Hello! Community associate Maggie Gilmore here again for more adventures in 3D printing.

I'm going to go over what research I've been doing and what resources I've been taking advantage of in my quest to learn more about 3D printing. Thankfully, the internet is a wealth of knowledge in this area because the 3D printing community is an extremely open and helpful one, always giving tips and tricks freely in the interest of sharing the hobby.

The machines we have at Groover Labs are the Creality3D Ender-3 Pro, and they're a great value for a high-quality machine. I didn't have to assemble the one I'm using since we already had been operating them, but this Youtube video goes over how to assemble one out of the box as well as all of the set-up steps to make sure the machine is ready to print. It's not overly complicated, but it's extremely worthwhile taking your time since if you end up with a printer bed (the platform the printing takes place on) that's not level, none of your projects will turn out well. If you have more general questions about how 3D printers work, this video goes over the different types as well as their uses.

If you watched the first video I linked to, you'll know that once you have your 3D printer set up and are ready to test it out, you're going to need a program on your computer that will take plans and turn them into usable files that your particular printer model can read. Enter Ultimaker Cura. Since all 3D printers are built slightly differently, Ultimaker Cura takes whatever project you want to print and formats it specifically for your printer's bed size and capacity. You can even preview your print and see how it's going to progress through each layer. The best part is it's free to download.

But where do you get plans for 3D printed objects? Like I said before, the internet is pretty obsessed with the hobby so there's a plethora of hubs where you can find people sharing their plans online. A great place to start is Thingiverse. Thingiverse is built around sharing plans, commenting on them, re-mixing them, sharing your "makes,” and creating challenges that get people thinking outside the box of what's already been made. They even have an education section where plans are sorted by grade level and subject so you can engage students with 3D printing in the classroom or at home.

Now, onto my first print. I wanted to start with something simple and fast. The main downside of 3D printing is speed, because the printer head can only move so fast and each layer of filament (the plastic that is being melted and extruded onto the print bed) is quite thin to ensure evenness in printing.

I decided on this plan for a "harness" for your fabric mask's elastic straps that sits on the back of your head and takes all of the pressure of the mask off of your ears. It's a clever design that's printed in four pieces and then snaps together, and there are multiple files with different lengths so you can customize it to your head size.

It took about an hour and a half to print, which might seem long for a fairly simple object, but it has a surprising number of layers if you actually sit and watch it print. It serves its purpose perfectly. When I wore it with my mask, I felt absolutely no pressure on my ears and it even held it in place on my head better. I will be giving it to a friend of mine who is a hairstylist and was struggling with keeping her mask on while also wearing a face shield to protect herself and her clients in the salon.

Next time we'll take a look at free programs for designing your own 3D printed objects as well as my next project coming off the printer.