2 ms·

> I have very little use for paperclips, actually, but if I needed one, I could easily 3D print it. Out of curiosity, how good would a 3D printed paperclip be

• kragen 7y ago
  You could make it stronger and more durable, but it will definitely be larger and heavier if you make it out of PLA, and more expensive than a bit of bent wire if you FDM it.
  • romwell 7y ago
    >and more expensive than a bit of bent wire if you FDM it Yeah, but the whole point of 3D printing is that you can make small-scale custom runs that would be exorbitantly expensive with traditional manufacturing. You can have paperclips that double as markers/tags/have your name on them/send a message, e.g.[1]. Same goes for other things. 3D printing is a way to make custom things at small scale on demand, but automating away most of the steps after the design stage. [1]http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/02/make-football-paper-clip-fast-useful-3d.html http://www.mkrclub.com/2016/02/make-football-paper-clip-fast...
    • kragen 7y ago
      CNC wire bending is a lot better than 3-D printing for small-scale custom runs of custom things at small scale on demand, automating away most of the steps after the design stage. But the sets of designs you can make with the two processes are almost disjoint.