Just for a change, today I’m going to give you an update on what’s happening with your favourite 3D printing blog. Although it’s only February it’s been a busy year for us here so far. I’ve just moved house, for example, so I’ve been getting unpacked and settling in.

Everything’s under control now, though, so we’re getting ready to step things up a bit with this site. We’ll still be bringing you the latest news about 3D printing. New technologies, exciting projects that use 3D printers, and of course product reviews are all in the pipeline. We’re going to be focusing a lot of our attention on a new project, though, and we’re really excited about it.

Our 3D Printer Project

As I’ve mentioned before, we now have our very own Ender 3 printer. This is a device we reviewed a couple of months ago, and we were very impressed with how it performed. I’m not going to say the one we borrowed for testing was straight out the box, because the Ender 3 comes as a kit, but it was a stock build with no extras or upgrades – and it still turned out some really impressive prints.

Well, the one we tested is now back home with its owner, but our own one is sitting in its box waiting to be assembled and used – and we’re going to share every step of that journey with you. Here’s some of what we’re planning.

• First, we’ll be assembling the printer in its standard configuration – no upgrades or fancy bolt-on accessories. We’ll cover the build process in detail, along with any pitfalls we discover along the way.
• Next we’re going to fine-tune it as much as we can, using all the popular filament types and a few more unusual ones, to see just how far we can push the basic Ender 3 design.
• Then we’re going to start upgrading it. We’ll fit our Ender with every upgrade, accessory and enhancement we can get our hands on, and let you know what ones are worth getting and what ones you should leave on the shelf. We’re going to turn this 3D printing blog into the ultimate resource for what works and what doesn’t.
• Of course, when we get a chance to review high-end printers or the latest devices we’ll do it, but our main goal is to help you get the best performance from hardware that any hobbyist can afford. The Ender 3 from Creality is already an amazing printer for its sub-£200 price tag – but it can be even better, and we’re going to show you how to achieve that.

We love reading – and writing – about some of the amazing things people are doing with 3D printers. Submarines that can repair themselves? That’s great! 3D printers in space? Awesome! Printable pizzas? Extra pepperoni on mine, please. But what really gets us excited is helping ordinary enthusiasts put together the best equipment at home without breaking the bank. Making this technology accessible is why we set up a 3D printing blog in the first place, and this year we’re going to be pushing hard towards that goal. We hope you’ll come along for the trip!