Using 3D printer?

My local library has a 3D printer (yay!) that seems rather affordable to use to make your own items.

I was thinking I could make a few cool accessories from this, but wanted to know a few things!
- Does it create rigid plastic or does it have some flex/give to it?
- Is it brittle or is the made piece solid?
- I don't have CAD experience but some of my ideas are pretty easy I THINK... but would it otherwise be difficult to create something?
- Anyone else 3d-printed photo accessories?

There are different grades of plastic. I have held parts 3D printed with Delrin and it was light and very robust. Give it a try with something small and quick to see how their printer performs with the given material and then go from there to the larger stuff.

Personally, I feel 3D printing is a very cool concept that we are only now beginning to explore in greater detail.

It's probably one that uses spools of ABS wire. Do you have any specifics on the machine?

I get prints from time to time for work. Resolution varies as the better you go the more time the build takes.

Not sure what kind of accessories you're thinking about though...

FarmerTed1971 wrote in post #17246603
It's probably one that uses spools of ABS wire. Do you have any specifics on the machine?

I get prints from time to time for work. Resolution varies as the better you go the more time the build takes.

Not sure what kind of accessories you're thinking about though...

Looks like its the makerbot replicator 2

Just as an example, something like this:
http://photo-tips-online.com …s/large/magmod-maggel.jpg

A rounded rectangle with a hollow middle and two holes near the edges

Ah, that's a $2k machine. I wouldn't expect very hi-res results.

You want to make a MagMod?

NManuel01 wrote in post #17246882
You want to make a MagMod?

I want to try making a variation of it...

Gotcha. If I had access I'd try ny hand at making custom light brackets. Give it a shot, the only thing I'd be concerned with is durability. Still give it a go! My brother in law has a homemade CNC machine and he had made me arca Swiss plate.

I have a makerbot 2X at work. If you do not have CAD software and have to pay someone to design and and deliver the part in a stl file your savings start to go way down.

In order to get a decent part the makerbots take a LONG time. There will be ZERO "flex" a thin walled part will bend some but its due to lack of material and breaks rather easy.

I have made a good amount of photos exquipment on my machine, but almost all of them take 1 or 2 revisions to get perfect.