3D Printers are a good investment

If you are reasonably tech-savvy and can spare about $300 I think getting a 3D printer is a very good investment.

I got the AnyCubic i3 Mega about 6 months ago and had a bit of trouble initially with getting the prints to finish without exploding but got better after a couple of weeks of experimentation.

I don’t use it as often as I would like but we have derived some direct benefits out of it and will surely continue to do so for a while.

• It’s a great incentive for kids to learn 3D modelling tools and expand their creativity. My son knows the basics now and can dabble with 3D shapes better. He has progressed to Blender after starting with TinkerCad.
• My daughter can dabble with TinkerCad but to her, the main benefit is that she can find and get me to print stuff for her, this includes cups and bowls for her dollhouse.
• It is surprisingly satisfying to watch a meaningful object slowly emerge out of nowhere.
• When the kids see the printer in action, it becomes easier for them to understand how learning about geometry is directly beneficial. After all the entire process of 3D printing is essentially just moving the plastic extruder to a specific x , y and z axis location above the print plate.