My 3D Printing Journey
From AutoCAD and an Anet A8 to Autodesk Inventor and a small print farm.
3D design and printing became a creative outlet for me alongside software development. Here's how my setup and workflow evolved over the years.
Where I started
My first steps were modeling in AutoCAD and printing on an Anet A8. The A8 is a bare-bones, build-it-yourself kit, so I learned a lot the hard way: bed leveling, adhesion, temperature tuning, and all the little quirks of FDM printing.
Leveling up
Eventually I bought an Ender 3 V2 and switched my design work to Autodesk Inventor. Inventor's parametric, assembly-driven workflow was a huge upgrade for designing functional, mechanical parts — and it's where I've created most of my models since.
My setup today
These days I run a small print farm:
- 2x Ender 3 V2 — reliable workhorses for everyday prints
- 1x Bambu Lab A1 Combo — fast, multi-color printing with AMS
Design for printing
A few things I keep in mind when designing:
- Avoid steep overhangs without support
- Consider print orientation early
- Add fillets to reduce stress concentrations
- Design tolerances around real-world fit, especially for mechanical parts
What I've built
I've designed a lot of parts in Inventor — from household items to functional automotive and RC components. You can explore some of them on the 3D Models page, where you can rotate each part in 3D and download the STLs.