A total impulse buy

It was a lazy summer afternoon; my summer internship came to a close and I had a few weeks before I started class. I had extra money laying around from working all summer and was really into 3D printing at the time. I’m not saying that I’m not interested in it anymore, it’s just that I had a bit with an obsession with it back then, and to be honest, thought I knew a lot more about it than I actually did.

It was a while since I last treated myself to something nice, and working 9-5 all summer in Malvern, about an hour away from my house, became a drag rather quickly, so I decided that I was going to buy myself a 3D printer.

Before I actually made my purchase, I wanted to make sure I knew enough about the product and knew what I was getting, as 3D printers aren’t exactly cheap. I began researching different options and looking at different versions of the printers we used in class—I figured it would be beneficial to buy a printer that I knew how to was already familiar with in class.

I started by going on different websites and watching different videos for each printer that I was thinking about purchasing. I wanted to make sure that it would be alto to print everything I wanted it to. The final thing that I had to consider, and probably the most important, was the price. I knew I was going to spend close to a thousand when everything was said and done, and wanted to try and not go over that price mark.

After weeks of researching, I decided to purchase the printrbot 3D printer with the heated bed. It was just like the one we used in class except it had one upgrade. The heated bed allowed more plastic to stick to the bed (specifically for larger prints).

Looking back now, I can say that I haven’t used the printer as much as I would have liked, yet. I have been extremely busy with work and school and haven’t had the time to sit and learn like I planned to. I have had a few successful prints however, and am excited to use it more after graduation.