Last night, I went to my first 3D Printing 101 class at AMT.

It took me about a month to finally let go of all my excuses and commit to this intro class, but I’m glad I did. As a new member, I was sold on how much I could gain from the facilities and all the new things I could learn… but I knew there would be a HUGE learning curve with learning CAD/CAM design software and I wasn’t sure if I’d be patient enough to stick with it to be honest.

If you’re a new member, and have had the same doubts as I have, don’t fear, there are great people, instructors, and resources here every step of the way. This 3D Printing class was hosted by the amazing Volunstructor (Volunteer Instructor) Matt Keveney, and he definitely knows his stuff.

The class is about 2-hours long with the first half focused on the foundational concepts and printer settings, and the second half on the basics of Fusion 360 and a print project suggested by the class.

For this session, we decided to print out a Chop Stick Rest.

Our concept:

Our model:

It looks simple, but it took about 20 minutes to print out.

Matt even showed us one of the projects he’s been working on.

It’s an Eye Glass Holding Mount!

3D printing has been trending for a while now and I’ve always been fascinated with the creative possibilities, and now I know enough to get started.

After reading through this I hope you’re less intimidated and more inspired. Go out and make something– We are a Makers space after all. 🙂

Don’t forget to look at the calendar for all the new upcoming events: