I have purposely kept a low profile on this forum as both the moderator and as a contributor so it could grow organically. I spend most of my time working on videos for the DrVax YouTube channel and doing the research necessary to broaden the DrVax community to a community of “makers” working in a range of materials and technologies.
Today the DrVax community consists of a website at https://drvax.com, a Facebook page, a YouTube channel, and this forum. All of these sites are free and the costs of hosting these sites, purchasing supplies for reviews, and production are supported via advertising and affiliate links.
I am delighted with the response to this forum and the many hours some of the members have contributed to helping each other. The discussions on this forum are a rich source of ideas for future videos and I believe a growing contribution to the maker community.
While some of the topics on this forum have become quite technical my hope is that non-technical “makers” will always find a home here. That no question is too basic and that we all answer posts respectfully.
Thanks again for helping this forum grow over its first few months.
That is right. Most 3D printing channels are only reviewing printers just interrupted by the next slicer innovation.
The diversity from having a problem and learning how to fix it, makes this channel stand out. No one needs a new printer every couple of month.
A 3D printer is a tool and just printing stuff someone else designed, won´t fix specific problems the user has at home. Unless he finds proper designs to fix stuff.
Many people have a printer, but did not even think about using it to fix or to improve things. It feels so good to show commercial product designers and companies a long nose when you don´t fall for the expensive replacement part that would last another 6 or 12 month before breaking again, but to create something yourself that lasts for as long as it needs to.
I wished I had this technology 20-30 years earlier. In the past I had so many things I could not fix or not fix properly, because I am suited with two left hands, when it comes to wood or metal working. With a computer I can suddenly create something on “paper” and after a couple of hours it is there and fits perfectly.
My thinking turned 180 from “shit I need to buy a new one” into “lets see how we can fix this.”. Sometimes even someone from the community did the hard part or designing it.
More people just need to learn how to use this tool for practical prints. People often forget the machine can fix stuff and even save money.
@Irv_Shapiro, as I’ve stated previously, I didn’t get a printer in order to print D&D figurines or anime characters. As @Geit said, I got it to solve problems. Anyone who’s read my posts will know that, immediately after getting the initial problems with my printer solved, I started making things I can use in real life. It’s great that we have community here that wants to share creative ideas, share techniques and tips, and help solve issues.
And, YES, it would have been f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c to have had a 3D printer 30, 40, or even 50 years ago… the price of being born too soon ?
The fun part is that the technology was there in the 80 or 90thth. Stepper motors, 8 bit computers and hotglue. It just wasn´t affordable. This changed during the last 15 years, with the Chinese market providing cheap components and high quality.
Just take a look at the micro printers people create from Disk and CDROM drives steppers and electronics.
I know people have been building 3D printers since 1985. The issue was that it was a major undertaking back then and I had to work and raise my family. Also, the software was very primitive.