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

Since it first took off, the 3D printing industry has reached a certain level of maturity, and the WTFFF 3D Print Podcast has been there since 2015 to document its development. After airing well over 500 episodes since it started, Tom and Tracy Hazzard finally wrap up Volume 3 of the podcast to make way for more exciting things to come. 3D printing has always been a part of Tom and Tracy’s lives....

After waiting to disclose, Tom shares a 3D printing project that he has completed for Amazon – the 3D Printed Echo Dot Holder Project. As a great real-world 3D product example, Tom takes us into the entire process of how the project came to be which involved rapid design and production. Amazon reached out for a product that will not only hold up their Echo Dot but support a brand as well. Tom shar...

After some time where things took a downturn, 2019 saw a resurgence of 3D printing. Tom recaps his trip to the CES 2019 and lets you in on the cool things to see this year. He talks about the advances in 3D scanning, 3D printing, as well as new applications and capabilities. Reflecting on where the progress of 3D printing is heading, Tom shares his thoughts on the future of the industry – from whe...

Former guest and STEM mentor Brian Bobbitt gives an update on the STEM education curriculum program and 3D printing. He shares his insights on the new generation of students and their capacity to pick up software and projects a lot faster. Complimenting his journey as an educator, he brings one of his students, Jacob Spurling, who gives a first-hand account of the school’s program while sharing so...

According to a recent report by Microsoft, girls and young women remain less likely to pursue education and careers in science, technology, engineering, and math; in short, STEM. In that regard, the lack of representation of women in STEM-related careers continues to grow as an area of focus. Mary Hadley from MakerGirl talks about their Girl STEM Education and mentorship program. MakerGirl is an o...

There are several markets now that are very viable for 3D printing, and that’s what Steve Crimi, CEO of Goldsol, Inc., is looking at right now. Steve, along with his business partner and wife, Brenda, sells lots of different products on Amazon in particular. He has spent his lifetime owning and operating successful businesses in the industries of electrical, energy efficiency, and LED lighting. St...

The story of a woman named Grace is something we can all relate to. Grace is an adult living in Texas and she was a first-time homeowner about two years ago. As soon as she signed the mortgage papers, she had every home security company on earth descending on their new home pretty much the day after they moved in. One particular home security system salesperson broke the plastic button that you pu...

“What does it going to take for 3D printing to top and be more wisely adopted by manufacturers of products to become a more integrated and integral part of manufacturing around the world?” This is the question that Tom was inspired to answer while watching an interview of the CEO of MarkForged, Greg Mark. Struck by his answer that points to the role of engineers, Tom goes and gives his take on how...

Technologies have truly evolved that something as expensive as a metal 3D printing machine can now be offered as a desktop metal 3D printing machine and be accessible to a number of audience with the help of media. However, this could lead to many people think of the industry lightly. Tom goes deep into the processes of two companies, Desktop Metal and MarkForged. He highlights their similarities...

We’ve seen 3D printers showing up in more dramatic TV series like Grey’s Anatomy in a recent season and among a lot of other TV shows. The general public has this perception that 3D printing is easy, but that’s just not the reality of it. It’s no surprise that the general public does not understand the amount of time, effort, and work it takes to go and make anything on a 3D printer that is a comp...

Any of you following the 3D print industry couldn’t help but see that an awful lot has happened in the courts and in the government with 3D printing, in particular regarding 3D-printed firearms. Cody Wilson was the first person to create a 3D printable gun and the plans for a 3D printable gun way back in 2013 or so. A big part of a documentary movie about 3D printing, Print the Legend, tells the e...

Dental technology has come a long way since you got braces back in 80s. Now with advanced dental 3D printing as an option, treatment for patients has grown faster and more reliable than ever. The possibilities of high resolution polymer 3d printing are truly endless, with companies fighting to dominate several areas, including digital dentistry. One such company is SprintRay, a 3D Printer manufact...

For hardware companies, it has become very challenging to compete in that market. Recovering rocket scientist Joan Horvath and hacker Rich Cameron team up to form Nonscriptum when they realized nobody’s doing any training and authored quite a few books on 3D printing. Joan shares that something that’s been really valuable for them is writing books and teaching 3D printing to try to change how peop...

Coming from the engineering sector, Blake Teipel, President and co-Founder of Essentium, has always been looking at how to advance supply chains and how to advance manufacturing solutions in a wide variety of industries. Partnering with BASF, Blake is disrupting traditional manufacturing processes by bringing strength and speed together without compromising the material set. He shares that they’re...

PLA filament has been the most common 3D printing filament, especially in desktop 3D printing in home and educational environments. The reasons are that it’s pretty easy to print, the temperature required to print is pretty low, and most importantly there are no toxic fumes that are emitted. A material that’s been in development for a number of years and has now become a formidable contender is th...

A recent article came out lately that said 3D printing marketplaces like the Shapeways won’t last. That not only does a disservice to Shapeways but the whole 3D printing industry as well. The truth is Shapeways 3D Printing Market offers tremendous value. It is a destination for consumers to shop for 3D printed goods or products. It’s a place where creators can put their 3D print models up and offe...

There have been a lot of changes in the 3D print market in the last year. Some new printers have come out that are really capable at a very affordable price, and there are some that have been discontinued. It’s important for an update and a rundown of some of the best 3D printers under $500. There are a lot of good options for a 3D printer under $500 if that’s your market. Whether it’s for you per...

There are a lot of different 3D printers available under $500 retail due to a lot of change in the market in the last year. A bunch of new players and a couple of Steady Eddies are doing really well. One of our favorite entry-level 3D printers has been discontinued. This brought on the realization that everything’s temporary, and if you’re not growing and moving forward, you’re shrinking and going...

3D printing is an absolutely wonderful process to create a product, develop it over time, and evolve it with flexibility. 3D printing is also absolutely right on the money and allows you to manufacture things a number of different ways. We reveal an important 3D print project that we have been working on, a Microphone Block, a real world project that we have done for our own business which has evo...

When you’re using your 3D printer and you encounter a problem, what do you do? In these situations, it’s always smart to initially employ self-service 3D printing. You try to figure it out and solve it yourself first. If that doesn’t work, you could call the company for tech support. A lot of times there are issues that the company can help you solve. However, all too often the manufacturers of 3D...

If you have been 3D printing for a long time, you are most likely one of those people who go through several spools of filament a day. The plastic that filament spools come in pile up over time and you don’t really know what to do with them. Steven Gall and his company Keene Village Plastics, one of the original filament manufacturers for the 3D printing industry, came up with a new filament deliv...

Running the world’s largest magic company, Adam Wilber had to create a lot of magic tricks for his repertoire. As a magician, he wants to create certain types of experiences for people that watch him. Adam discloses that the true magic of 3D printing lies in outsourcing creativity. He is able play within the world of magic, from idea to sketch to design and then to physical things that he uses. Ad...

With 3D printing where it’s at, more and more people are asking about the 3D print speed. How fast does it work? Some people think its magic like a microwave where you can heat something up in a matter of three or five minutes. The reality is it takes time to print something layer by layer. The higher quality you want it, the longer it takes. If you want better quality, 3D print speed does not rea...

Architects embrace and take on the course for the love of design and designing. Schools and universities teach you, but once you’re thrown into the real world, you find out that most of the time, architecture is more about codes and construction and less about the designing aspect. Dimitra Tampaki’s mind goes between the scale of a building to the scale of jewelry, and she has successfully pioneer...

The idea of a 3D printer with one nozzle and four filaments going into it is amazing, and the piece of hardware that comes along it would be as equally amazing because it would be able to print one object with four different and solid colors. This is still a complex area in the world of 3D printing and it would be understandable if the actual printer was not coming out soon. However, at the 3D Pri...