Where to start with 3D printing: 30 recommendations by role
Pick your role: teacher, small business, hobbyist, factory or research team. You get six short recommendations on where to start and how to bring in 3D printing. The texts come from the Big Book of 3D Printing, a Bulgarian book, and the screen and the texts are in Bulgarian.
Opens with a free account.
- 5 groupsteachers, companies, hobbyists, factories, researchers
- 30 recommendationssix in each group
- 250 to 1000 EURthe book's budget for a school's first printer
- Save a recommendationa button next to each one
What the recommendations for starting 3D printing are
How to start 3D printing depends on who you are: a teacher, a small business owner, a hobbyist, an engineer in a factory or a researcher. This EduFacturing tool collects the recommendations of the Big Book of 3D Printing in five groups of six.
The groups are: teachers and educational institutions, small and medium businesses, hobbyists and makers, industrial companies, researchers and universities. The tool is a reference: it asks no questions, nothing is filled in and nothing is calculated.
What the tool shows for each role
Shows the recommendations for your group
Click the title of a group and it opens with six recommendations. One group is open at a time: opening another closes the previous one.
Gives first steps with numbers
A budget of 250 to 1000 euro for a school's first printer and training for at least 2-3 teachers.
Names technologies, programs and standards
FDM, SLA/DLP and SLS when a company chooses a technology; Tinkercad, Fusion 360 and PrusaSlicer for a school; the ISO/ASTM standards for critical parts; DED, PBF and FDM in industry.
Saves a recommendation to the library
Next to each recommendation is a button with a bookmark icon. It saves the title, the text and the group to the library in your account.
When to open the recommendations
You need the recommendations when you are choosing a first step, not when you are comparing machines.
A teacher or a head teacher
You want a 3D printer in the classroom and need steps: from the curriculum to free software.
The owner of a small company
You decide whether to start with prototyping, which technology to take and what goes into the real cost.
A hobbyist with a first printer
You see what to do before the first serious prints: CAD basics, calibration, community and materials.
A factory or a research team
You see a pilot project, standards, monitoring of the process and checks with industry.
How it is laid out: five groups of six
The tool is a reference and calculates nothing. Behind it is an ordered list, which is read like this.
Five groups, six recommendations in each
Each recommendation is a title and a short text. There are five groups, so 30 recommendations.
One open group
The first group is open when you arrive. Clicking another title opens it and closes the previous one.
Saving a single recommendation
The button next to a recommendation saves its title, text and group as an entry in the library in your account.
Advice by role, with numbers
The advice is by role, not general
Each of the five groups has its own six recommendations instead of one list for everybody.
There are numbers, not only wishes
A budget for a school's first printer and the number of teachers to train.
You save only what you need
Each recommendation is saved on its own in the library in your account.
The screen and all the texts of the tool are in Bulgarian, and there is no English version. This page only summarises them.
It is not a personal plan: you answer no questions and get no advice for your case. The recommendations are short and general and give no prices of specific models, except the budget for a school's first printer.
It does not compare printers or choose a material. The names of printers and programs come from the book and may be out of date: check them before you buy.
Questions about how to start 3D printing
How to start 3D printing?
It depends on your role. A hobbyist starts with a reliable FDM printer and CAD basics, a school with FDM and 2-3 trained teachers, a small company with prototyping, a factory with a pilot project.
How to introduce 3D printing in school?
The book gives six steps: projects in physics, chemistry, biology and technology, FDM as the first technology, training for 2-3 teachers, a makerspace with ventilation, free software and project-based learning.
What should a hobbyist do first with 3D printing?
First a reliable FDM printer: the book names the Bambu Lab A1 mini or the Prusa MINI+, not the cheapest no-name ones. Then CAD basics, calibration, a community and materials in order: PLA, PETG, TPU. Check availability and price: the list is the book's.
How much does a first 3D printer for a school cost?
The book gives a budget of 250 to 1000 euro for the first FDM printer in a school.
How should a small business start with 3D printing?
With prototyping: the book puts it first for the fastest return. The technology follows the need: FDM for functional prototypes, SLA/DLP for visual and dental models, SLS for small series.
Are the recommendations available in English?
No. The screen and all the texts are in Bulgarian. This page summarises them in English.
How much do the recommendations cost?
They open with a free account, and registration is free.
The recommendations open with a free account
Pro costs 15 EUR a month and opens 45 Pro tools.
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Choose where to start
Opens with a free account.