Inside the Cabinet - 3D Printing
3D printing has gone from science-fiction novelty to an indispensable design tool in design studios. Also known as additive manufacturing, it builds an object layer by layer from a digital file, turning pixels and polygons into something you can hold in your hand. If you’ve ever done ceramics, it’s similar to coiling a clay snake into a cup shape, layer by layer, but just a lot more precise. Unlike subtractive processes such as milling or turning on a lathe, which carve material away, 3D printing adds precisely what’s needed.
A Brief History of 3D Printing
In the early 1980s, engineer Chuck Hull developed stereolithography, a method of solidifying liquid resin using ultraviolet light. His invention led to the first commercial 3D printer and the foundation of a movement that would eventually reach workshops, design studios, and even homes around the world. We actually use one of these resin printers at Makers Cabinet to make high-resolution prints.
Example of a Formlabs resin printer - UV light solidifies resin precisely, dipped in layers.
Through the 1990s and early 2000s, technologies like Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) made it possible to print in plastics and metals, laying the groundwork for everything that followed. Most of our day-to-day 3D printing is done using a Bamblu Lab printer, which uses a spool of filament (plastic wire, mostly PLA), fed through a tube which is heated gently and extruded onto a plate layer by layer to build a form.
Today, desktop printers are accessible to lots of people. Materials have expanded far beyond the early brittle resins, now including durable nylons, stainless steel, ceramics, and even experimental composites of wood or recycled waste. The result is a medium that allows rapid iteration, intuitive experimentation, and a new kind of design freedom.
Selection of early Høvel prototypes - testing different form factors and blade placement
How We Use It at Makers Cabinet
For us, 3D printing has become an essential part of the creative process. Each of our products, whether the Elipso ellipsograph, Iris drawing compass, or Wormhole Drafter, begins life as a pencil sketch and then moves into 3D form. Before committing to machined brass or stainless steel, we print multiple prototypes to explore scale, proportion, and ergonomics. It can be difficult to model the look and feel of brass, but it allows us to experiment rapidly.
Holding a physical model reveals things no screen can show. How do the Høvel curves feel when sharpening? What are the dimensions of the packaging that fit the product precisely but not too tightly? These questions are answered through printed iterations that can be adjusted and tested continuously.
We also use printing to test mechanisms that would be difficult to prototype otherwise, such as the trammel system inside Elipso. By printing complex assemblies in situ, we can check tolerances and movement before machining a single piece of metal. This speeds up development and reduces waste, aligning with our philosophy of making things built to last.
Why It Matters
3D printing is more than just a convenience; it represents a quiet revolution in design. It collapses the distance between imagination and object, allowing individuals and small teams to experiment on equal footing with large manufacturers. In the same way that desktop publishing transformed print media, additive manufacturing is transforming how things are made. A small example we have seen is people 3D printing replacement parts for broken parts that have gone out of circulation. Imagine the dial on your radio breaks, you can simply redraw and print a new one, in whatever colour you like! A friend of ours from our University has been making some very cool headphones for kids using off-the-shelf electronic and speaker components combined with 3D printing. This allows him to bypass the need for expensive tooling and can make his designs in a variety of forms, colours and finishes in the needs of his customers.
Kibu 3D-printed and repairable headphones for children
As materials improve and costs fall, it’s beginning to move beyond prototyping into production itself. Entire aircraft components, dental implants, and bespoke furniture are now printed directly in metal or composite materials. For the craftsman or designer, it’s an invitation to explore new geometries, organic shapes, internal lattices, and mechanisms that could never be machined by traditional means. This is due to it being additive; check out this pumpkin, which I printed in 2 hours, which has an impossible internal structure that only an additive process could make.
Where It’s Heading
The future of 3D printing lies in speed, sustainability, and scale. Emerging technologies are addressing the current limitations, slow print times, uneven surface finishes, and the reliance on petroleum-based plastics. Start-ups are experimenting with bio-based filaments, recycled powders, and even fully compostable resins. Others are developing hybrid machines that combine additive and subtractive techniques, offering the best of both worlds.
Imagine a workshop where every part is printed locally, using material that can be re-ground and re-used, a closed loop of creativity and resourcefulness. For small makers, it hints at a world where on-demand custom manufacturing could replace the need for mass production, warehousing, and long-distance shipping. Theoretically, you could download a file from the internet and print it at home. Avoiding having to shop for that very specific item, being produced in a far-off land. Another benefit is how it allows personalisation at scale. Theoretically, you could 3D scan your foot and have a custom shoe printed perfectly for you. Behind the scenes, there’s also a lot of R&D into printing organic materials; maybe one day we will be able to print organs or body parts, which could be a breakthrough in medicine and potentially remove the practice of organ trafficking.
R&D into printing organs at Manchester University
The Honest Drawbacks
Like any tool, 3D printing has its challenges. Printed parts can lack the strength or finish required for final products, and printing remains relatively slow compared to casting or CNC machining. Environmental questions also persist; while many materials are recyclable, not all are, and failed prints can add up quickly.
Still, progress continues at a remarkable pace. Every year brings stronger, greener, and faster systems that push the boundaries of what can be made.
For us, 3D printing doesn’t replace craftsmanship; it enhances it. It lets us explore ideas freely, test rigorously, and make with greater intention. The technology may be digital, but its heart remains deeply human: the simple, enduring desire to turn imagination into reality.
Further Reading:
Kibu Headphones - Proving circular products are possible with locally manufactured tech.
Manchester University - Can 3D Bioprinting “cure” organ trafficking?
Harvard University - 3D-printed blood vessels bring artificial organs closer to reality
