My Journey with 3D Printing: From Failed Prints to Art

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. The Evolution of 3D Printing
3. Challenges with Failed Prints
4. Recycling Failed Prints
5. Creative Uses for Failed Prints
6. My Artwork with Failed Prints
7. Conclusion

Introduction

I love 3D printing! It’s so cool to see something you have designed on a computer screen come into physical reality. 3D printing comes in a few different flavours. The two main types of consumer 3D printing are Resin and fused deposition material better know as FDM. FDM is where the printer melts plastic filament and puts down the shape layer by layer. This is the version that I use with my Creality Ender 3 printer.

The Evolution of 3D Printing

3D printing has come a long way in the three short years that I have had my printer. They are quicker, quieter, produce better quality prints, and most can now print in multicolour. I imagine that one day our 3D printing will be like the replicators in Star Trek, where matter is arranged to create a physical object. How amazing will that be!

In the present, my dinosaur of a printer does an okay job, but quite often something goes wrong, resulting in failed prints. Despite these challenges, the advancements in 3D printing technology over the past few years have been remarkable. Printers are now more accessible and capable than ever before.

Challenges with Failed Prints

Failed prints are a common issue for many 3D printing enthusiasts. There are ways to recycle the failed prints back into filament, but that requires equipment that shreds the failed print down to small granules. It is then remixed with new filament pallets and put through an extruder machine that melts it all together and runs the output through a water bath to create a semi-recycled end product. It’s a bit costly to have the equipment to do so at a home DIY level.

Recycling Failed Prints

I have seen other methods like melting the plastic in a silicone mold with either one of those small benchtop ovens or a slower process of using a heat gun to melt down the failed prints to create something new. This is something I haven’t tried yet, but I am keen to give it a go. Another successful method is used by Anthea Ibell from Remix Plastic, who grinds up failed prints from their local Libraries Maker Space and then turns them into plastic sheets that she laser cuts to make stunning earrings.

Creative Uses for Failed Prints

The way that I thought I could give my failed 3D prints a second life was to use some of them in an artwork. If you have read my blog before or seen any of my YouTube videos (like and subscribe, please ❤️), you know that I love to experiment with various art techniques. It’s called Andy’s Art Lab for a reason 😊.

My Artwork with Failed Prints

For this artwork, I found a couple of key prints that I thought would look good. Before I put those down, I first decided to make use of a number of crayons I had sitting around from when I did some crayon art by modifying a hot glue gun to push crayons through it. I ended up going through three glue guns exploding before I decided that maybe it wasn’t the art form for me. Check out the article and video on my melted crayon art.

Once I had created a colourful background by melting crayons with a heat gun, it was time to incorporate my failed prints. One of the failed prints I had was from the sign I was making for Andy’s Art Lab that I printed and filled with coloured resin. I had a failure with the word ‘ART,’ which worked out perfectly to be used in this artwork. I was able to use crayon to melt in each of the letters.

I used crayon to melt and make the 3D prints stick to the artboard. Once everything had set, it was time to seal everything together with a layer of epoxy resin. I used finishing resin that is normally used to seal artwork or things like coating woodwork, e.g., tables, benches, etc.

So that was the full process. I combined unwanted crayons and failed 3D prints in a framed artboard that is a bit of a mixed media mashup. I like how it came out. It’s very raw feeling, and considering the message I wanted to portray about waste and reusing it, giving it a second life as something it was not intended for, I feel like I achieved that with this artwork.

And guess what? It’s for sale. If you are interested in this or any of my other art, then please go and check out my just-launched website https://andee.co.nz. Unfortunately, at the moment, it’s just for purchase and delivery in New Zealand, but I am working through how I can make it so that I can send my artwork across the world for those prepared to pay for the crazy shipping prices.

Conclusion

3D printing is an exciting and evolving field that offers endless possibilities for creativity and innovation. Despite the challenges of failed prints, there are many ways to recycle and repurpose them, turning potential waste into beautiful and functional art. I look forward to continuing my journey with 3D printing and exploring new ways to push the boundaries of this incredible technology.