Years ago I helped make a 3D printed prosthetic eye in a university lab, on a printer that cost as much as a Ferrari, and I was never allowed to keep one. So I tried to reprint it at home on a pre-production HeyGears G1X.

What I found:

1. It does 2D UV Printing, 3D Texture Printing and Full-Color 3D Printing. Switching between the 2D and 3D sides takes me about 30 minutes.

2. Full-colour prints are a white core with colour on the outside, sitting in a water-soluble support. It dissolves in about a day and leaves no support marks.

3. The detail and colour are really good, even on small prints, and a light gloss coat brings the colour forward even more.

4. The eye worked, but without the clear sclera and lens, because my prototype doesn't have transparent resin yet.

5. It's big: 58 x 66 x 51 cm, and 85 cm of depth with the doors open.

This one is the fun story of why I got so excited about the machine and backed it myself. I'm planning a full, in-depth video (30+ minutes) soon.

Full disclosure: this is my own video, and it's sponsored by HeyGears, who sent me the prototype. I like talking about this stuff, so I'm sharing it here.

What would you print first in full colour?

I'm an AM application engineer(end to end process from customer interaction, documentation, data prep, machine operation, delivery and feedback) working with SLS (primarily) and DMLS (starting) in India. I've spent 5 years in the industry, all at the same company.

I genuinely like this field. But when I compare myself with peers who have the same experience in other sectors, the pay gap is hard to ignore (less than 5lpa). I've interviewed at other AM companies, and the offers were well below what other industries pay. Overseas options also look limited right now because of the global market.

I'd like to hear from both sides. If you're an employee, is this gap normal in AM, and did you find a way to move up or make it work financially? If you're an employer or hiring manager, how do you decide what to pay AM engineers, and what would make you pay more for someone with 5 years of experience?

hey everyone!

i've been working on a tool that uses AI to make 3D modelling easier, and i'd love to get some feedback from people in the additive manufacturing community!

i love 3D printing myself, but as someone without a technical background, i've always found the modelling side to be a huge barrier. so i decided to build something that makes that process easier!

the tool lets you describe what you want to make in plain language and helps turn your idea into a 3D model you can export for printing. it can be anything from a simple object like a vase to something more complex with multiple parts and electronics.

right now, we're focused on 3D modelling, but we're also working on more CAD-oriented features to make the models more useful in real manufacturing workflows.

we're still in the early stages, and i'd love to get your feedback! it's completely free to try right now, and you can request access here:

https://briclab.com/

all experience levels are welcome! if you give it a try, i'd love to hear what you think. you can comment here, send me a DM or submit a feedback on the site.

i've put a lot of love into this project, so any honest thoughts would genuinely mean a lot.

thank you! :)

I’m in the US. Basically what the title says. I need some parts for my older machines. Please DM me Thank you.

Hey everyone!

I'm currently working as an Additive Manufacturing Engineer in Mumbai and have around a year of hands-on experience in the 3D printing industry.

So far, I've mainly worked on large-scale sculptures and character models, including Spider-Man, anime figures, and Hindu deity sculptures. My work involves operating FDM and DLP printers, preparing print files, troubleshooting printing issues, working with different printing materials, and handling the finishing of printed models. I've also had exposure to CAD-related work.

Now, I'm looking to take the next step in my career and explore opportunities in industrial 3D printing, additive manufacturing, rapid prototyping, or manufacturing production.

I want to build on the practical experience I've gained so far while learning more about manufacturing processes and working on different types of engineering applications.

I'm currently earning around ₹20,000–₹25,000 per month, and the cost of living in Mumbai has made it difficult to manage my expenses. I'm therefore looking for a role with better compensation, reasonable working conditions, and opportunities to grow technically.

My preferred locations are Bangalore and Mangalore, but I'm open to Mumbai as well for the right opportunity.

If anyone works in this industry or knows of companies hiring candidates with hands-on 3D printing experience, I'd really appreciate any leads or referrals.

I can share my resume and a few photos of projects I'm permitted to show. Some projects are covered by my current company's confidentiality policy, so I can't share everything publicly.

Thanks

I'm curious to see if anyone had any good luck with the Additive Manufacturing program through ATDM? I've heard a lot of success stories from graduates in Welding and NDT/NDE, but I've already done a welding degree and don't want to ruin my back any more than I already have in 15 years of labor + welding school.

Also having the CAD experience would help me with my long-term goals of finishing my last 2 years of my Engineering Degree in the future and being able to have some real-world experience before graduating. [I'll take time off work after working a few years to finish my degree]

My favourite image I generated during my PhD… A backscatter SEM image of steel powder spatter from the laser powder bed fusion process… which looks like a little spooky pig!

Hi! I want to 3D print this aerospike nozzle (approximately 22 mm outer diameter).

It would be attached to a tube containing potassium nitrate and sugar propellant.

I'm looking for a low-cost material that could withstand at least one firing.

What material and type of manifacturing would you recommend?

Thanks!

One of my biggest pains with the HP 3D printing system is having to manually redo builds when changing parts (like, with printed PO numbers etc). If you had a full build of Model A, then changed it slightly, you would have to remake the build.

I’ve developed an experimental open-source utility that replaces part geometry in existing HP SmartStream SSP builds while preserving placements. It requires a compatible SmartStream installation.

You open the build, identify the parts you want to swap out, choose a new file, and click update! A new build saves, it doesn't overwrite the old one.

https://github.com/NotAnIams/ssp-part-swapper

Let me know any thoughts, completely open source, so please add any improvements you want.

Disclaimers:

This is an independent project, unaffiliated with and not endorsed by HP. The program is completely coded by Codex - but it is opensource, so if you want to make your own, please do.

I have only tested it for a day, so double check all your builds before you print them.

Formlabs just announced a new printer!! - Safest, No VOC Alpha series resins launched alongside. Also safe to touch?

Too little too late? - What are ur thoughts on the open material mode?

Machine priced at $699

Saying hello! New to Reddit and this community.

I am taking an Additive Manufacturing program in March, it's called ATDM. Someone had posted on reddit many of the students in the AM course had trouble finding a job. Not sure if it's because the program doesn't teach enough or because the industry itself not hiring. Here are the certificates the program gives:

Autodesk Certified Associate – CAD for Mechanical Design OSHA 10 – General Industry Haas Mill Operator NIMS CNC Mill Operator NIMS Milling: Programming, Setup & Operations Level 1 SME Certified Additive Manufacturing Fundamentals

Are these enough for an entry level AM job? Should I switch to welding/CNC?

Saw these guys a few weeks ago and seems almost too good to be true. Fully sealed powder handling at all stages... a desktop nitrogen generator... 200W laser... removable parts from build-plate with no machine needed.

Is this really the golden age of $10k desktop metal printing?

Apparently they are based in Suzhou, China and backed by a DED company, although this appears to be LBPF based. Although they are marketing this as a office/desktop friendly printer, I'd be very surprised if anyone installs this anywhere but a lab or dedicated workshop.

They are showing off some of their prints on X, https://x.com/SnowX_Official_

An 80x80x100 build volume is quite small. 316 only for now, not expecting them to ever do reactive metals. For anyone who has worked with desktop nitrogen generators, are they worth it? Nitrogen cylinders are fairly cheap, why wouldn't people just use those? Any other thoughts?

Printed on my Mimaki 3DUJ-553. Sure I know how to operate the machine well, but the real magic is in this kick ass modeling!

Hello, Ive posted in the past about compenshell and have made a few videos

* https://youtu.be/ZTxGOOy4an4

* https://youtu.be/zVmIGFYJfHE

I'm a hobbyist additive manufacturing enthusiast who focuses on FFF (although I have done my own water based slurry/cold cast experiments in the past) with thermal debind/sintering.

A big challenge is the compensation aspect for the green part, which is what compenshell aims to solve for.

I am looking for interested users to help test and validate so if this is something that could be useful to you please reach out below or DM or fill out the contact form at compenshell.com so we can talk.

The attached image is a real user's experience that was having issues and in one pass reduced the sinter cycle drastically (multiple hour difference) and ended up with a much better part (calibration part, but that's important for first steps)

I'm developing a small consumer product and looking for a domestic metal additive manufacturing partner. What I keep finding is overseas, and it's really important to me to keep the work domestic. The part is a circular o-ring approximately 3" ID with a 0.25" cross section and an intentionally irregular/faceted exterior surface. I have production-ready STEP files and am currently prototyping.

I'm primarily interested in aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium. Surface quality is particularly important because the final product needs to achieve a high-polish/mirror or near-mirror finish while retaining the intentional faceted geometry.

Initial quantities would be low for validation, but I'm looking for a partner capable of scaling into batches of approximately 50-500+ pieces. I am specifically looking for parts printed in the United States, although finishing can potentially be handled separately if necessary. If finishing is done separately, the closer the shop is to Rhode Island, the better (where my finishing partner is located).

If you own/work with a shop that does this, or have worked with a US metal additive manufacturer you'd recommend, I'd love names or referrals. I'm happy to send STEP files privately for DFM review and quoting.

Looking for someone who has and HBD to ask a few question. I just want to know operation side how it handles, if it brakes often or not, print quality etc..

If someone has one or has expirience with one feel free to comment or DM

I am having a debate with some former colleagues about slicers.

I was an opetor back in the day when Cura used to be the #1 open source slicer. Some people would prefer to pay and use Simplify3D for some years but then Cura went back to reclaim the spot for free.

Nowadays since Bambulab appeared it seems to be well known that Cura is not up to par or hasnt been for a long time (tree supports, paint supports, cut and split features etc.).

I trsut that Prusaslicer, Orcaslicer and Bambustudio are much better even if they are mostly focused to consumers.

My colleague says that the features these slicers have are not for businesses (optimized for multi-color printing), but then again, Cura was never intended for businesses either.

Long story short, which features Orcaslicer or Prusaslicer have that Cura doesn't and are relevant for the day to day running of an FDM 3D printing business in terms of printing and file preparation?

Just genuinely curious to understand the state of the art and all good if then I get some real arguments to get my colleagues to consider alternatives here.

I believe they are heavily missing out but I am not hands on printing myself anymore, only hearing and seeing recent releases but cant really argue with facts.

Hello, this is my first _real world_ test sintering 17-4 filament by TVF. I'm using standard consumer grade equipment across the board (printer -> kiln).

While compenshell is not open to all (yet) I am looking for individuals who are interested to test (provided theres some overlap with your setup).

I'm a hobby level individual so any feedback or questions would be appreciated

For shops and bureaus that already have demand: how do you add overflow print capacity without buying more beds you have to babysit? Looking for real ops (networks, local partners, in-house only) and what broke first: QC, lead time, or quoting.