Owning a 3D printer comes with the promise that you can just make some stuff yourself now instead of buying it from the store. At least, that’s what you tell yourself as you place your order for the magic factory box, but most of us don’t actually end up doing that at all.
In the end, it’s probably cheaper and easier just to order this stuff from a site like Amazon, but there are a few items that I do genuinely print from time to time and don’t bother buying.
Cable clips and organizers
Now I can get the perfect fit
I used to buy cable organizer gizmos from the store and use them all over the place, but after I got a 3D printer I developed the habit of printing them myself.
Not because I’m saving money or time. Cable management gadgets are cheap, and I can have them delivered in a day, or just drive down to the store. No, the reason I’ve started printing them instead is the diversity of solutions that people have come up with, and how simple it is to modify these designs for my own needs. Even just having the option to scale the size of the organizers to the measurements of the cables I’m using is worth going down this route.
Phone stands and charging docks
An oldie, but goodie
This is perhaps the most cliché 3D printer uses out there. The first thing I ever printed, well over a decade ago, was the classic tentacle phone stand. While these days I use a magnetic charging dock for my phone, there are still plenty of places where I like to stand my phone up.
But perhaps that’s too pedestrian for some, in which case it’s a good thing I also have a collection of handheld gaming consoles, as does my wife. She was looking for an original charging dock for her Sony PSP Go, but after realizing it would cost literally hundreds of dollars for an original, she found one online and printed it instead.
This made me realize that I could use a charging stand for my launch OLED PS Vita, and, would you look at, that there’s a model that I popped into my printer as I’m writing this.
Replacement game pieces and board game inserts
Checkmate, bad luck
I’m not a hardcore board-gamer, but I do dust off a few now and then to have a game with family and friends, which is usually when I realize something is missing from the box. The good news is that you can usually find replacement pieces for popular games, or whip up a crude facsimile and print it in minutes.
It’s also way easier if you like playing games such as Magic: The Gathering to make as many tokens as you need, and the local players will be impressed when you show up with those custom pieces on Friday nights.
9/10
- Build Volume
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10.4in x 10.4in x 10.4in
- Printing Speed
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500mm/s
The Centauri Carbon is Elegoo’s first core XY printer, going up against printers like the Creality K1C, Bambu Lab P1S, and Bambu Lab X1 but at half the price in many cases. This would seem like a joke if the printer itself wasn’t so competent and well put together.
Bookmarks
That’s not what it means to get lost in a book
As much as I love my eReader, I will never abandon physical books and currently have several hundred volumes in my collection. I like to read a little it of this and that, so I need to keep track of my place in many books. Sometimes I have to keep multiple places.
It turns out that printing your own bookmarks is an excellent solution to this, and my favorite of all time is The Bookshark Bookmark.
They are so thin that it takes just a few minutes to print one, and you can use different colors, which has its uses. There are many other bookmark designs of course, and while we are on the subject of paper books, there are other accessories like stands that can make for a nice blend of new technology and traditional paper.
Replacement battery covers and remote backs
I don’t like feeling naked batteries
My nicest TV has a sealed battery inside the remote and charges via USB, but I have lots of older and cheaper AV gear that still uses AA or AAA batteries and need a cover to keep them inside. I also have a habit of buying old CRT TVs, and if you’re lucky enough to get a remote with it, it almost certainly no longer has the battery cover.
Which is why it’s awesome that many people on sites like Thingiverse have taken the time to create models of common remotes, like the Sony RM-Y195 cover pictured above which works with several Sony Trinitrons. Sure, you can buy a third-party replacement remote for $12, or you could print the part for a few cents. I know what I’d do.
3D printer accessories?
I guess the last item on my list could be 3D printing stuff for my 3D printer. Does that qualify as “everyday items?” Well, once you own a 3D printer I’d argue it does. You can print purge chutes and bins, replacement clips and other parts, and even bed scrapers. The options are vast!
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
