To find out more, we reached out to Joel Telling, self-described 3D printing nerd and educator. He was kind enough to share his own thoughts on the hobby. “I believe the biggest barrier to entry for new people who want to get started with 3D printing is the cost of the machines and materials. 3D printers can be expensive, or at least not within the budget ranges of many. Plus, the cost of filaments and other materials can add up over time,” he shared when discussing common concerns would-be 3D printing enthusiasts might have. 

Fortunately, there is a plethora of good, educational content out there. “What initially drew me to explore 3d printing was reading about it and watching videos on it around 2013 and 2014. I read articles on Slashdot and watched videos by Barnacles Nerdgasm and Thomas Sanladerer. Reading about it was really cool because it showed me what was coming up, and watching the videos by those two really inspired me to want to get into it myself,” Joel added, regarding his own experience.  

“I'd like to add that while 3d printing can be a scary unknown to some, I and others are working not just to enable more people to learn about this amazing field, but also demystify the professional and industrial side. It's crazy to think that we are in a spot where many of the jobs that kids in school will have when they are older just don't exist yet."

"Once we can empower more young people to get started in 3d printing, that experience in their schools or at home in the garages will get them ready for the professional and industrial Additive Manufacturing jobs many will take. It's a VERY exciting time!”

Like many inventions, 3D printing does actually have its roots in science fiction. US fiction writer William Fitzgerald Jenkins, operating under the pen name Murray Leinster, depicted a device that functions very similarly to modern 3D printers. In his 1945 short story “Things Pass By,” a character describes a machine that takes raw plastic, then molds and shapes it based on scanned drawings. The first real world attempts to design a 3D printer were met with general disinterest. In 1981 Dr. Hideo Kodama designed and prototyped a machine that would apply a resin, layer by layer. Unfortunately for him and the world in general, his superiors showed little interest in the idea. Without adequate funding, Dr. Kodama abandoned the project. 

Other industries experimented with the idea of “printing” parts and pieces to use in manufacturing or tests, but the first publicly available printer was created in 2005. Called RepRap, the printer was designed to be affordable and self replicating. That’s right, a RepRap owner could use RepRap to make another 3D printer. And another. And another… 

By 2009, many of the licenses and copyrights for older 3D printing technologies had entered the public domain. As the costs dropped, more hobbyists could afford to buy 3D printers for personal use. Internet resources, from forums to freely available designs lowered the barrier for entry, which was often the biggest hurdle. Enthusiasts were now free to share designs, tips and tricks. Now a person who wanted to get into 3D printing could find helpful guides online instead of being forced to rely on technical manuals. Plus, hobbyists at home have quite different ideas from a manufacturing business regarding what they should print. 

Look around you. Coat hangers, coasters. The case for your glasses or a pen holder. Imagine being able to just make them at home, with almost infinite customization options. Plus, as the technology improves, the range of materials could grow. And it’s not just decorations of knick-knacks. Some creative hobbyists have already worked out how to make 3D printers that use chocolate or sugar. Envision the look of awe on your dinner guests faces when you unveil a 1-to-1 chocolate replica of the Taj Mahal or whatever else strikes your fancy.

It can be inspiring to see what creative individuals do when given the opportunity to express themselves. 3D printing, despite advances over the last decade, still remains a daunting hobby to start with. Imagine paying four figures just for the equipment alone! But on a wider scale, hopefully these creations inspire you to find that creative niche in your own life. Besides having a hobby, there are actual medical benefits to being creative. In an analysis of the effects of creative activities on wellbeing, researchers Scott and James Kaufman found that creative writing could even improve a person's immune system.

Creativity can also help with mental health. Ruth Richards, author of “Everyday Creativity: Coping and Thriving in the 21st Century,” believes that creativity is strongly connected with self-actualization. The feeling of being engaged and in control is directly related to a person’s mental wellbeing. Without an outlet, people can feel trapped, depressed or burnt out. Humans who feel like they have some impact on their environment, like redesigning a room or painting a fence, are more resilient to some mental disorders. If you are not sure where to begin, some psychologists recommend finding a problem. A simple mental challenge, like finding ten ways to improve your workspace this month can help positively stimulate the brain. And if you do it right, maybe you’ll generate some useful ideas in the meantime. 

We also had the chance to ask the 3D Printing Guru about his journey with this topic. "In my experience the biggest barrier to entry for 3D printing is the misperceptions around the complexity and cost of the technology. Before the 3D printing boom around 2015, 3d printers consisted of high cost enterprise solutions and a handful of hobby printers which required a baseline knowledge around coding and most certainly did not work straight out of the box. Today in 2023, the learning curve and costs have reached historic lows. With this a new barrier has presented itself, knowing which printer to pick amongst all the competition that has popped up. Do you go with a name brand printer with a large support network? Or… do you go with a dupe at a lower price with less support? My advice? Do your research and don’t bite off more than you can chew. If you are less technically inclined, spend the extra couple bucks and go for the name brand printer with strong support. If you have an engineering background, are very patient, or just enjoy a challenge; think about opting for a lower cost, entry level printer and purchasing upgrades you can install to make it even better than the higher priced alternatives."

Like many others, he started 3D printing as a side business' that grew into an obsession. "I got involved in 3D printing in 2015 while I was in high school. I really wanted to buy a car as I was turning 16 soon, so I was brainstorming business ideas and got an ad for a Makerbot 3dprinter. I had some money saved up, but nowhere near enough to cover their high price tag. I did though, have enough to get a lower cost printer from XYZ 3D Printing; A “no name” brand at the time with proprietary materials. I quickly learned that working with a machine that used overpriced cartridges with chips that prevented you from using 3rd party materials was a mistake. I am fortunately technically inclined and was able to build a micro computer that could reset the chip with whatever information I pleased. This allowed me to leave the empty cartridge in the machine and feed in a 3rd party filament into the printer."

"Once I got used to the printer and dialed in my settings, I started to look for opportunities to make money using the printer. I decided to launch “TK 3D Printing” an On-Demand 3D printing service, servicing the greater New Haven county area. I would cold call business at the age of 16 asking if they could benefit from my services. I quickly realized there was a high demand for custom keychains, and that very quickly became my Niche. On that small 200mmX200mm print bed I would crank out over 1,000 keychains for companies. I had key rings ordered in bulk, a quality assurance process, and even some friends who helped with distribution. By the end of that year, i had scaled to 3 printers, expanded my offerings to include 3D modeling services, and had successfully bought my first car with a little money left over to customize it and make it mine. Today, roughly 8 years later, I have a degree in Marketing from Bentley University, I have worked at 3D Printing companies like Formlabs, and through my social media efforts, I have worked with almost all 3D printer manufacturers on the market."