Getting Started with 3D Printing: A Hands-on Guide to the Hardware, Software, and Services That Make the 3D Printing Ecosystem

From the Preface A great deal has changed since the 2016 edition of this book. Where once we assumed that 3D printers were going to be everywhere, we now know that they will be in many places, but it may take some time before they’ll wind up in every home. Still, if you’re reading this book, that means that you’re about to embark on a potentially life-changing journey. Join the newest generation of makers as they wield the tools of digital fab-rication to transmute thought into reality. The CNC machine carves metal, the laser cutter etches wood, and the PCB writer harnesses the power of electricity to drive even the most complex of robotics. But there may be no tool of alchemy more powerful than the 3D printer. Follow along with this book, and you will be initiated into an elite society of alchemists who are capable of transforming the very matter of the physical world around you. Like me, you will become a maker. I can tell you from personal experience that learning how to 3D print may not always be fun, but it will always be rewarding. Life, when you love 3D printing, can be a tumultuous one of clogged print heads, broken belt drives, and unruly 3D CAD models. There is hope, but you must start somewhere. And there’s no better place to start than with this book, written by two educational alchemists—Liza Wallach Kloski and Nick Kloski of HoneyPoint3D. They have already empowered many thousands of apprentices, having successfully launched their own wildly popular educational program devoted to teaching the ins and outs of 3D printing. Liza and Nick will be able to accompany you on your journey as two Sherpa guides who will be there for you when your wires are crossed, your extruders are clogged, and your print bed isn’t level. Soon, you will understand how to turn the mental into the physical, the digital into the material. You’ll be able to clone everyday items, teleport them across thousands of miles, or reconfigure them to suit your own needs. You’ll befriend other mystics, like yourself, who can help you to hone your powers. You might even join a local chapter of the elders, a makerspace, where secret rites and rituals will see you unite your powers with the collective to unleash even mightier projects on the world at large. Or you could introduce the technology to your own business for the engineering of new designs, products, tools, jigs and fixtures. That is what you can expect when you end your journey. Once you complete this guide, you, my friend, will become one of the initiated. You will be a maker. Michael Molitch-Hou Editor-in-Chief 3DPrint.com