Thanks @hornbyben, I briefly looked at Openscad before Tinkercad but computer programming isn’t my forte so I passed on it but your recommendation had me looking at their tutorial and the programming language actually makes some sense so I’m going to look a bit harder.

    thusband There’s definitely a bit of a learning curve, but then it’s very efficient. I think the thing I like the best is the precision, versus moving something but hand with the mouse.

      Pompeyexile Now that is the sort of thing I understand. It’s a bit like (choc=200g, cocao powder=100g, castor sugar=200g) would give you a cake that’s Mmmmmmmmmmmmm….Lush!

      Unless I’m making it….

      Contact me

        Pompeyexile I assume anyone can learn anything, if you prepared to keep trying and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. As a kid you keep trying, whereas as an adult if you don’t pick it up as quickly as you like you just assume you can’t and give up.

        Having said that more time spent on cakes might give a better return for your time

          Yeah, so I’m a Mechanical Engineer by profession. I been 3d modelling as a job for over a decade. Outside of work I use Fusion 360, there is a bit of a learning curve, but it’s hugely powerful and legitimately free for personal use.

          Anyone looking into it should find some tutorials on YouTube there’s loads of good ones.

          Jordash It works surprisingly well, and doesn’t rest inside the portafilter like some of the designs. The only annoying bit was digging out the support filament, as there isn’t a way to print without it.

            i had a friend print me a wdt tool and a holder. i then bought a 3d printed dosing ring with magnets off ebay for a few quid.

            this is such a great innovation and when i have the space i think i’ll buy a 3d printer

            Yeah, they’re a lot of fun. I think the real fun begins when you learn to design your own stuff (I’ve just started that). Something from nothing.

            I remember twenty years ago I saw a 3D printer in a machine shop. It was huge.

            I receive notifications from Indegogo for kickstarter projects after backing the Skuma water project and I was sent information about this 3D Printer project. I couldn’t believe how cheap the printer was. Looks like quite a fun 3D printer for home use / good for kids.

            @dutchy101 how cheap is the printer? It really looks cheap. I’d be leery. That kid’s toy was multiple colors which would be very hard to do on that printer I bet.

            Someday, though, they’ll be as common as a tablet computer. Everyone will have one on their counter to print stuff they need.

              The price on the Indegogo site is about £75 - so pretty cheap

              Quite possibly. I haven’t ordered one, but remember being surprised at how cheap it was at the time I saw it

              It’s certainly cheap, but a couple of things jump out that would make me think twice:

              • 0.7mm nozzle. They tout this as a positive as it makes the printing fast, but the down side they don’t mention is that the flip side is resolution. It means you can’t print a line less than 0.7mm wide.
              • Very small bed size. The max size you can print is 80×80×80. I think this would be pretty limiting. For comparison a 200×200×200 print size is not unusual. You might think you never print anything big, but once you have one you start seeing opportunities. The lamp shades in the hall and kitchen are 3D printed. This easily lets you have a very modern look for pennies.
              • It looks like it’s exclusively app controlled to work. This concerns me, especially for a new company. Without maintenance an app vanishes, and then you’re left with a useless piece of hardware. Apps also cost money to maintain, and at some point they will come looking for revenue. Perhaps a charge, or they discontinue support. It’s a fact of life that if you own something app controlled or that relies on the cloud it has a definite shelf life.
              • A lot of 3D printers go onto crowd funding sites and don’t make it

              That doesn’t mean it would suit a particular persons use case, and it’s certainly cheap, but I’d make sure I was comfortable with those limitations.

              At the minute the sweet spot for a ‘cheap’ printer is about £200 (such as the Creality Ender 3), that’s what I’ve got. In reality if you get into printing, you’ll spend far more on filament than £200 in a year. But I agree 80 × 80 × 80 is pretty limiting. I’ve seen some very good small printers with a 120 × 120 × 120 volume and that would probably suit 80% on my printing, but every now and again I find myself wanting larger than the 220 × 220 × 250 I have at the moment.

              I use a dosing funnel designed to fit my eureka zenith 65e grinder, it’s a simple thing but does save a lot on spillage, and by a lot I don’t really mean so much the amount of coffee but the time and hassle of keep cleaning it up. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4773071

              @SiblingChris I’m still trying to find the perfect funnel for my Niche. I have several that are close but no cigar. I think the answer is to design my own but I’m not there yet as far as Fusion 360 goes and Tinkercad might not have the capability. I’m not sure yet, though, as I’m still learning my way around.

                Thanks @SiblingChris. I haven’t seen a few of those. Others I’ve tried. I use a Decent portafilter holder and it throws most funnels off. I’ll give a few of the ones I haven’t tried a whirl.