WEEKLY WHEATIES #2428
3D Printing, Streaming, Social Media, Software, Pizza
In this newsletter:
Post: Unraveling the Layers of 3D Printing
In Case You Missed It: Streaming Changes
In Case You Missed It: Social Media
In Case You Missed It: Popular Software
Pick of the Week: Best Pizzerias
Featured Product: Kasa Smart Plug
Unraveling the Layers of 3D Printing
During my college undergrad, I studied Drafting and Design. I originally wanted to be an Architect, but that didn’t go over for multiple reasons we may cover in the future. Either way, I really enjoyed the 3D modeling side of things and was even able to put some of that knowledge to use during a part-time job or two I had throughout school.
In one particular class, a structures or bridge-type of class, we designed a rudimentary 3D bridge to test our math on weight distribution and failure points. The software could do some pretty cool things back then, so I can only imagine how great it is today. Later on that semester, we were given access to a 3D printer and were able to print our bridges and hang weights until they broke - thereby somewhat testing our drawings and calculations.
This printer basically consisted of a huge box of sand-type material, and the ‘printer’ would draw out each layer of the bridge with a type of glue that would cause the sand to stick together. One layer at a time, it finished building the entire bridge - about 24 hours later. This printer also cost at minimum 5 figures back then, and it was one of the smaller and less expensive options.
Today, there are tons of 3D printer companies available offering all sorts of features, multiple colors, and quality prints that can be used to fix just about anything that’s broken if plastic. They can print typical, less expensive PLA plastic, ABS plastic (yes, the same used on your car), and even flexible plastic, along with many, many others. The most common is PLA, and while most printers can print this material, special printers may be required for the other types. This is due to the type of components the printer has, along with the heat required to melt the plastic - more on this soon. Today, they can also be had for a couple of hundred dollars.
As you can see, the sand-type of material I mentioned was technically plastic, as it is now, too. But in the newer printers, the plastic is now wrung around a spool, resembling a wire. This ‘wire’ is fed through a print head and heated to the point it melts - typically around 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The print head moves around the print bed and ‘prints’ a layer of plastic.
This layer of plastic is typically between .2 and .4 mm thick based on the quality and speed you are printing at (also based on the printer’s ability). The thinner the layer, the better quality, but the longer it takes to print - and vice versa. If the item you are printing is 5 mm in height, there will be between 12 and 25 layers that would need to be printed. You can see how quickly there may be hundreds of layers for a much taller item.
Let’s go back a bit, though. If you don’t want to, or can’t, draw your own 3D item to print, there are websites where you can download items for free or pay a small fee (either per item or a monthly subscription). As the community has grown, there are thousands upon thousands of items to print. Most are single-color, but some items (and printers) are multi-color. In some cases, too, you can use a single-color printer to print multiple parts and glue them together if needed.
The file you want to start from is typically an STL file. Then, this file can be opened in the printer’s slicing software. This tells the printer what to print at each layer, thereby ‘slicing’ the item into multiple layers. It also has features dictating quality in multiple ways to then show printing time and how much material it will use (usually measured in distance of wire or weight in grams of plastic). This new file, typically a GSCODE file, can then be placed onto an SD Card, USB stick, or sent to the printer wirelessly.
A few places you can find items to print include:
As mentioned, there are a bunch of printers to choose from today. Many of them may shine in one particular area, but it’s difficult to do everything well, so you’d have to compare a few printers until you find the one that works for what you want to do. There are size considerations, material it may be able to print, print time and quality, ease of repairability and changing filaments, along with cost.
Many of the less expensive, easy-to-repair, and upgrade printers are the Creality Ender line, which starts around $200. The Creality K1 is comparable to the version I have, with the Creality K1 Max being the larger version. From what I can tell, they all have a bit of a learning curve to get set up and printed.
However, Bambu Labs is one of the most renowned brands with high-quality printers, quality prints, and one of the easiest printers to set up and get printing out of the box. They are essentially plug-and-play for anyone wanting to get started. That comes at a price. Until recently. Their new Bambu Lab A1 Mini starts at $199 for a one-color printer with a fairly small bed size (print area). There is a standard A1 to compete with the size of the Ender, the P1S to compete with the K1, and the X1 standing out as their flagship.
These prices are based on consumer printers, and a business can very well still spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a much higher quality printer if need be. Especially if they want to print something out of another type of material - like metal (for golf clubs), concrete (for houses), or even chocolate!
Which leads us to a question - other than printing thingamajigs and doodads for the kids, what else can a 3D printer be used for? For starters, something they have always been used for - prototyping. Inventors and businesses alike can print scale or full-sized models to test fit, comfort, sizing, and more. I have printed tons of toys for my kids and others, but I’ve also printed decorations, spacers for the drawers in the kitchens, storage bins for the car, birthday and Christmas presents, and tons of other things I would have never purchased, but since they’re only a few hours print away…
What would you print with a 3D printer?
ICYMI: Streaming Changes
In their efforts to overtake traditional cable, it appears Netflix and Amazon are Dominating Commissioning by Streamers. They are bringing in shows and movies from all over the world, but mainly from outside of Hollywood. This comes after they’ve also expanded their worldwide viewership.
As Redbox Files for Bankruptcy, a new, free streaming service, made its debut this year - The Network. Rather than having a ton of content available, they only release two new shows a week - dramas on Tuesdays, and comedies on Thursdays.
ICYMI: Social Media
Potentially nostalgic to Myspace, with a flair of Twitter or Facebook, noplace is a new social media app making waves. It is only available on the App Store, where it temporarily took over the #1 spot thanks to the Gen-Z following it received. Go claim your name, color your profile, pick some hobbies, write on your wall, and pick your top 10 friends!
This app, along with other social media apps, just received word from the Supreme Court they have a “First Amendment right to moderate content, and that responding to that with government censorship is not the right answer.” This is a ‘win’ for tech companies as it pushed lawsuits back to Florida and Texas, which seemingly allow social media companies to moderate how they see fit under the First Amendment.
ICYMI: Popular Software
With their newly announced partnership with OpenAI, Apple’s Phil Schiller will join the board as an ‘Observer,’ putting them on par with Microsoft. This allows them to attend board meetings, but cannot vote or exercise other direct powers.
While ChatGPT has been taking the world by storm, another powerful software across the globe held their Word Championship in Vegas - Microsoft’s Excel. Adobe’s Acrobat/PDF Reader may be upset that they aren’t in the running, but they have been held up in court. The US Government is suing them for issues with pricing and cancellation surrounding their subscription model.
POTW: Best Pizzerias
Before we dive deep into great pizza, let’s make one thing clear. There’s no bad pizza, only pizza that tastes better than other pizza. And yes, pineapple can go on pizza! While we may not all agree on what is the best pizza or what goes on it, at least we can agree that we like pizza! My favorite has to be Lombardi’s and Arturo’s, but these 5 food bloggers share their favorite pizza in NYC and didn’t mention them - so who can you really trust? However, if I’m in the middle of nowhere and all they have is chains, I’m sticking with my Domino’s Brooklyn Style. If you need another reason to make a road trip, how about the Robb Reports’ 50 Best Pizzerias in America for 2024? You can also compare this to their ratings from 2023, their worldwide top 100 ratings, or to the New York Times’ 22 of the Best Pizza Places in the United States.
Featured Product
If you caught my appearance on the House Dad’s Podcast this week, you may have heard my automation routine. The Kasa WiFi Smart Plug is the smart outlet I mentioned that my Christmas tree gets hooked up to come November! Buy one or 5 and turn on/off those hard-to-reach devices, set smart actions, or integrate them with your other automations. It also works with Alexa, Google, and Siri.
