Ideal for bringing your domestic life into the 21st century.
It’s never been more affordable to buy a 3D printer for home use, with budget printers currently selling for as little as £200. Our inner nerd is getting seriously excited about the possibilities! From entertaining to education, kitchen gadgets to decorations, here are 5 home uses for a 3D printer, IDEAL for bringing your domestic life into the 21st century.
ENTERTAIN & EDUCATE THE KIDS
We’ve all been stuck at home more than ever this year, and despite the fact that schools have reopened, we’re still always on the look out for homeschooling ideas and ways to keep the kids entertained. This is even more pertinent as Winter and its associated dark nights roll into view.
Fortunately, with a 3D printer, you can have fun and be informative, with just a few clicks. A home printer is capable of printing didactic models – earth, planets, parts of the human body – which your children could then label and use for reference purposes. And the fact that they’ve made it themselves will surely add to their learning motivation, don’t you think?
And it’s not just the physical printing you can enjoy domestically. Exploring CAD software and unleashing your child’s creative side before using it in tandem with the 3D printing can keep the kids occupied for hours! Who said education couldn’t be fun?
DECORATIONS FOR HOME
With all this extra time spent inside our humble abodes, it’s never been more important to make your house a home. Home accessories can be a wonderful way to elevate your interior design aesthetic and add individuality to an otherwise rather identikit looking space.
However, accessorising can be hard; all too often items in shops are the wrong size, shape and colour. Enter 3D printing home accessories. Indeed, if you’re after something specific and individual, what better than to create a unique and eye-catching style, by making your own home accessories with a 3D printer? You can print everything from doorknobs to photo frames, vases for your home and even specifically designed toilet seats, all created to your unique needs of specification, size and colour.
KITCHEN GADGETS & ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES
During lockdown we’ve all been spending more time in the kitchen and cooking plenty of delicious (and some, not quite so) new recipes. However, we’ve often found that we’ve been lacking the right kitchen gadget for the job. From gnocchi boards to ravioli makers, cake moulds and tart tins, there’s just so many items which we feel would have improved our lockdown cooking efforts.
Speaking of which, there are loads of items that would make our cooking more efficient and easier – a spaghetti measurer, a citrus juicer, measuring spoons and cups; the list goes on and gets more complex with every line.
Here’s the good news; all of the above can be made with a 3D printer. Indeed, there are loads of 3D printable projects and tools for the kitchen which can be tailored to suit your cooking needs.
Advancing from simple plastic gadgets all the way to stainless steel sheet metal fabrication, you can also print 3D kitchen appliances; now things are getting interesting! 3D HUBS, who offer 3D printing San Diego, recently shared this waffle maker made by inventor Mike Bradfods – we think it’s pretty damn nifty, indeed. Get inspired!
MAKE GIFTS
While it’s oh so easy to find personalised gifts from retailers these days, nothing shows that you’ve put the effort in like a homemade gift. Indeed, we don’t think you can beat an item made lovingly with the bare hands of the gift giver. It shows thought, care and real effort; so much more than simply flashing your credit card at something unimaginative.
And with a 3D printer, alongside some patience, creativity and love, you can create a homemade gift that will put your usual jams, chutneys, scarves and embroidered handkerchiefs to shame. There’s such vast scope for homemade presents made with a 3D printer; the world is your carefully designed oyster!
STARTING A SIDE HUSTLE
It’s the dream of so many; to run a business from the safety of your own home. And with the current economic situation, starting a side hustle that may bloom into a business isn’t a bad idea. If you have entrepreneurial blood coursing through your veins, then you could boost your income with a 3D printer. Here’s how to make your side hustle a success.