Layer by Layer #1 - Gekos, Organizers and AI printers

Hi everyone! I’m excited to present to you the first issue of Layer by Layer: A 5-minute weekly email of inspiring 3D printing models, tutorials, tips, tricks, and the occasional funky Benchy.

🎨 Models

Are you excited? Because I am! There are the very first models here on LBL. Let me know if you liked them by replying to this email or Tweeting @lblnewsletter.

I’ve gathered the finest and latest models you’d want to print today, starting with this fantastic Super Flexi Gecko:

1. Super Flexi Gecko by Martin Rigatoni

2. A Mechanical Vise Grip by Adam Cook

3. Official Diablo IV Lilith Head by prash.makes

4. Fully printed HexScraper by visle

If you only print one of the models in this post, let it be this one. Other than the obvious advantage of not having to buy a metal/plastic scraper, this scraper excels at protecting the printing bed and prints. As the scraper is made from the same material you’re printing, it is less likely it will scratch your bed, models, or (and sadly, I can say from my own experience) slip and cut your finger, forcing you to go to an emergency room 2 AM on a Friday night🩸

⚡Upgrades

Being a maker often comes with the dangerous side effect of hoarding a massive amount of tools. And research shows that the instant you need that caliper it will vanish into thin air. Enter designer Scott Yu-Jan with his ingenious drawer organizer 3D printed with magnets, boxes, and a lot of white filament.

🚀 Innovations

The unexpected directions innovation can take with 3D printing never ceases to amaze me. The fact that even though I bought a printer and I use it, software and hardware changes can significantly improve the quality of use is mind-boggling. This month, researcher Douglas A. J. Brion from the University of Cambridge published a paper on ”AI-driven 3D printers learn to print materials by themselves”. In their project, the researchers used AI to monitor the printed layers and continuously configure the parameters to produce the best results.

To learn more, watch the YouTube video that showcases the research or read the published paper in Nature.

👽 The Occasional Benchy

You know, this is where I share the quirky things I find ;)

Shipwrecked Coral Benchy by DecoTOAST

Was it only me thinking this might be a neat Titanic Benchy? Or is it too soon to make this joke? 😅

❤️ Post-Print

I hope you enjoyed this issue as much as I enjoyed researching and writing it. Writing this took me about 9 hours, so don’t forget to show LBL some love and refer a friend or share it.

If you have anything to add, correct, or ask a question, reply to this email, I promise to answer! 🤞