In FabLab Enschede we have more than thirty 3D printers. A large part of these are the most commonly known ‘FDM’ printers, but we also have the more specialized SLS and SLA printers.
With a 3D printer, you can go from a digital 3D model to a real-life product in just a few hours. 3D prints have very few limitations appearance-wise, which makes it a perfect technique for prototyping and communicating your ideas to the outside world. In just a few hours, your ideas are brought into the real world. Because of our wide variety of printers and materials, we can achieve results with different levels of detail, strength, and finishes in different budget ranges.
The FDM printers are easy to operate yourself. At home, you can prepare your design in your preferred 3D software, such as Solidworks, Fusion360, or ThinkerCat, or just downloads one of the many free available 3D models from the websites listed below. When you come to Fablab you can prepare your design in the user-friendly software on one of our desktop computers. Using our tutorials and Fablab-wiki we are confident you will be able to do this without any assistance, but of course; don’t hesitate to ask if you need some assurance, input, or help from our student assistants.
Some websites to get free 3D models from:
- Thingiverse.com
- YouMagazine.com
- PrusaPrinters.com
- Pinshape.com
- MyMiniFactory.com
- Cults3D.com
- Grabcad.com
