5 Cool Ways To Use Your 3D Printer Around The House

Personal 3D printers have become more accessible than ever, with various brands offering all kinds of models. Even if you can only make things out of plastic filament, the fact that you can create solid objects and elaborate constructs where once there was nothing is absolutely incredible in the grand scheme of things. To have such power in the comfort of your home can almost be a paralyzing prospect — when you've got that kind of functionality readily available to you, how could you possibly decide what to do with it?

Before you decide to create some kind of world-saving robot with your 3D printer, though, you might want to start with some humbler goals. A 3D printer can be used to create all kinds of nifty gadgets and gizmos, after all, and if there were ever a place that could always use more gadgets and gizmos, it's your own home. With a big spool of filament and some crafty ingenuity, you'd be surprised what kind of cool things you could print, whether it's practical household helpers or just some neat junk to give your living space a little zing.

The best way to really make a living space reflective of its owner is to fill it up with nifty tchotchkes and knick-knacks. A little statue on a shelf here, a framed photograph there, and suddenly an empty room looks like a lived-in space. However, even if you have fairly loose stylistic requirements, you might not always be able to find knick-knacks that meet your stylistic requirements in a store. As the old saying goes, if no one will sell it to you, just make it yourself.

With a 3D printer, you can create just about any knick-knack your heart desires. Make a festive frame for your favorite family photo, a weird little holder for your work pens and pencils, or just a silly-looking statue to serve as a talking point on the coffee table. 3D printing gives you the flexibility to print just about any simple construct, and crafting simple things in this way is also a great way to practice using your 3D printer. Whether you're using pre-made printing files you find online or designing something from scratch, it's a nice low-stakes way to get acquainted with the printing process.

Just about any stationary object in your home has a nonzero chance of being jostled around on a regular basis, and in some cases, you would really rather they not be. Whether you've got a bicycle that keeps falling over or a water dispenser in your fridge that doesn't slide far enough, these are both problems that can be solved with the help of a 3D printer. With a bit of measurement and tinkering, you can create all kinds of helpful mounts to keep tools, appliances, and other assorted objects nice and steady.

In the case of a falling bicycle, for example, you can print a simple wall mount tailored to your bicycle's exact dimensions. All you need is an anchoring point to secure the dowels to the wall, and you've got a perfect rack to keep your bicycle suspended safely off the ground. Or, in the case of the refrigerator water dispenser, you can print a platform to raise it slightly off the shelf so it can safely slide out and dispense water. These are just a couple of examples of stabilizing, elevating mounts you can create with little trouble using your 3D printer.

Here's an annoying scenario: the batteries in your TV remote die, and you need to replace them. You pop off the back cover and swap the batteries out, only to find that the cover has spontaneously vanished. Maybe you dropped it behind the couch without realizing it, or maybe the dog made off with it; whatever the cause, you've got a remote with exposed batteries on your hands. It's neither smart nor safe to leave the batteries hanging out like that, but how are you supposed to cover them up without the cover? Once again, it's your 3D printer to the rescue.

By taking measurements of your remote, particularly noting any points where the cover was secured in place, you can create a near-exact duplicate of the lost cover using a 3D printer. This does require some skill with a caliper and a 3D modeling program, but the payoff is an immediate cover replacement rather than needing to call the remote manufacturer for one. In a similar vein, a 3D printer can also be used to create protective covers for small charging cables that have begun to fray. Rather than leaving those wires exposed, you can create a fitted shell to keep them held in place and protected from the elements.

Let's say you've just popped a fresh bag of popcorn for movie night, but can't find a good bowl to keep it in. A regular dinner bowl is usually too small for a full bag of popcorn, but you can't seem to track down a well-sized bowl to fit all of it. If you frequently find yourself lacking in good snack-handling options, then rather than spending an hour browsing at a store, why not make the perfect bowl yourself?

Whether with pre-made designs or from scratch, you can create perfect snack bowls and plates for any entertaining occasion. Not only will they be perfectly sized for the volume of snacks you're consuming, but you can also put fun spins on them, like a skull-shaped bowl for holding Halloween candy. Just remember that this trick is best only used for dry snacks like chips, M&Ms, nuts, or popcorn, as the plastic material may not be safe to use with hot meals. Double-check the filament you're using to ensure it's FDA-approved for food contact safety.

Here's a fun fact: most action figures are made of simple composite parts, molded separately before being fitted together. Considering that, it's actually quite possible to make similar toys with your 3D printer by printing the parts onto runners and assembling them afterward. They might not be as detailed as what you'd get from the toy store or have all the wacky features built in, but you can still make some pretty cool toys from scratch.

For example, by printing in flexible joints, you can create cute and nifty animals like a T-Rex or a shark that offer a degree of posing ability while also being able to withstand the rigors of playtime. Or, if you want something a little more dramatic, you can create a dynamic, fully poseable action figure from composite printed parts. After you make the main figure, you can also print accessories like armor and weapons if you want. These toys make great spur-of-the-moment gifts for the young and young-at-heart, as well as a fun way to get your kids involved with your 3D printing hobby.