3d printing for beginners

Timelapse of one of my products printing while also writing this blog post

I can start by saying that opening up my first-ever 3D printer, the Anycubic Kobra Max, was an amazing feeling. The possibilities running through my head of what I could do and create with this machine were endless. I was amped up—absolutely ecstatic, to say the least. My plan was to print full-sized, wearable cosplay pieces using TPU and PLA filament. I knew I had to get acclimated to the machine and the slicer first, but I was so excited I didn't care—I just jumped right in. If you want to know how it is 3d printing for beginners then you are in the right place.

Learning how it worked became fun. I remember my first pre-sliced print: that famous perched owl. I literally watched the nozzle lay down layer after layer after layer until it was done. I was fascinated, intrigued, curious, and kind of confused all at the same time. How could this machine create such a cool thing with such precision—right in the living room of my one-bedroom apartment? How is this tech so good? Well, I quickly learned that while it was amazing, it also had its flaws.

1. You have to make sure your first layer is solid, or else...

2. No slice, no dice. If you don't know how to use your slicer, you won’t get good, clean prints.

I'm not going to list all the other flaws, but trust me, there are a lot. The point is, I started to see that this was oddly similar to that Fushigi ball I bought years ago, thinking it would basically be magic right out of the box. But this time was different. I was determined to master it.

A few months went by, and I had somewhat figured out how to use Tinkercad, make simple shapes, and print them. I could solve small problems around the house—like sharp corners on my glass coffee table, for example—by printing corner protectors for my dog's safety. I made small hooks, shower towel hangers, and even coasters.

Then disaster struck. My printer started tweaking out, shooting filament not onto the plate, but upward into the nozzle. I tried everything to fix it, from cold pulls to cleaning it out with a needle. Nothing worked. So, I abandoned my hobby.

Fast forward about eight months, and I decided to tinker with it again. That’s when I realized I needed a new nozzle and hot-end. I bought one for 17 bucks on Amazon, replaced it, and—bada bing, bada boom—I was back in action, baby! I printed so many things after that, with more failed prints than successful ones, but I kept at it. My print quality was okay, and the speed was pretty darn slow, but the fact that it took digital property and turned it into physical property—like a gateway between two worlds—was still so cool to me.

Then life butted in again. I got busy moving to a new place in the middle of February { -_- } but now, I had an extra room to fill with items from my new hobby. So, I bought two tables, a new laptop, and the Bambu Lab A1 AMS combo 3D printer. When I say this thing blew my mind, it really blew my mind! Every single print was crisp, smooth, and insanely fast—like Tesla Plaid launching from 0 to 60 in Ludicrous Mode fast.

I loved how easy and simple it was so much that I decided to start a business. But that was just the beginning of my stress. Now, I’m learning how to use Blender... haha (nervous laugh). But I’ll save that story for another time.