I recently had the pleasure of co-hosting an event with a company called Thought3D right here in Mountain View. Thought3D is currently in development of a great new print bed adhesive, and its aim is to finally eliminate the need for using Elmer’s glue for those tricky large, flat ABS prints.

If you have ever tied to print in ABS you know that it is a far cry from a walk in the park. With print bed adhesion being just one of your concerns! Thought3D had been developing something to use for their own company to solve this very frustrating issue when they developed Migigoo! I am really glad that they decided to come to market with it because it is quite handy to have in your 3D Printing toolkit. I have only needed it use it a few times, after some frustrating prints failed a few layers in. I applied Magigoo as I would a common glue-stick and it worked perfectly. I will be preemptively be using this on some prints that I know will give me trouble.

While we were on the topic, we also talked about different adhesives and how they interact with PLA, ABS, and some other less common printing materials. Whether its printing a model that you split up to print on a smaller build plate, or just assembling a smaller… assembly, there is a lot to keep in mind when choosing an adhesive. I know I will be writing an article on the topic as I have been playing with different options and variables. Stay tuned!

As I print more and more and share my experience with other printers and those just interested in 3D Printing, I find myself getting requests for assistance and advice on the subject. I am a part of a community of “Mayors” on 3D Hubs whose purpose is to help other 3D Printers in the community, and host events for those curious about the technology to learn more.

I was recently invited by 3D Hubs to help cohost an event put on by a well known maker group called Hackster.io. On their site’s About page they state that:

“Hackster helps people everywhere learn how to design, create and program Internet-connected hardware. By bringing together our network of close to 200,000 engineers, makers and hackers, 90 technology partners, and 100 Hackster Live ambassadors, we hope to support the creation of technologies that impact meaningful issues, such as a healthy environment, wildlife preservation, and our own welfare.”

I am proud to be a part of this community myself, and always fascinated by the wonderful projects that their members post.

After the event, the cohost of the event, Alex Glow, wrote just a super article. It was very flattering and helped me to realize that I was no longer just some guy trying to make a living with his printer, but someone who was actually doing it, and had some helpful advice for those who would follow suit.

Here is the article:

https://blog.hackster.io/how-to-make-money-with-3d-printing-61de3d079b1c#.zidhmt9wx