Your 3D printer is basically a flowery CNC machine, with a number of heated components (and perhaps a fan or two). Whereas extruding filament is likely to be the principle purpose you got it, there are some extra unconventional issues you need to use your 3D printer for.
Drying out filament
No dryer, no drawback
Credit score: Tim Brookes / How-To Geek
3D printer filament needs to be dried earlier than use since moisture can damage your prints. That is what makes a filament dryer a vital device for any FDM printer proprietor, but when your printer has a heated mattress, then there’s one other means. You need to use the warmth out of your print mattress and a canopy, just like the field your filament got here in, to dry out your filament as a substitute.
For exact directions, confer with your printer producer. For instance, Bambu Lab has an entire help article about drying filament, which incorporates directions for utilizing the warmth mattress in addition to a canopy mannequin you possibly can obtain and print. You’ll have to flip the filament midway by means of.
Loosening the glue on smartphones and tablets
60 seconds at 70ºC ought to do it
Credit score: Tim Brookes / How-To Geek
Repairing smartphones and tablets requires ability, endurance, and specialist instruments. A kind of instruments is a warmth pad, which is used to warmth the again or the entrance of the gadget in an effort to loosen the glue that’s used to maintain the entire thing collectively.
If you end up on this place, you need to use the heated print mattress of a 3D printer to loosen the adhesive. This system is well-documented on-line; iFixit even has a visitor tutorial that covers it. You’ll have to set the mattress temperature to round 70ºC and wait round a minute for the glue to loosen, after which you need to have the ability to get inside.
Simply keep in mind that the gadget can get very popular whenever you’re doing this, so use a towel or gloves to keep away from burning your self (and don’t depart it on the plate for too lengthy).
Making bread or pizza dough rise
Mild heat whenever you knead it
Credit score: Lera August / Shutterstock.com
Should you’ve ever tried to make dough rise in a chilly surroundings, you’ll understand how disappointing the tip end result could be. You may spend a number of hours kneading, ready, and knocking again dough, but when the ambient temperature isn’t in your aspect, you’re preventing a dropping battle.
So why not use your 3D printer? It really works particularly properly you probably have an enclosed mannequin, since you possibly can pre-heat the mattress to round 30ºC to heat the entire enclosure up earlier than inserting the dough inside. I’d use the cling-wrap technique to seal the bowl (reasonably than the damp towel technique) to keep away from extreme moisture in your machine, and perhaps put a dry fabric down to guard the print mattress.
Simply be certain that your bowl is clear earlier than you get it anyplace close to your printer. Oil is likely one of the greatest issues in getting prints to stay to the mattress, which is why washing your print mattress is so vital.
Fermenting yoghurt
Your printer can do that, too
Credit score: Tim Brookes / How-To Geek
Yoghurt is made by the method of fermentation utilizing a selected tradition of micro organism. The micro organism eat the sugars, which produce lactic acid, which then adjustments the protein. You may make yoghurt at house by shopping for kits from the grocery store, and lots of go so far as shopping for specialised yoghurt-making gear.
The micro organism liable for this fermentation course of require a temperature of between 30ºC and 45ºC, with many recommending between 41ºC and 43ºC as being the “candy spot” for quick ferments. You may obtain this temperature on a print mattress comparatively simply, which suggests you possibly can have yoghurt in anyplace from 4 to 12 hours.
One Instructables consumer paperwork the method, and mentions utilizing a 3D printed cowl to lock within the heat air. If in case you have an enclosed printer, this won’t be crucial, but when your printer is open then you need to use a field or customized print one thing beforehand.
Drawing and writing with a pen
Your 3D printer could be fairly the artist
Pen plotters are costly machines that draw and write on paper with absolute precision. They’re usually used for making use of signatures, authoring “handwritten” paperwork, creating one-off gadgets like invitations and thanks notes, or plotting out art work earlier than it’s completed by hand. These machines can value a number of hundred to a couple thousand {dollars}.
By printing a specialised pen holder and attaching it to your printer, you can also use your printer as a pen plotter. You’ll discover fashions for pen holders on 3D printing repositories, however for those who’re critical about this, it is likely to be price a g-code generator like 3D Plotter (€30).
There’s a surprisingly detailed Instructables article about utilizing this device from begin to end to provide paperwork, which runs by means of the entire course of.
Chopping vinyl
Should you’re courageous
Credit score: Polycut
By attaching a drag knife to your 3D printer, you possibly can successfully flip it right into a vinyl cutter. There are a variety of caveats to this. You’ll have to 3D-print a mount and fasten it to your printer, you’ll want to guard your print mattress, and also you’ll have to generate the g-code essential to carry out your cuts.
You need to use Inkscape to generate g-code straight, or you need to use a challenge like GCodePlot (although it sadly hasn’t been up to date for some time). Alternatively, there’s a free Home windows app known as Polycut which guarantees to simplify the method.
Fixing warped vinyl information
Setting the file straight
Credit score: Jordan Gloor / How-To Geek
Of all of the concepts on this listing, that is the one I used to be most skeptical of. I wouldn’t be mentioning it right here if a Reddit consumer hadn’t enthusiastically posted about their success. Even so, I’d urge warning for those who’re pondering of doing this. Data which can be solely marginally warped ought to nonetheless play high-quality (I ought to know, I personal a lot), so perhaps contemplate this a final resort.
This explicit technique includes inserting the (sleeved) file beneath the glass plate of a heated print mattress at 50ºC, making use of stress with clips, and leaving it for half-hour. The poster remarked that the file survived the intervention to the purpose the place it’s now playable (which it wasn’t earlier than), however it remained barely warped.
Simply remember that heating up a file might additionally warp the grooves, which is able to render it ineffective. Method this repair with warning, and solely use it for those who actually should.
In search of extra makes use of on your 3D printer? Try these low cost and straightforward family repairs.
