The send-off

     Another full week of printing! I'm pretty sure I printed something everyday. I guess I am considering this a hobby now. I never thought that I would be able to figure out how to use 3D software before this project, let alone use it to print something that I needed. I found that a lot of my focus this week has been on this project, i think because I am enjoying every step of it and it feels very rewarding to me. I have been enjoying being able to think of something I have needed, put together a design, and then let it come to life on the printer. 

    I had a few challenges with the project though. One being figuring out the in-depth settings of different print temperatures, layer heights, materials, and machine calibration. I only had one failed print this week because of settings but I am loving the learning process because now I know what to do for future print settings. Printing time was another challenge as most prints for me and my machine took mostly over 3 hours but the bigger ones up to 30 hours. The long ones were only accomplished because I was home all week and I never really left it unattended. Going forward I'm sure I will have to plan when I start one as the times go way longer than it's estimated time.

    If I had to change something I would say you should stick to one colour for a bunch of prints so you can understand how your machine works and how you can dial in the settings. I would also do more research and maybe spend more time trying different 3D software programs as Tinkercad is a little limiting on what you can do. I will most definitely keep printing though as I find it extremely enjoyable and so does my family. It is one of my options for solving some problems now going forward. I already have some ideas  for some teaching aids so students can understand the inner workings of a car. 

    Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this and given me great ideas. I hope I gave you some inspiration to go on this journey yourself and try something new.