Why 3D Printing Belongs in Every Home
How one small kitchen problem showed me the power of home manufacturing
3D Printing Is Easier Than Most People Think
There’s a misconception that 3D printers are complicated, expensive machines meant for engineers or hardcore hobbyists. That might have been true a decade ago, but today’s printers are:
Affordable
Reliable
Quiet
Beginner‑friendly
If you can measure a shelf, follow a recipe, or use a smartphone, you can 3D print. The technical barrier is low, and the payoff is enormous.
Once you realize that, you start seeing your home differently — not as a place full of problems, but as a place full of opportunities to create.
The Problem That Started It All
My first meaningful home print (after a benchie…) wasn’t decorative. It wasn’t a toy.
It was a shelf support for our kitchen cabinets.
One of our kitchen corner cabinets had a strange geometry combined with the actual shelf being cut too short. We had struggled with the shelf slipping with the standard parts you find in big box stores or online and couldn’t “find” a suitable solution anywhere. As any good homeowner knows, when no solution exists…you either leave it for 20 years or get creative.
It was a tiny problem, but it affected us every day. The shelf was unusable and we had a large void in the corner of our kitchen.
This is where 3D printing shines!!!If the part doesn’t exist, I can make it.
Designing a Custom Part in OnShape
I opened OnShape, my preferred 3D CAD platform, and started sketching.
A few measurements with calipers. A simple 2D profile. A couple of sketches, extrusions and fillets.
Within about an hour, I had a 3D digital model of the exact support bracket our cabinet needed, something no store could have sold me because it was unique to our home. The prototype followed within 2-3 hours. Yes, there were a few iterations, but when from idea to prototype it takes a matter of a few hours (design plus printing!) the possibilities are endless. 2 years later and the supports are holding strong and we’ve eliminated the void.
This is to me, the power and value of 3D printing at home: You’re no longer limited to what exists. You can create what should exist.
Why Every Home Should Have a 3D Printer
3D printers used to require extensive skill and training and the cost of machines was tens of thousands of dollars with materials running in the hundreds. Today, the cost has come way down to the point where it is now a reality accessible to households.
A 3D printer isn’t a gimmick or a gadget. It’s a household tool and with a growing community of users who cherish the collaborative nature of free flowing ideas there is an endless community out there to help you through your journey.
For me, as an engineer, 3D printing has helped to feed my interests in design and problem solving while providing a tool at home where what I see in my head can become a tangible solution. It is also a tool I use to teach my children the skill of critical thinking as they grow.
3D Printing empowers you to:
Fix instead of replace
Customize instead of compromise
Save money on small repairs
Teach kids creativity and problem‑solving
Turn ideas into physical objects
Build confidence in your ability to make things
And it all starts with one small moment where you realize: “I can make this.”
In my journey of branching out to the world with 3D Printing I am excited for you to join me and the at large community.
At 3D Scana I hope we can foster an inclusive community where we can serve as a educational resource for those looking to get started as well as a network for those who are deep into the field as I am.
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