Plastic Part Challenge

Design and build functional plastic parts using a desktop 3D printer. Ideally I'll make a part a month but we'll see where I land. The parts will range in complexity since what I make will mostly depend on my need. My hope is that readers get a sense for how useful these printers can be. On top of that the market for entry level machines is quite competitive, $200 USD at the time of this post. Maybe that price point and seeing the devices I make will inspire you to find a place for a desktop 3D printer in your home! Full disclosure though I have an ulterior motive - to nerd out. I believe you can learn a lot by asking questions even about simple designs. I've structured my write ups so that all the good stuff is up front: the parts in use, how it was made, and generally how well (or not so well) it worked. The latter half will be used to talk about why the design was chosen and why certain features work the way that they do.

The CAD programs that I use are OnShape and Autodesk Fusion 360 . Cura is the 3D printing slicer that I use. The printer I use is my Monoprice Select Mini V1 printer .  All in all I have been very satisfied with this machine and highly recommend it to people just getting into the hobby or that were on a budget.