3D printing & design

From a file to a finished piece

Printing is only one stage. Before a build starts, I need to check scale, orientation, supports, and how separate parts will connect. After printing, the work moves to fitting, sanding, assembly, and finishing.

That full process is what interests me. A digital model looks complete, but the physical version exposes every weak measurement and awkward connection.

Planning before the first layer

I begin by checking whether the model is watertight, correctly scaled, and divided in a way the printer can physically produce. Orientation changes strength, visible layer direction, support use, print time, and which surface receives the cleanest finish, so the default orientation is rarely an automatic choice.

For multipart work, I also think about alignment and assembly before slicing. A joint needs enough clearance to fit after real printer tolerances, enough material to survive handling, and a location that can be sanded or hidden. Small test pieces are cheaper evidence than discovering a bad joint after every full section has printed.

The larger builds

My larger projects include a katana inspired by Elden Ring and a replica hand cannon. Both required the designs to be divided into printable pieces and assembled into a convincing final form.

• Scale pieces so they fit the printer and the finished prop
• Plan joints before committing to a long print
• Test tolerances with smaller samples
• Use sanding and finishing to hide layer lines and seams

What a failed print tells me

A failure usually points to a specific assumption: the first layer did not adhere, an overhang needed different support, a tall part moved, a joint was too tight, a wall was too thin, or the chosen orientation placed stress along weak layer lines. I try to change the cause rather than immediately reslicing the same part with random settings.

Keeping the failed part is useful because it makes the defect physical. I can compare layer quality, measure the actual clearance, mark where a seam should move, or test an adhesive and reinforcement method before repeating the complete build.

Why I like the process

3D printing gives me a direct loop between design and evidence. If an idea does not work, the physical part shows why through a weak overhang, poor joint, warped edge, visible seam, or incorrect clearance. I adjust one cause, print again, and compare the result instead of treating the failed part as wasted effort.

How it appears in this portfolio

The room's printer is an interactive model of the process rather than a static icon. Its bed, gantry, carriage, hotend, filament path, controls, and layer-by-layer chess-set build turn the object into a small explanation of how material becomes a finished set over time.

That model also reflects the main reason I enjoy printing: the interesting work is the sequence between an idea and the finished object, including preparation, constraints, iteration, assembly, and evidence from the result.