It is unlikely that most of you have not heard of Thingiverse. This website has one of the largest followings within the 3D printing community, and the largest repertoire of printable models. Members can download and print hundreds of thousands of objects which have been shared by fellow community contributors. The only fee required is to register with your name and email address, and then you too have access to this amazing warehouse.
Additionally, as a novice 3D printer progresses beyond downloading models and begins designing their own creations, these can be uploaded and displayed for download within their own Thingiverse account. Thingiverse then tracks the viewed and downloaded analytics so the creators can see how much everyone enjoys their creations!
Instructables is another website everyone should know about, not just 3D print junkies! Instructables not only has a large section for 3D printing Instructables, but it includes the instructions on how to build the project with which the reader is interested. Hence, I searched the site with the terms “Arduino 3D Print” and found literally hundreds of projects with which to experiment.
This wonderful website is not only a great place for 3D printing aficionados, but they have Instructables on everything from recipes to woodworking projects and everything in between. Lastly, the site is community driven and free to join with just a name and email address.
This site selection is more about this particular article rather than the site. The article includes handy filament comparison charts, print temperatures, and plastic characteristics for twenty-five various filament types. It’s a handy article when trying to decide which filament will work for a particular application and what temperatures work best.
In addition to the filament charts, the website contains a plethora of reviews and blog articles on various 3D print subjects and news articles. It even has a few articles on drones!
Anton Mansson is a young tinkerer who hosts his own Youtube channel and has a subsequent blog/community for his followers. His 3D printing filament moisture experiment is a must view/read for every 3D printing fan and can be found here. He compares approximately fifty types of various name brand filaments and the effects of moisture within each. This should be an eye opener if you purchase filament which has not been vacuum packed with a small desiccant pouch.
3D Printing for Beginners is a neat website created specifically, well…for beginning 3D printing hobbyist. If/when signed up, they send helpful advice, tips, and resources. The community provides blog articles geared for the novice 3D printing hobbyist. One specific article, 11 Experts Share Their Top 3D Printing Beginner Tips, is definitely worth reading and saving for future reference.
The site also has a Resources section which covers different repositories, books, software, and a few other topics. The blog area has articles on printers, software, filament, tips and techniques, and news. All in all it’s an interesting site that warrants exploration!
