In this video, my granddaughter Shira and I will make a 3d printed coin with her name on designed in Tinkercad. Then we will print it on a $180 Monoprice Select Mini printer (MP Select Mini).
You do not need to spend a lot of money to begin participating in 3d printing as a hobby, and when you make things with a grandchild, you create memories that will last forever.
To get started, I'm going to work with Shira to create the coin in Tinkercad. Then Shira and I will export the file in the STL file format ready for printing. I'll let Shira select the color of the filament for the final print.
Once the print completes, I'll demonstrate an easy way to ensure that my models will come off the print bed easily.
I'll show you how to send the print to the printer via an Octoprint controller running on a Raspberry Pi over Wifi.
If you want to learn what it takes to create 3d prints, this video is an excellent place to start.