45 3D Printing Fans Who Made Something Actually Useful And Had To Show Everyone
Every time a new technology shows up my first instinct is to wonder how it’s going to go wrong. It’s a reflex at this point. And then someone 3D prints a custom hook that finally solves the one cabinet door in their kitchen that’s been annoying them for three years and I’m reminded that most people just want to fix things.
That’s what’s cool about 3D printing. It started as this expensive, intimidating technology and somewhere along the way regular people got their hands on it and started solving problems that were too small for anyone else to bother with. A missing part. A better grip. A holder for the thing that never had a holder.
These DIY creations in the r/functionalprint subreddit are so cool that it makes me want to get my own 3D printer.
1. “I Designed And 3D Printed A Dog Wheelchair For A Strangers Dog, And Now I Get These Great Update Videos. Functional Printing”
2. “3D Printed My Wife A Vending Machine”
3. “My Cactus Was Leaning Heavily On One Side So I Made It A Crutch”
4. “I Designed A 3D Printed Mirror Array To Propose! The Mirrors Are Angled So That Just Before Sunset, They Reflect The Sunlight To Spell ‘Marry Me?'”
5. “Printed A Sisyphus Statue To Push My Tp Up A Shelf For All Eternity”
6. “Button Reducer For TV Remote For My Grandparents”
7. “I Created A System Of LEGO Compatible Wall Mounts”
8. “Would Y’all Consider This A Functional Print?”
9. “I Made These Spikes To Stop ‘Helpful’ People From Grabbing Me Without Consent”
10. “A Light Bulb”
11. “I Printed Some Two-Color Qr Coasters So My Guests Can Connect To The WiFi Without Asking Me For The Password”
12. “Cardboard Perforation Tool To Make New Folds/Custom Boxes”
13. “Quick Sunday Project To Stop Lid Avalanches”
14. “With My Desk Near The Factory Entrance, My Fingers Tips Have Been Getting Really Cold This Winter So I Piped The Waste Heat From My PC To Warm Them Up!”
15. “I 3D Printed A Toilet Roll Holder, He Is Holding His Breath”
16. “Mother-In-Law Asked If I Could Help Modify A Trike So My Niece’s Prosthetic Foot Would Stop Slipping Off The Pedal. Came Up With This”
17. “Gave My Echo Dot A Fun Vintage Flare :)”
18. “I’m A Woodworker New To 3D Printing. I Designed And Printed Pencil Magnets I Can Stick To All My Machinery So I Always Have A Pencil Handy. I Used 6×3 Mm Neodymium Magnets”
19. “Never Lose Them Again”
20. “My Country (Ireland) Has Separate Hot And Cold Water Taps. Here’s A Mixer To Get A Comfortable Temperature!”
21. “This Guy On Instagram Who 3D Printed A Helmet For His Cat So He Can Take Him Cycling/Motorcycling!”
22. “I Made A Headless Electric Violin For My Sister’s Birthday”
23. “I Discovered The Curvy Mode In Fusion 360 And Vase Mode So Now All Of My Lights Have Shades!”
24. “Switch Labels”
25. “Made A Credit-Card Sized Guide To Help Draw Organic Molecules!”
26. “Fractions Learning Purpose, Is It Still Functional?”
27. “I Got Tired Of Juggling All This Stuff While Working For The Census, So Designed A Few Cleats And Brackets And Made My Own Clipboard”
28. “I Got Tired Of My Sanding Pads Being Tossed In A Box, So Here’s My Solution”
29. “I Designed This Mini Ramekin Stacker – So They Stop Falling Over In The Cupboard”
30. “Twin Lamp Socket For Skate Lamp I Mada!”
31. “New Monitor Didn’t Have A USB Hub, Now It Does!”
32. “Nearly 50 Models On Makerworld, Some With Hours Of Design And This Is My Most Popular Model”
33. “I Was Tired Of The A/C Air Cooling My Blinds Instead Of Me, So I Made This”
34. “3D Printed Jacket Ventilation”
35. “Because, Honestly, Screw Those Buttons”
“How many times have you sat on your remote only to have it change to a channel that you don’t subscribe to? For every time that has happened to you I created this print. Begone, foul advertisement discussed as ‘convenience’!”
36. “Taking Consistent Pictures Of Trading Cards Made Easier!”
37. “Designed A Faucet Handle So I Can Use My Elbow Instead Of My Dirty Hands”
38. “Souvenir Baseball Display Tree”
39. “3D Printed Casing For Hdmi Connector. Original Was Unreasonable Big, So I Made Smaller One”
40. “Just Found And Printed This Beauty Of A Functional 3D Model – Wife Acceptance Factor Over 9000!”
41. “I’m Lazy And Didn’t Want To Bend Down To Turn My Steamer On Or Off”
42. “Been 3D Printing Face Shields Non-Stop For 4 Days For Spanish Hospital Workers Fighting Coronavirus”
43. “Household Task Planner”
44. “Broke The Neighbors Tool…. Maybe They Won’t Notice”
45. “Headboard Silencer Springs. When The Boats A Rockin, No More Knockin”
