WTFFF?! 3D Printing Podcast Volume One: 3D Print Tips | 3D Print Tools | 3D Start Point

By the year 2020, it’s expected that over 50% of the business world will be freelancers. If you think, “Oh I’ll just go out and freelance,” think again because it takes some planning to be successful. Sharing our top three freelance tips, especially if you are going to consider 3D print design freelancing.

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A huge “Thank you,” to all our loyal listeners who made this major milestone possible. Giving a little update for those new to the podcast to explain what the WTFFF?! is all about!

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Checking back in with MatterHackers since our last episode with them, we wanted to talk more generally this time and get a feel for the other things they are working on and where their growth is. They are simplifying the user experience and really developing a plug-n-play system with updates to their MatterControl platform. With over 300% growth from last year to this year, they are definitely headed in the right direction.

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Are the file sites on the side of the little guy? Based off what’s happened to Loubie on Thingiverse, where another company took her (and many other designers) files, printed them, and sold the product for profit on Ebay, it does not seem so.

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Tracy’s back to try and “Out-tech Tom,” as listener Vicky Somma put it. How to manipulate your 3D printer settings and G-codes to pause a print. Not a beginner topic by any means, but valuable information for printer companies to know what customers need and that a significant amount of users are wanting specific features such as print pausing.

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Contemplating the many challenges of the 3D print design market, such as trying to appeal to a market that doesn’t even know 3D printing exists yet, or that they need or want 3D printed products. Is it the right move to gain investors, or wait the market out a bit more to when it has truly tipped? Should we go against our own advice of market proofing first?

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In response to our episode with Hector from 3D Shook, Joseph, a long-time listener said he was really happy with Hector’s response to our question about being worried about his STL files being distributed unfairly or stolen essentially. Joseph said he feels that our crippling fear of people stealing our designs is hurting us and not helping the 3D printing industry either.

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It’s Tech Tuesday, and today’s question is, “Is it possible to make a 3D print where you print part of it and put some other object of a different material into the middle of your print and keep printing over it? So you encapsulate it or capture something in your 3D print.” It brings up a lot of points of whether or not that part could be damaged or how it fits in there. or if you’re going to hurt your...

Long-time listener Eduardo Martini of Brazil recently posed yet another challenging question to us, “Is anybody actually selling anything in 3D printing? Not just giving it away, but selling?” While some designers are making money selling 3D printed products, the market and marketplaces for these designs might not be ready enough yet for you to quit your day job.

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In this WTFFF?! Episode, Tom and Tracy have found a great educational project for teachers and students. There is a lot of potential here for creating it into a larger lesson plan about time, geography, and of course 3D printing and 3D design. What they are talking about is creating a digital sundial, a little ironic considering sundials are analog by nature. Mojoptix, the designer, has great videos to walk students through the cre...

In this WTFFF?! episode, Tom and Tracy have an interview with Clay Guillory of Titan 3D. And that is a big printer; there is a reason they call it Titan. It’s not even just big; it’s built, too. That thing is like a tank. We were really impressed with it when we saw it at CES. I started talking to Clay while we were waiting around, and they are in Colorado Springs. They are in our sister’s backyard and I was thinking we had to get ...

Tom & Tracy received many tweets and emails in response to their last episode on Countertop Food 3D Printers. In fact, the responses were so positive and informative that they decided to follow up with this WTFFF?! episode to discuss and share it with everyone. There are several more Countertop 3D Printers to note, available through Kickstarter campaigns or direct from manufacturers for 3D Printing food, chocolate, pancakes, a...

In this WTFFF?! episode Tom & Tracy answer a technical and practical question from a listener who prints the same type of objects over and over again. The question is: Why does a part that I have printed regularly and successfully over a long period of time all of a sudden have problems when I go and print it?

That always surprises me. We’ll get a print off the printer, and there are gaps and holes and things. But we just prin...

In this WTFFF?! episode Tom and Tracy discuss some exciting news coming from the Toy Fair in New York. There will be a 3D print version of the ThingMaker, which is a Mattel toy from the ‘60s. Mattel has recognized the opportunity with modern desktop 3D printing. They are reviving the name of the ThingMaker and the concept of kids making their own toys, this time using 3d print technology. Is Mattel just jumping on the band wagon, o...

In this WTFFF?! episode, Tom & Tracy discuss if there are any desktop, less expensive food printers, in particular chocolate printers?” I can totally understand because the idea of making lacy chocolate designs and other intricate things that are hard to do by hand sounds great. How fun would that be? Besides, it’s chocolate. Who doesn’t want chocolate?

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They have developed this specialized ring box that you put your engagement ring in when you are going to propose. It has a camera in it, and you hold it up as you’re down on your knee, and it videos her entire expression, reaction, and everything. They even teach you howto use it properly; there is a video that teaches you how to hold the box so

In this WTFFF?! episode Tom and Tracy interview Scott Brandonisio of Ring Cam. They use...

In This WTFFF?! episode Tom & Tracy discuss a research study by the University of Texas that conclusively determines if the fumes from 3D printing plastic materials are harmful. While many of us have believed that ABS fumes are bad for us, and that PLA is safe, we have not really had any scientific evidence to back that belief up. Tom & Tracy dig into the details and share the results with you.

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Happy Mardi Gras! In this WTFFF?! episodes Tracy asks Tom “How come you never make me anything?”

I always say how you never make me anything, but it’s really not true. You did make me something for Mardi Gras. Not for Valentine’s Day, mind you, but for Mardi Gras. We had the opportunity to be on a Game of Thrones Mardi Gras float in the parade in San Diego this past weekend. And you made me a Melisandre necklace. You’re going to ...

In This WTFFF?! episode Tom & Tracy discuss this guy on the Carolina Panthers team who is playing in the Super Bowl. We don’t actually know the outcome of the Super Bowl yet. But this guy Thomas Davis broke his arm in the NFC Championship game, and he had surgery the next day and had a whole bunch of screws put in the bone of his arm to hold it together. Theoretically, he can play, but he will probably be in quite a bit of pai...