Every builder should own a 3D printer. Once you see what it does well, it quickly becomes indispensable. My usual rule is this: if I help out a friend, I don’t take money—I make them buy a 3D printer for their kids instead.

The design process is incredibly simple thanks to TinkerCad, and with millions of free or low-cost models available, the possibilities are endless. Beyond toys and trinkets, a 3D printer really shines for low-stress brackets, quick prototypes, and practical low stress tools. Recently, I’ve been using mine to make casting templates for nonferrous metals.

Sure, it’s not ideal for printing shoes—but if you need a phone holder, a motor stabilizer, or just about any small fix, a 3D printer is the way to go. Pair it with a 3D scanner, and you open up even more possibilities.

I’ve run several hundred prints by now, and in my house, my kids see the printer as just another everyday tool.

With the integration of VS Code/SCAD/Blender, I can now just ask the computer to print something out and it usually does great on the first try. I am going to call this "VibeCAD". 

Note: It is helpful for complex prints send the AI output to a handler program like blender or meshmixer or even Tinkercad before printing. Saves on the "whooopsies".