Here at Build Ninja, it’s no secrets that we’re 3D printing enthusiasts. We love the fact that 3D printing makes manufacturing easy and achievable for everybody. Gone are the days where you would have huge minimum runs to make something cool – with 3D printing, it’s easy to print one model, although of course it can always be scaled up, too.

Plus, the options for what can be made with a 3D printer are almost limitless. While here at Build Ninja, we are partial to car parts like our gauge clusters, as well as storage options like our makeup holders, there are people all over the world doing amazing things with 3D printing – even printing body parts! What makes 3D printing so amazing is the flexibility of printing materials. Everything from plastic, wood, metal, and more!

But how does it actually work? Well, probably the hardest part is actually designing what you want to do. This is usually done on a laptop or PC, on one of many different software packages available. It’s not secret that our Build Ninja CAD guru, Gary, is pretty good at this step of the process!

Once the design is sent to the printer, basically 3D printing involves splicing objects up into hundreds, or even thousands, of tiny little layers which are printed one after each other. It sounds pretty easy, but there’s a bit to making sure that it prints correctly, including making sure that the temperature setting is correct, that the object prints solidly, and that the layers are the right depth. Of course, it’s also important to make sure that you choose the right material for your object (and pick a colour you like!)

From here, it’s pretty much just a matter of keeping an eye on it while it prints. We’re not going to lie – it can be a little bit like watching paint dry since it’s not the fastest process! Nonetheless, it’s pretty cool to watch something come alive bit by bit, and we do really enjoy watching our printer in action in our 3d printing lab in Adelaide!

To give you an idea, here’s a short video of our printer in action making an exciting new part: