WTFFF?! 3D Printing Podcast Volume Two: 3D Print Tips | 3D Print Tools | 3D Start Point

We received a sample of four new filament colors from Toner Plastics recently and have tested them out for this Tech Tuesday episode. Some of these we haven’t seen a color out there like it, and they were much needed. The quality of the colors they sent actually made the test 3D printed pieces look less like a cheap plastic item and made them look more real and higher quality. Be sure to check out the blog post for photos of the colors and our test prints. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the WTFFF?! 3D Printing movement today: 3DStartpoint.com 3D Startpoint Facebook 3D Startpoint LinkedIn Hazz Design Twitter 3D Startpoint YouTube

If you are creating intellectual property of any kind such as a patent, trademark, or copyright, this back to business Monday episode is one you’ll want to hear. Tom and Tracy Hazzard have over 20 years of experience with IP protection and have learned a lot from some things that have gone really wrong and some things that have gone really right when filing one of their 37 patents. Attorney-client communication of business goals and expectation in the end product is key. Writing meaningful, licensable, and valuable patents and copyrights correctly is so crucial. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the WTFFF?! 3D Printing movement today: 3DStartpoint.com 3D Startpoint Facebook 3D Startpoint LinkedIn Hazz Design Twitter 3D Startpoint YouTube

LACE by Jenny Wu is the subject for this Design Inspiration Friday. The ability for her to create forms that are not able to be produced easily in normal jewelry is what impressed us the most. How 3D printing is allowing for designers and storefronts to have made on demand products with zero inventory. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the WTFFF?! 3D Printing movement today: 3DStartpoint.com 3D Startpoint Facebook 3D Startpoint LinkedIn Hazz Design Twitter 3D Startpoint YouTube

In this episode with Michael Weinberg, IP and General Counsel at Shapeways, Tom and Tracy Hazzard address why it is important to pay attention to what is going on with copyright and trademark law in the 3D printing industry, including a current Supreme Court case that is taking up this situation on IP and infringement issues. This episode will be helpful to anyone in the 3D printing field, but especially the designers and those with a 3D print business. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the WTFFF?! 3D Printing movement today: 3DStartpoint.com 3D Startpoint Facebook 3D Startpoint LinkedIn Hazz Design Twitter 3D Startpoint YouTube

A really cool and amazing project from none other than Nescafe that exemplifies a zero inventory marketing promotion. This project is about two year years old, but we just became aware of it and think it’s a great example of marketing and product development that uses 3D printing at the same time. We think we all know what 3D printing can do in product development, but here is what 3D printing can do for marketing, promotions, exposure, and transforming your brand. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the WTFFF?! 3D Printing movement today: 3DStartpoint.com 3D Startpoint Facebook 3D Startpoint LinkedIn Hazz Design Twitter 3D Startpoint YouTube

While not in the FFF realm, the OLO smart phone printer isdefinitely noteworthy and is the subject of this Tech Tuesday. It came out of avery successful Kickstarter campaign for a resin 3D printer. It’s very simple,very small, very cheap, and uses your smart phone and an app to create thefinished products. Quite an interesting concept and another interesting gatewayinto 3D printing for a new or younger user. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the WTFFF?! 3D Printing movement today: 3DStartpoint.com 3D Startpoint Facebook 3D Startpoint LinkedIn Hazz Design Twitter 3D Startpoint YouTube

Tom and Tracy Hazzard share their tips on using LinkedIn for your business advantage to gain exposure and get yourself, your skills, your business, or your product noticed. Identifying common profile mistakes and sharing lesser known tips and features of LinkedIn that can give you the professional edge. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the WTFFF?! 3D Printing movement today: 3DStartpoint.com 3D Startpoint Facebook 3D Startpoint LinkedIn Hazz Design Twitter 3D Startpoint YouTube

Geeking out over this week’s Design Inspiration Friday because Shapeways just reported that they were the service bureau for the Dorne Dagger. Tracy has read the books and both Tom and Tracy Hazzard have been watching the show, even participating in a Game of Thrones float for Mardi Gras this year in San Diego. Discussing how 3D printing can be an entry point to fans of any show or character because it allows you to get creative and really make a prop in a movie or TV show yours, even expanding your skill set as you work on a project. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the WTFFF?! 3D Printing movement today: 3DStartpoint.com 3D Startpoint Facebook 3D Startpoint LinkedIn Hazz Design Twitter 3D Startpoint YouTube

An incredible interview with one of the earliest adopters and mover and shaker in 3D printing, Ron Hollis. He’s been fascinated with 3D printing since the early ’90s back when it was only referred to as rapid prototyping. He has a wealth of knowledge and business lessons to learn from such as how current 3D print companies should follow his business model with Quick Parts and how they are missing out on utilizing a key asset of their business. It was fascinating to hear about where everything we are doing today came from and why this economy has worked, along with some surprises that came from potential business failures. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the WTFFF?! 3D Printing movement today: 3DStartpoint.com 3D Startpoint Facebook 3D Startpoint LinkedIn Hazz Design Twitter 3D Startpoint YouTube

Tom and Tracy Hazzard dive deeper into a question that came up in the previous episode. Are most 3D printers on the market today jack knives? If a 3D printer is trying to be all things to every market, are they serving any specific market well? Maybe making 3D printers specific to the exact objects you want to make would produce better results. They even give a business concept out to all WTFFF?! listeners to illustrate this point. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the WTFFF?! 3D Printing movement today: 3DStartpoint.com 3D Startpoint Facebook 3D Startpoint LinkedIn Hazz Design Twitter 3D Startpoint YouTube

Tom and Tracy Hazzard discuss how 3D printing outside the build plate can be possible with a new software program from Autodesk called Project Escher. Many 3D printers today are being held back by the software available, especially in the dual extrusion realm. Project Escher shows off the uniqueness of what only FFF printing can do – 3D print really large pieces that do not need to be assembled post production. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the WTFFF?! 3D Printing movement today: 3DStartpoint.com 3D Startpoint Facebook 3D Startpoint LinkedIn Hazz Design Twitter 3D Startpoint YouTube

There are so many people in the early stages of start-ups, that we have been getting a lot of people that are stuck in these cycles of overthinking and not being able to take the next step forward. In this Back to Business Monday episode, we discuss how to set up your road map to success and identify when you need those roadblocks to prevent you from going further. As Tom’s mother puts it, “Don’t go borrowing trouble.” To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the WTFFF?! 3D Printing movement today: 3DStartpoint.com 3D Startpoint Facebook 3D Startpoint LinkedIn Hazz Design Twitter 3D Startpoint YouTube

Mother’s Day is early this year and there is still time to work on a 3D print project or download a 3D printable gift for mom. Tom and Tracy Hazzard went through a few of the items from this year’s top picks and offer up a few suggestions on how to really impress mom with 3D printing this year. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the WTFFF?! 3D Printing movement today: 3DStartpoint.com 3D Startpoint Facebook 3D Startpoint LinkedIn Hazz Design Twitter 3D Startpoint YouTube

Anyone of our listeners, teachers, educators, or head of the PTA even, anyone who is considering getting 3D printing into schools, this is the one for you. We had a great conversation with Drew Lentz the manager of the MakerBot Learning Team. He shared many helpful and free resources for educators for all kinds of the learning spectrum, whether one is a right brained or a left brained type of learner there’s a program for you to learn 3D modeling. Makerbot has some great events this summer for teachers, hosting Make-A-Thons in major cities across the country. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

Essentials when picking a 3d printer

The findings of researcher Mohammad al Faruque at University California at Irvine bring us today’s Tech Tuesday topic. He has found that through audio recordings of 3D printers printing objects, that one could use reverse engineering and recreate printed objects with incredible accuracy. What this means for intellectual property liability and ways to keep your 3D printer from being vulnerable and a security risk in this episode. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

Back to Business Monday episode where Tom and Tracy Hazzard explore how identifying and settling a business or product into a market gap can ultimately lead to success. There are many 3D printing companies out there that are all doing the same thing but not truly filling a need leaving a gap the size of the Grand Canyon. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

Happy Earth Day – today we certainly have a different type of project creating 3D printed bird nest designs to bring birds back into the city. This one was hard to come up with because Fridays we usually highlight a design and it’s been tough to find one that we thought was really appropriate for Earth Day. Monday we talked about business issues in going green and there are so many ecofriendly attempts going on with filament where we had a couple episodes this week with filament things and I think that has been great. In terms of design, though, it’s been tough, but we have selected one and we hope you enjoy it. It’s an urban development involving 3D printing. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

With any form of plastic processing, 3D printing included, it’s fair for concern about the continued use of such a potentially harmful inorganic material to come up. But there are companies out there looking to make a 180 away from plastic and are finding viable alternatives that the market can pick up soon. Tom and Tracy Hazzard interview Barbara Zeller, the Marketing and Communications Manager of Algix. Barbara talks about the transition of Algix from creating biofuels to fabricating 3D print filaments out of algae, which is a much more Earth-friendly alternative. If you’re concerned about the material you’re using in 3D printing, this may be a good place to start your search.

In today’s episode Tom and Tracy Hazzard discuss a type of filament made from the by products of beer making as part of the continuation of Earth Week and going green with 3D printing. Is this type of recycled filament and collaborative capitalism where everybody wins too good to be true? To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

Today we continue our “Earth Week” theme addressing an often asked question on WTFFF?!, “Can I recycle my waste filament and reuse it?” It may not be easy, the color may not be great, and it may take a lot of time to do, but it can be done. There is one company that is built entirely around the mission of making filament recycling a reality. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the WTFFF?! 3D Printing movement today: 3DStartpoint.com 3D Startpoint Facebook 3D Startpoint LinkedIn Hazz Design Twitter 3D Startpoint YouTube

It’s Earth Day this Friday, and we decided to make it Earth Week here at WTFFF?! Today’s Back to Business Monday episode is all about how easy it is go green with 3D printing. Focusing on how 3D printing reduces the carbon footprint of a business, saves on energy use, and is virtually zero waste and zero inventory. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

It’s our one year anniversary of the WTFFF?! Podcast and we are sticking true to our furniture design roots with this episode for Design Inspiration Friday. Initially we were not very open minded about the idea of 3D printing furniture, but with some of the advancements in technology and even in design we like what Russel Singer of Make It has done with creating a coffee table, we have come around. If you’ve given DIY 3D printed furniture a shot, be sure to let us know your results. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

In this episode, Tom and Tracy Hazzard have some real world 3D print design sales numbers offered up by Austin Robey of MakeMode. Is it wise to rely only on organic traffic to 3D design sites or do you need to build in marketing to get your product out there? Discussing why your market needs to fit the file site customer base for your design and if having a customizable product really makes sense. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

Exceptional customer service is critical whether you are a start up or a major cooperation. In this episode, Tom and Tracy discuss why 3D print companies need to eliminate the finger pointing and solve the problem at hand. Examples of companies that have done it right, done it wrong, and some that made Tom into the investigator but still worked to fix the problem. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

It can be difficult controlling your print when you use flexible materials, including support materials which can often inherently be a softer material. For this Tech Tuesday episode Tom and Tracy are sharing their tips on getting a good print with flexible filament and discussing a recent 3D print meet up with CM3D where Make-It and FeelColor Filament were debuting a new filament line. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

Where is the good 3D design? Tom and Tracy discuss what’s lacking in the 3D print market and don’t want to settle for the least worst design to meet a need. In this episode they discuss can one create a “wow” product and what it means to have a significant product. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

An interesting project out of the Netherlands, a hot bed of 3D printing, is our inspiration for this episode of Design Friday. It comes from designer/architect Brian Peters who made 3D printed bricks that he calls Building Bytes. We are so intrigued by the customization you can get with these, each brick is different and designed to be unique from the others to create these structures. Videos and more over at 3dstartpoint.com. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

We have an interview today in the STEAM education realm with Victor Ciccarelli of STEAM Maker Workshop in San Diego. We got hooked up with him because of Cindi Schulz, the Teacher of the Year who we interviewed on a previous episode. It is the workshop through which she was hired to develop her program for how to incorporate 3D printing into the classroom for the curriculum. What’s so great about STEAM Maker Workshop is that it’s not about teaching people how to 3D print. It is about inspiring and teaching them about being creative in a very cross-functional, interdisciplinary way. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

Answering a listener question about what STEAM is and why we think the “A” is critically important, especially in schools where the arts programs have been slashed due to budget cuts. We love that by putting 3D printers back into schools, it is helping to bring the arts back into the schools by forcing that creativity into the curriculum again. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

Consistent material flow is one of the most common issues with getting consistent 3D prints. In today’s episode, Tom and Tracy have practical suggestions to identify what is affecting your print quality and what you can do to maintain that. There are many variables at play here, so it can be hard to know what the issue is. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

We can all get bogged down with all the things we need to do, but how are you defining achievement vs activity? Is all your business really accomplishing anything? This back to business Monday episode is here to help you identify where your time is being spent and how you can spend it more wisely. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

EU Makers has created a filament spool that is designed to be repurposed and reused. This company took it even one step further by offering free 3D models that you can print and really make the spool a useful object in their home. In this episode we are covering our favorite designs and how this can be a fun weekend project. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

We met Debra Wilcox at CES earlier this year. She’s such an interesting person with such an interesting business we knew that we had to have her on the podcast. Her company is The 3D Printing Store in the greater Denver, CO area, they are far more than a 3D printer reseller – providing everything from education, to training, to birthday parties. They are also involved in bio 3D printing which is a field that just completely blows us away. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

Yesterday we were stunned to learn that Pinshape will end its service and shut down its web site as of March 31st, 2016, just two days after the announcement. Does this news, which is a seismic event in the 3D printing industry, signal that the 3D printing bubble has burst? Tom and Tracy discuss what they know from talking with the founders of Pinshape, share why they are confident that this event is an isolated situation caused by a flawed business plan, in fact they discuss why this is the time to double down on the 3D print Industry (with the right business plan). To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

This Tech Tuesday we are highlighting a case study of college student Amos Dudley who used 3D printing, scanning, and modeling to create his own orthodontic device to shift his teeth. Successfully we might add. We have to applaud his initiative and drive, he took the tools he had available to him, dove into research, and made it work – he would be a great hire for any company. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

A question we get at every business conference is, “What do you use for a non-disclosure agreement?” We are so amazed that everyone thinks they have to have it. We think it can be a little, if not a lot, detrimental to your business. Discussing reasons for and against having an NDA and sharing our template over on our blog. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

This design inspiration Friday, we are really inspired by Bernat Cuni and the challenge he gave himself to create a different 3D espresso cup model a day for 30 days. We love this exercise in design and challenge you to do it for yourself to boost your creative process and hone your skills as a 3D designer. Bernat has created an amazing body of work, so be sure to check the show notes at 3D Start Point. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the WTFFF?! 3D Printing movement today: 3DStartpoint.com 3D Startpoint Facebook 3D Startpoint LinkedIn Hazz Design Twitter 3D Startpoint YouTube

Chatting with Lauren Watkins, the marketing manager at Pinshape, about their 3D design guide. Last fall, they included and excerpt from her guest blog piece on how to price 3D designs.It’s clear that they are growing towards not just having a bunch of members and content, but about having great shops with sell-able content. Definitely a step in the right direction. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

Discussing some recently published 3D print patents that are from major companies like Hasbro and Disney. Their PTO has published them from their applications. There is a caveat to this, because these are not patents, theyare just applications for a patent, but it gives us insight on to how these large companies are thinking about their brand and how it works with 3D printing. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

For Tech Tuesday this weekwe are going to follow up on our announcement back in January about the newMakerBot Smart Extruder+. It was billed as being a major improvement over theprevious Smart Extruder, but is it really? Well we received our order for twoof them about a month ago, and have been working with it ever since. Now we areready to share our findings and experience with you. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

Whether you are hobbyist or a business, it can be trying to balance your work with your life. We meet a lot of couples where their business and home life are completely intertwined, and we are one of them. Can you ever find the right balance? How we’ve made it work for us, and some pointers on how to make it work for you on today’s back to business Monday episode. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

Thingiverse has a curated collection of these marble machines, which if you are a teacher looking for a great STEAM project for your classroom, we think this is it. We’ve gone through and highlighted our top picks, be sure to check the blog post to see how they look and operate. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

After meeting up with Tom Simon of Source 3 at CES this year, we knew we needed to have him on the podcast to discuss the nuances of managing brand content for 3D printing. They are developing a system to take care of all the little details and keeping digital file rights managed correctly whether you are a large company who wants to license your images out or if you are a general user. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

We got a question from a listener about where can you find a community for teachers who use 3D printing in school. There are companies out there with the vision, but it’s not quite yet there today. We did a little digging and found some teachers who have created a community of their own, but also to not forget about your local makerspaces and in-person places who are there to help. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

Bringing another technical subject here for Tech Tuesday, and today we are talking about the advancements in support and their different capabilities in different slicing software. Is support material worth the time in post-processing? To us, it defeats the purpose of 3D printing, but there are items that are geometrically unable to be printed without supports, so what’s the best system to print supports? To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

It’s Business Monday, and today we are going to discuss the Digital Footprint conference. It is all about how to create a revenue generating website, and how to get your website to rank on the first page of google for thousands of key words. The information shared at the Digital Footprint Conference is critical for any business, including any related to the 3D Print industry. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

It’s Friday, so it’s our design/innovation issues highlight. We’re going to focus this podcast on a couple of email responses we got to our episode two weeks ago on the digital sundial project. We each mentioned that we both are shocked that some people actually create CAD files through using code instead of a 3D CAD program where you are using tools to build things visually. We are clarifying a few things about what design and art means why we disagree with coding being considered as art. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

If you are an educator, or even a student, or you’re involved with education and considering 3D printing, or even if you’re just a parent and you want 3D printing education integrated in your kid’s school system, this interview with Cindi Schultze should be particularly interesting to you because it’s a great story of how a school district got into it and how this teacher who wanted nothing to do with 3D printing at first now thinks it’s one of the best things ever. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

Even though it’s Wednesday, we are continuing our Hyper Tech Tuesday from our Ask Us Anything Event with MatterHackers. Part two contains questions geared more towards the advanced 3D print user as well as some live question and answer session from the audience. To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or shoot us a message at [email protected] or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!