Let’s begin with the obvious; you’re here because you already know a thing or two about 3D printing. So I won’t waste your time pondering whether it is or is not the next industrial revolution, over-hyped vaporware or merely a new way to make sex toys. Instead, I’ll waste your time telling you why I’m here. I was first introduced to additive manufacturing in the 1990s watching shows like Beyond 2000 and The Next Step. It was crazy stuff to watch a physical object slowly emerge out of a liquid pool of goo (sterolithography technology that we now see in home printers like the FORM 1, was one of the first rapid prototyping techniques). But with equipment costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, there was little point in hoping to have one of my own.
I first encountered a 3D printing face-to-face in 2001 in the form of a commercial refrigerator sized box that used fused filament fabrication (FFF) with dual extruders to squidgy out thin layers of ABS and soluble PVA. It was remarkable . . . and expensive. I remember being told that the machine cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $50,000 to $75,000, and as a student I was charges about $60 an hour to use it. In 2004 however, I left the world of design to pursue other things, and it was with delusional glee that I would tell others about the magic of 3D printing. Trying to explain myself was tough, especially in the days before YouTube provided me with videographic proof that I wasn’t insane.
Finally in 2006 and 2007 rumblings began to surface of a project that was successfully slogging towards a fully functional desktop 3D printer; the RepRap Project. RepRap would eventually give birth to many of the myriad printers we see on the market today (including such successful and laudable machines as the MakerBot line of printers). Even those printers which forsake FFF in favor of other methods of fabrication owe a deep debt of gratitude to RepRap if only because of the levels of interest and exposure it helped to generate.
We all know that at this moment, the realm of at-home 3D printing is still very much in its infancy, and I am optimistic that the future for home fabrication is bright. Part of that bright future will include more and more printers that are ready to go right out of the box with minimal fuss and minimal headache. And that’s great! I’m really excited for to see that time come. But consider this: while I could change the oil in my car if I had to, I would be hard-pressed to tweak the fuel mix or play with the piston timing.
So why am I here? Because I want in, and I want in on the ground-ish floor. This blog will document my purchase, construction and use of my very first personal 3D printer. We will journey together on a well-worn path through still virgin territory as I try my hand at mastering the SeeMeCNC H1.1 in an attempt to replace the soap dish in my 50 year old bathroom. And if you’re curious what I am talking about, you’ll just have to stay tuned!
-Mr. Ess
Jay Ess Prints 