I received my first 3d printer last Thursday and after spending about 8 hours on Friday and Sunday assembling it I have used it to produce my first prints. As an engineer I have been hearing about 3d printing for years, but until you experience it first hand it is hard to understand the power of this technology.
![](https://cogitations.com/content/images/2018/10/P1020031.jpg)
Prusa I3 MK3 Built from a Kit ($749 from the Prusa site, $1000 assembled)
The first items I printed were basic test prints provided by Prusa. Then I experimented with downloading a design from the web, modifying it in a 3d CAD program (Fusion 360) and printing it on my new printer. While 3d CAD is not something you can master in an hour this exercise was very successful.
![](https://cogitations.com/content/images/2018/10/3d-part-modified.jpg)
The grey cable holder is the original the white cable holder was modified in Fusion 360.
After experimenting with 3d printing and CAD I started browsing the 3d designs at "thingiverse" a site for sharing 3d objects and found this delightful fully articulated, printed in place, butterfly. ([https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2810756](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2810756?ref=cogitations.com))
![](https://cogitations.com/content/images/2018/10/Image-2-2.jpeg)
printed on a Prusa i3 MK3 in Hatchbox PLA with 15mm layers and 20% fill
![](https://cogitations.com/content/images/2018/10/Image.jpeg)
remarkable how well the hinges work
This is all part of my journey to understand the "maker space", from making pens on a lathe, to 3d printing, to laser engraving I want to understand the potential of desktop fabrication and the business opportunities surrounding these technologies.
As part of this quest I am creating a new website/blog (drvax.com) and a youtube channel (drvax). Look for exciting announcements in January 2019.