3-D printing has gotten a lot of buzz, sometimes pretty out of proportion to what it’s actually produced. (Custom chess pieces? Tiny figurines? Perhaps a bobblehead doll selfie?)
But the technology is just now reaching that critical stage when it starts to turn out some amazingly inventive, useful things. Things that open up new potential for hobbyists, scientists, and people who want to help others.
Here, three of our favorite 3-D printer projects that are really pushing the envelope of what can be done with a CAD design and a tube full of melty plastic. All of them are open source – a hallmark of the maker movement – so anyone can download the files and help improve the designs.
