r/3Dprinting • • 8d ago

News Show Your Toughest Multicolor Print, Win a SPARKX i8!

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112 Upvotes

Remember that multicolor print you were so excited to try — but ended up waiting hours for, wasting filament along the way?

Those days could be over.

With SPARKX i8’s <1-second color switching, can you imagine how much easier your toughest multicolor print could be?
Bring it on! Show us your toughest multicolor print and let SPARKX i8 take on the challenge!

We’ll reprint selected models on SPARKX i8, film the entire printing process, and reveal the print time and finished results.
If your model is selected for the challenge, you’ll win a SPARKX i8!

How to Enter
1️⃣ Upvote this post
2️⃣ Comment your toughest multicolor print with your original print time, a photo of your finished print, and a link to your model file. (If there are any restrictions on sharing a direct link, please provide the platform where you found the model and its name instead.)
Your print should use up to 4 colors, in line with SPARKX i8’s 4-channel hotend. However, CMYK print that mix 4 filaments to create a wider range of colors are welcome!
3️⃣ Don’t have a multicolor print to share? You can still join the fun by commenting with any thoughts, experiences, or ideas about multicolor printing to enter the random giveaway!

📅 Entries Open: Oct 18 – Oct 25, 2026(PT)

🎁 The more comments we get, the more challenges we’ll take on — and the more SPARKX i8 printers you could win!
50 comments → 1 challenge winner + 1 random giveaway winner
400 comments → 2 challenge winners + 2 random giveaway winners
1,000 comments → 3 challenge winners + 3 random giveaway winners

Challenge Winners: Selected from participants who submit a multicolor model for us to reprint on SPARKX i8. If your model is selected for the challenge, you’ll win a SPARKX i8!
Random Giveaway Winners: Randomly selected from eligible commenters who aren’t selected as challenge winners.

Thanks to the r/3Dprinting community for inspiring us with your incredible creations!

SPARKX i8 is revved up and ready for your challenge. Bring it on, and good luck everyone!🤞🏻


r/3Dprinting • • 26d ago

Purchase Advice Purchase Advice Megathread - October 2026

15 Upvotes

Welcome back to another purchase megathread!

This thread is meant to conglomerate purchase advice for both newcomers and people looking for additional machines. Keeping this discussion to one thread means less searching should anyone have questions that may already have been answered here, as well as more visibility to inquiries in general, as comments made here will be visible for the entire month stuck to the top of the sub, and then added to the Purchase Advice Collection (Reddit Collections are still broken on mobile view, enable "view in desktop mode").

Please be sure to skim through this thread for posts with similar requirements to your own first, as recommendations relevant to your situation may have already been posted, and may even include answers to follow up questions you might have wished to ask.

If you are new to 3D printing, and are unsure of what to ask, try to include the following in your posts as a minimum:

  • Your budget, set at a numeric amount. Saying "cheap," or "money is not a problem" is not an answer people can do much with. 3D printers can cost $100, they can cost $10,000,000, and anywhere in between. A rough idea of what you're looking for is essential to figuring out anything else.
  • Your country of residence.
  • If you are willing to build the printer from a kit, and what your level of experience is with electronic maintenance and construction if so.
  • What you wish to do with the printer.
  • Any extenuating circumstances that would restrict you from using machines that would otherwise fit your needs (limited space for the printer, enclosure requirement, must be purchased through educational intermediary, etc).

While this is by no means an exhaustive list of what can be included in your posts, these questions should help paint enough of a picture to get started. Don't be afraid to ask more questions, and never worry about asking too many. The people posting in this thread are here because they want to give advice, and any questions you have answered may be useful to others later on, when they read through this thread looking for answers of their own. Everyone here was new once, so chances are whoever is replying to you has a good idea of how you feel currently.

Reddit User and Regular u/richie225 is also constantly maintaining his extensive personal recommendations list which is worth a read: Generic FDM Printer recommendations.

Additionally, a quick word on print quality: Most FDM/FFF (that is, filament based) printers are capable of approximately the same tolerances and print appearance, as the biggest limiting factor is in the nature of extruded plastic. Asking if a machine has "good prints," or saying "I don't expect the best quality for $xxx" isn't actually relevant for the most part with regards to these machines. Should you need additional detail and higher tolerances, you may want to explore SLA, DLP, and other photoresin options, as those do offer an increase in overall quality. If you are interested in resin machines, make sure you are aware of how to use them safely. For these safety reasons we don't usually recommend a resin printer as someone's first printer.

As always, if you're a newcomer to this community, welcome. If you're a regular, welcome back.


r/3Dprinting • • 2h ago

Discussion My printer's main purpose is apparently to improve itself. Looking for ideas how to break out of this phase.

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448 Upvotes

Since getting into the hobby, it seems I'm a bit stuck on where to go next.

What are some of the more useful prints you have made recently? Were they self designed?


r/3Dprinting • • 15h ago

Meme Monday Good GOD I hate sanding

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3.3k Upvotes

Sorry if someone's posted this pic already; I just came across it recently


r/3Dprinting • • 6h ago

Free Model This is definitely not typical thermoformed design.

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475 Upvotes

r/3Dprinting • • 14h ago

Discussion Gummy bears in my box of filament

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1.3k Upvotes

Anyone else get a bonus like this before? Atomic PLA ordered from Amazon


r/3Dprinting • • 20h ago

Project I just made this system that can put magnets in your prints automatically

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2.7k Upvotes

Quick question for A1 users: how do you deal with magnets in your prints?

I’m too lazy to do that 😂

I ended up making a mod so the A1 places them on its own mid-print. Been working pretty well so far. If you're curious, the digital pack (3mf, software, BOM, instructions) is here: magnetplace.myshopify.com

Also if you want to see how it works, you can go check my video on yt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nrxcdz3Gung&t=5s


r/3Dprinting • • 3h ago

Free Model I designed a wind turbine wireless phone charger (fully printable on A1 Mini size printers)

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94 Upvotes

I needed a phone charger at work, but didn't want to just pick up the first one available from a webshop, so I decided to design my own using the Bambu Lab Wireless Charging Kit K012.

I definitely wanted to make use of the included N20 gear motor, and after a lot of thinking, I decided to turn it into a wind turbine. Wind turbines generate electricity, which complements a wireless charger quite nicely.

The idea was simple: place the phone on the marked spot, the phone starts charging, and the blades start spinning. It creates the illusion that the wind turbine is generating the energy to charge the phone (obviously, it's just an illusion, as the turbine is driven by an electric motor).

There were a few technical challenges along the way. The motor cable was too short to place the motor at the top of the turbine, and doing so would also have raised the center of gravity. In the end, I put the motor in the base and drove the blades through a long driveshaft and a set of bevel gears.

After four prototypes, the sculpture finally came together, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. The whole thing is fully printable on a Bambu Lab A1 Mini.

What do you think?

If anyone wants to check it out, I'll leave the link in the comments.


r/3Dprinting • • 5h ago

Question Just Got me Bambu Lab A1 mini

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105 Upvotes

Just Got the new A1 mini with Kg of white PLA and transparent PETG .

What should print first ?
And what should print to upgrade the Bambu lab set up.


r/3Dprinting • • 16h ago

Meme Monday Now THIS is what 3D printing was made for Spoiler

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731 Upvotes

r/3Dprinting • • 3h ago

Free Model Made a working desk fan that looks like a turbocharger

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63 Upvotes

A real, working desk fan: a 775 DC motor spins a printed compressor-style impeller, which pulls air in through the inlet and blows it out of the outlet flange at the top. A PWM controller in the base gives you a speed knob.

  • 4 printed parts: housing, impeller, motor holder, base (~0.9 kg PLA/PETG)
  • Housing needs ~256 mm build height and tree supports
  • Runs on a 12 V / 5 A adapter, so no mains wiring needed
  • PETG recommended for the motor holder (the motor gets warm)

r/3Dprinting • • 19h ago

Project You guys said it was a bad idea, but I did it anyways

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999 Upvotes

Fully 3D printed subwoofer enclosure, PA-12 CF, with PEBA gaskets running a Resonix GUS 10-D2 at 500W. Sounds and fits absolutely perfect


r/3Dprinting • • 11h ago

Project Majoras Mask display piece

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190 Upvotes

I have been working on a small run of display pieces that feature the 3 transformation masks and Majoras mask from The Legend of Zelda, Majoras Mask.  Some WIP photos show the masks in various stages of completion.

I sculpted the masks in blender, using the models from the 3DS version of the game as a base and then adding detail to increase the fidelity and find my own interpretations of the original designs.  I then printed each mask in two parts using a FDM printer, primed, and painted them (which is still in progress).

I plan to mount each set of 4 masks into a deep box frame, using magnets which I embedded into each print to secure them in place.

Any comments, questions or feedback on the WIP photos would be much appreciated!


r/3Dprinting • • 18h ago

News 3D terrain model seller Lichtbild is "threatening" popular free 3D city and terrain modeling tool Mini Skyline - just like they did to Map2Model.

432 Upvotes

So, as some of you may know, a while back there was a free tool made by Smoggy3D called Map2Model.

Map2Model was a free web-based tool that converted real-world map data into 3D-printable models of cities, neighborhoods, and landscapes. Users could select an area on a map and generate downloadable STL or 3MF files featuring buildings, roads, terrain, and waterways.

Smoggy3D took down this tool - widely believed due to purported legal threats - many guessed at the time that Lichtbild, a company that sells 3D printed models of cities, neighborhoods, and landscapes, was responsible.

A new tool has taken its place called Mini Skyline. it has expanded on the concept and improved its capabilities quite a bit. It's a free tool. It's pretty awesome and you should give it a try.

Anyway, now it has been revealed (edit: in the Mini Skyline discord) that Lichtbild is making similar "overtures" to Mini Skyline.

In my opinion, this is a case of a business whose "golden goose" is evaporating and they're desperately trying to protect their business moat via legal bullying. Mini Skyline makes it easy for others to provide the service of making printed 3D models of cities and landscapes and that threatens Lichtbild's bottom line. Mini Skyline generously allows you to sell or distribute any models you make via the tool.

I am not a lawyer, and I'm not intimately familiar with the claims being made since those are not public, but I think the community should at least have awareness of this situation as more and more companies are going to try this stuff as 3D printing becomes more popular.

Also, I want to point out that there is now a downloadable desktop version of the software - so even if the threats turn into actual legal action and the site is taken offline, there will be a version you can use in perpetuity.

Edit: also I want to make it clear I am in no way linked or related to any of these projects in any way. I am simply a fan and as a businessperson myself, these tactics bother the shit out of me.


r/3Dprinting • • 13h ago

Project It’s a little kart you can assemble yourself!

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154 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

I’m a huge 3D printing enthusiast who loves making things.
Today, I wanted to share an updated version of one of my earlier designs Pocket Kart v2.0!

It’s been through countless tweaks and revisions, but I’m pretty happy with how it finally turned out.

I put a lot of care into this little kart, and I hope you like it too!

See you all with my next project!


r/3Dprinting • • 22h ago

Meme Monday Me coming back from vacation last week and opening YouTube

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898 Upvotes

r/3Dprinting • • 7h ago

Project Steaming Tin Man Hat (Wizard of Oz) — My First Makerworld Model!

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51 Upvotes

r/3Dprinting • • 16h ago

Project PS5 Pro printed plates - update

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179 Upvotes

So I think this is the final design for the PS5 Pro digital, PS2-inspired 3D printable faceplate; I am curious about your thoughts.


r/3Dprinting • • 11h ago

Hardware nozzle cam never gets old

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67 Upvotes

r/3Dprinting • • 2h ago

Hardware I made my own magnetic tool changer built on top of the ratrig toolhead.

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10 Upvotes

I've been looking for a simple tool changer that i can use specifically for support material. i dont want to change to a new main toolhead/carriage, and i dont need it to be perfect. well i couldnt find one, so i made one.

The goal was a secondary tool for support material, that doesn't compromise the speed or quality of the main tool.

The toolhead is held in place by a 3-point kinematic mount with a pair of large 15*5mm neodymium magnets that pulls the secondary tool to the main toolhead.

Because it uses magnets it has some limitations, primarily speed/accel. I ve been able to keep 7.5k accel but speeds have to come down to about 400mm/s max, it has the tendency to wobble above 500.

On the flip side, magnets means very little additional weight to the main toolhead, only about 20+ gms, and the main tool can continue performing as well as ever.

hotend is a tz v2.0, extruder is a single gear extruder in a Bowden set up, just something I had lying around really. This is a compromise, but it makes it way simpler and is more than capable of doing good support material.

Overall I'm very pleased by the results. Been a couple hundred changes now with no issues. Each change takes about 10-15seconds. I'm still tuning in the purge to address some oozing, but honestly, this is better than what I set out to achieve by a good margin. Even did a simple colour mixing test for kicks and it performed pretty much flawlessly. Black is abs, white is hips.

its still a little rough around the edges, but it works well. in theory this could go onto any toolhead that uses a 4010 fan. im quite open to sharing the designs, but im terribly disorganised and not sure its worth the effort to get everything together.


r/3Dprinting • • 1h ago

Question FDM printer safety

• Upvotes

Could please someone explain me the health risk of running and FDM in the same room you spend around 10hrs a day and how to protect yourself?

I was thinking about getting an enclosed one, ventilate and clear it, but I’m worried it’s not enough.


r/3Dprinting • • 15h ago

Project Printed and painted a friend's dog

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93 Upvotes

r/3Dprinting • • 1d ago

Project My Terminator skull is now remote controlled 🔥

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1.9k Upvotes

Two ESP32s connected with ESP-NOW


r/3Dprinting • • 4h ago

Question Downloading from Makerworld: does selecting printer affect the print in anyway?

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5 Upvotes

Normally I thought 3D models formats like stl, 3mf are printer agnostic. Is there why makerworld is asking for this?


r/3Dprinting • • 15h ago

Question What tools do people use to get support material out of small spaces?

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36 Upvotes

I have to clear the support material out of here and the outside is manageable, but I can't fit anything in to reach the inside.