bjorn.now

#3d-printing

Designing and printing things, the hobby that was supposed to not be about programming

19 March, 2026

Start with the smallest test print you can, no, even smaller, when iterating on a 3D model.

Three 3D printed gridfinity bins in decreasing size, showing the iteration from full print to smallest possible test piece
  • Top: the first print, fully believing I had nailed everything on the first try (also some hope, it was printing over night so hey, it might mean I’m done with this first design)
  • Middle: second print, cut smaller but enough to let the device rest. Made me realize I hadn’t taken into account that the device tapers at the top and bottom, so it needs less living space
  • Bottom: latest print, cut to print as small as possible, and maybe too small, but it seems to indicate this is good. Next up, a full print

Next time, reverse the order 😅

Iterating on a 3D print takes 20+ minutes per attempt (maybe that can be improved?) and somehow that feels more fun than waiting on a slow test suite. Maybe it’s because when I’m waiting on the printer I just work on other software projects. Or watch TV. 🤷‍♀️

I didn’t really realize just how big 5mm is until I used it as a ‘reasonable tolerance’ when designing a 3D printed bin. It’s now looser than a really poor joke!