Ideas

3D Printing Ideas for Beginners

The Snapmaker Team

— 6 min read
3D Printing Ideas for Beginners

What’s more exciting than seeing your imagination come to life? With 3D printers, you can turn your digital designs into physical creations.

If you’re new to FDM 3D printing, the possibilities can seem endless yet daunting. We have curated this blog to explore the best 3D printing ideas for beginners, allowing you to kickstart your 3D printing journey.

Table of Contents

How to Find Your 3D Printer Ideas as a Beginner

If you are new to 3D printing, you may hesitate a bit before trying a new project. You must carefully choose your first 3D printer project as it forms the foundation for your printing skills and helps build your confidence.

  • Easy: First and foremost, you must start with easy and uncomplicated designs. Choose simple models that are easier to print. This will help you understand the basics of 3D printing.
  • Fun: You must also choose fun and interesting prints, may they be action figures or your favorite characters. Exciting prints keep you hooked to 3D printing.
  • Functional: In addition to choosing fun and simple models, you must also consider functional projects such as mobile phone stands or household items as they are more practical.
  • Free: These days, you can easily find tons of free 3D printer projects online, allowing you to practice your printing skills and create new and unique projects.

Getting Started with These 3D Printer Projects

Now that you have learned about 3D printing, let's explore the best 3D printer ideas that are easy, functional, and rewarding. By practicing these projects, you can get more comfortable with your printer and ultimately improve your skills.

Simple Projects to Begin

3D Benchy: It is a popular calibration torture-test model designed to test the capabilities of your 3D printer. Benchy comes from benchmark as this test signifies how well your 3D printer works.

  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Print Time: ~1–2 hours
  • Recommended Material: PLA
  • Where to get it: You can get 3D benchy from https://www.3dbenchy.com/
3D benchy test result

Cali Cat: It is a simple benchmark model that tests your printer’s accuracy, overhangs, detail, bridging, extrusion, etc. under an hour.

  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print Time: ~45 minutes
  • Recommended Material: PLA
  • Where to get it: You can get this model from https://www.thingiverse.com

Recommended reading: You might benefit from an overview of calibration.

Best Practical Projects

Coiled Serpent Pencil Holder: This striking pencil holder prints as a single piece and adds a touch of fantasy to any desk. It’s a great conversation starter and a perfect first project to test how well your printer handles detailed, continuous curves.

3D printed coiled serpent pencil holder, a simple and fun 3D printing idea for a desk organizer.

Low-Profile CNC Clamp: If you have a CNC machine or a workbench with a grid system, these low-profile clamps are an essential tool. They are designed to hold your workpiece securely without getting in the way of your toolpaths.

A practical 3D printed low-profile clamp used as a workshop tool to hold wood on a CNC bed.

Trading Card Deck Box: Protect your valuable Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, or other trading cards with this rugged and spacious deck box. This design includes dividers and a secure latching mechanism to keep your collection safe.

A rugged, 3D printed deck box shown holding trading cards, a practical 3D printer project for gamers.
  • Why it's great for beginners: It's a great practical project for printing large, flat-surfaced objects where warping can be a challenge, teaching you the importance of a level bed.
  • Estimated Print Time: 8-12 hours
  • Recommended Material: PLA or PETG
  • Read Guide: 3D Printed Deck Box Guide

Smartphone Stand: It is the most practical 3D printer project you can do at home. It's not only functional but also allows you to practice settings like adhesion and overhangs.

Cable Guards: A cable guard is a highly practical gadget that protects your phone’s cables from damage. Since cables are prone to kinks and bends, a cable guard can protect them from breakage.

Cool Things to 3D Print

Stop Motion Animation Stand: Unleash your inner filmmaker with this clever phone stand and animation jig. It's designed to hold your phone steady for recording and includes a small platform to animate objects like a 3D Benchy.

A 3D printed stop motion animation phone stand, an easy 3D printer project for beginners.

Drawstring Bag Vase: This elegant vase is a beautiful example of how 3D printing can create soft, organic-looking textures. It prints without supports and looks fantastic with just a few stems of dried flowers.

A decorative brown 3D printed vase with a drawstring bag texture, an easy 3D printing idea for home decor.

Cute Bunny Egg Holders: Perfect for spring holidays or just as a cute decoration, these stylized bunnies are designed to hold a small chocolate egg or other treasures. They are a quick print and a delightful gift.

Two easy-to-print 3D printed bunny figures holding chocolate eggs, a fun project for beginners.

Pen Holder: A pen holder is a great addition to your desk, and you can easily 3D print it.

Fidget Spinner: If you are looking for cool things to 3D print, then a fidget spinner is the best. It's a fun and simple toy that allows you to practice basic printing mechanics.

Flexi Rex: Flexi Rex is a T-Rex that is one of the most popular 3D printer models on Thingiverse. It is popular as it can be printed as a single printed item, with no need for assembly.

Where You Can Find Abundant Models

If you are looking for multiple 3D printer projects from beginner to advanced, you are at the right place. Following are some of the best platforms to search for diverse models.

  • YouMagine is full of free-to-download projects – perfect when you’re starting out and don’t want to pay for your print files!
  • PinShape has both free and paid designs available to download. Projects on PinShape are usually high-quality, with technical information included so you can print them quickly.
  • Thingiverse is one of the biggest 3D printing communities and has over a million items to print – with designs free to download and use.
  • MyMiniFactory has both free and paid designs available that were created by community users and encourage users to earn on their store.
  • Cults3D is a marketplace with a mix of free and paid models featuring unique designs.

Related reading: Feed Your 3D Printer 17 Awesome Websites. The article from Snapmaker highlights 17 excellent websites for downloading 3D models suitable for various printing projects.

Conclusion

3D printing has limitless potential, especially for beginners, as they can use their imagination to create unique and innovative designs. With practice and patience, beginners can explore more complex designs as their skills grow over time.

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