While refinishing wood windows I needed to replace some valance clips - some were missing completely, others I broke while removing or reinstalling the valance. 3D printer to the rescue!
There are a couple clip designs on printables.com, it’s great being able to manufacture my own replacement parts!
Its things like this that make me want a 3d printer. I’ve currently got a broken valance that just barely holds the top cover and it drives me nuts. I’m just to proud to go and buy a $4 bag of replacements :p
It’s the main reason I bought one. There are so many obscure plastic parts/hardware that are hard to find or stupidly expensive. Pretty easy to create replacements in your CAD program of choice or find a free design on printables or thingiverse.
So as a complete layman I’m interested in the cost to get into it. Like if you had to estimate the initial upfront investment how much would you say it is?
You can get a basic Ender 3 printer for around $100 if you look for deals (Microcenter has a coupon if they have a store near you, or look for used). After that it’s just purchasing filament which is $15-$30 per spool depending on the type and quality. Typically a 1kg spool has about 300 meters of filament. PLA filament is typically the cheapest and most beginner friendly. It works for most things but will sag/deform in hot environments (car interiors, direct sun, etc.).