to a larger building a month before the show. In this WTFFF?! episode Tom and Tracy discuss their experience exhibiting, giving a talk on Makers Making Profits, and preview 9 upcoming interviews conducted live from the show floor. To send us a voicemail, go to 3dstartpoint.c...

In this WTFFF?! episode Tom and Tracy interview their own 6 year old daughter, Lannea, about her recent experience with learning CAD software and 3D Printing. They then discuss successes and the challenges of teaching a young child how to create and print their own models, and what the 3D printer manufacturers are still lacking to improve the learning experience and keep kids satisfied. To send us...

In just two years XYZ Printing has grown from a 3D Printing start-up to being the company to beat, with the best selling 3D printer world-wide! In this episode of WTFFF?! Tom and Tracy interview Phair Tsai, Business Development Manager of XYZ Printing. We learn about their comprehensive line of 3D Printers that starts with the entry level $350 Davinci Jr., which was featured at a "Mini Maker Faire...

The most frequent question we get is "What printer should I buy?" Closely related to that question is "How can I tell if a printer is going to be reliable?" In this WTFFF?! episode Tom and Tracy discuss the realities of 3D printer reliability, and how you can protect yourself from ending up with an expensive paper weight. To send us a voicemail, go to 3dstartpoint.com or wtfffpodcast.com or shoot...

If you have kids in school, then the science projects inevitably come home. In this WTFFF?! episode Tom and Tracy answer a listener's question who asks "Should we use 3D Printing as a tool to complete my kid's science project?" This is a great question and the answer may surprise you. Also covered in this episode is a cautionary note regarding kinds getting involved in 3D Printing, and using onlin...

Looking to buy a new 3D Printer? Considering all the options can be daunting, especially when it comes to what kinds of filament the printer is able to use. Some printers are happy to run any filament you want to run in them, while others will only accept cartridges loaded with their own filament. In this WTFFF?! episode Tom and Tracy answer a listener's question who asks "Should I avoid buying a...

In this WTFFF?! episode Tom and Tracy answer a question from their 3D Printing business mentorship winner, Kelechi from Nigeria. As he builds his business Kelechi is wondering how he will train his CAD technicians to produce great quality 3D Printable designs. Is that the best way to add design to your 3D Printing service business? To send us a voicemail, go to 3dstartpoint.com or wtfffpodcast.com...

In recent years so much has been reported about the fall of Detroit that we were surprised to learn that Detroit is now a hotbed of tech startups, revitalized US manufacturing, and a robust assortment of support companies. "Tech Town Detroit", as it is now called, is home to MakerOS. Tom & Tracy interview Mike Moceri, Founder and CEO of MakerOS, to learn how MakerOS is helping 3D Printing, des...

In this WTFFF?! episode Tom and Tracy cover a question that arose from their mentoring Kelechi from Nigeria. What is the difference between a Mentor and a Coach? No one knows everything, all business owners and entrepreneurs should seek experienced advisers to gain knowledge and guidance. 3DP business owners are no exception, in fact it may be even more critical to their success. Do you have a que...

In this WTFFF?! episode Tom and Tracy discuss a listener's question regarding what are the best practices for communicating effectively with customers? Especially in a service related business of providing designs for 3D printing, engineering, architecture, or even prototyping services, communication is key to customer satisfaction. Since it is much easier to keep a current customer happy than it...

In this WTFFF?! episode Tom and Tracy answer a question from a loyal listener from Brazil, Eduardo Martini. He asks when should he file a patent on his 3D Printed designs, and when did Tom and Tracy file for Patents on their designs? This is a great question that applies to all 3DP content creators. Do you have a question? Ask Us Anything! Leave us a voice message at our website hazzdesign.com or...

How does a 3D Printing service business get started, and what does it take to grow it to be meaningful and profitable? How do you decide what to charge, and what the lead time for your services should be? Should you discount your prices to try to gain business? How do you manage customer expectations? Adam Clark started Tangible Solutions in a garage with two printers in 2013, and now it is a thri...

In this episode, Tom and Tracy discuss the importance of finding the right trade show for your needs as they explain their experience at the 2015 San Diego Maker Faire. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to ask us any questions and to stay tuned for our upcoming SoCal Maker Con interviews in November!   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the WealthFit movement toda...

Once we started trying to print with a two-color machine, we quickly began to understand why there were so few such machines available on the market. Most dual extrusion 3D printers have two nozzles that move together in the same plane, causing prints to fail more often than not. We gave it s serious effort over a period of nine months before we gave up. Earlier this summer a 3D print colleague of...

3D Printing may be big here in the USA, but the scene in Canada is just as hot, in fact in this episode of WTFFF?! we learn that retailers in Canada are bringing 3D printing to average consumers in ways we have not yet seen south of the border. Tom and Tracy take a deep dive with John Biehler, 3D printing advocate, author, and adviser to Pinshape, into some of the exciting and unique ways Canadian...

3D Printed Robotics and Drones are all the rage these days. Companies developing them are racing to prove that their technology is better than all others. Our guests this week, Jesse Chang and Marc Gyongyosi, founders of two startups, MDAR and Intelligent Flying Machines (IFM), use 3D Printed Robotics and Drones to speed product development and keep costs down. Their advanced devices use motion co...

Who doesn't have a special memory of their favorite pet? In this episode of WTFFF?!, Ashley Saunders, Brand Manager of PetPrints 3D, shares how she and her partner, Mary Henin, turned their passion for pets into a successful and growing business using 3D printing technology. We learn about the process, challenges, opportunities, and what it takes to make Perfect Pet Prints. As fascinating as it wa...

It’s trade show Season! We are getting out of the studio to bring you cutting edge content right from the show floor. The Pasadena Convention Center was the perfect venue for the 3D Printshow California, the quality of exhibitors and seminars was much better than expected. We took our AV crew on the road to capture all the highlights. In addition to this podcast of the best of our on site intervie...

What printer should I buy? That is one of the most frequently asked questions we get at WTFFF?! Once you have decided to take the plunge and buy your own 3D printer, your head may spin as you weigh the options and ever-growing choices of 3D printers on the market. The multitude of features and benefits that differentiate each printer mean that there is no one printer that is a perfect fit for all...

Now that just about every one carries a smart phone, they have a powerful computer with a high resolution camera in their purse or pocket. Wouldn’t it be great if these high tech devices could take more than just flat pictures? Thanks to Bevel, by Matter and Form, your smart phone can now capture 3D Photos as easily as you check your email or Facebook page. You can even post your 3D Photos on soci...

Are you an entrepreneur looking to cut costs down on your next big venture? Curious how 3D Printing can help with that? Well in this Ask Us Anything segment, Tom & Tracy explain how expanding into 3D printing can create a more viable option for your entrepreneurial venture! We’d like to remind our listeners that we will be cutting down on our “Ask Us Anything” segments for the rest of Septembe...