Many of us imagined our own versions of the future when we were young. You could have thought that you’d be zipping around in flying cars like in The Jetsons. Or that every household would have a humanoid robot to help with our daily chores. While some of these things are either in the making or still not possible, one thing that has surely turned into reality is 3D printing.

This technology is not just being used by experts; many enthusiasts have also tried their hand at it. And some users of 3D printing are sharing their innovative creations on the 3Dprinting subreddit, where “makers of all skill levels and walks of life can learn about and discuss 3D printing.” Check out these 3D-printed items to witness the remarkable strides technology has made. And don't forget to check out our conversation with Sricharan Chiruvolu, a computer vision engineer based in Germany.

#1 I Recently Had A Full Head Mri. Using Free Software I Was Able To Pluck My Brain Out And Turn It Into A Desk Light

Image credits: reddit.com

#2 I Made These Spikes To Stop "Helpful" People From Grabbing Me Without Consent

Image credits: RavenLunatic512

#3 3D Printed Clip-On Temperature Indicator For The Shower Pipe To Show When It's Warm Or Too Hot. I'm Disabled So I Can't Always Tell Temperature With My Hand, And I Didn't Want To Use One Of Those LED Showerheads Because Electricity + Water = Bad

Image credits: reddit.com

While 3D printing may sound like something out of a science fiction movie, the reality is that it is a fairly straightforward concept. Using additive manufacturing, three-dimensional printing turns a digital design into a tangible product. Basically, it’s done by applying thin layers of cement, metal, liquid, or powdered plastic, then fusing the layers together.

To explore the impact of 3D printing, Bored Panda sought insights from Sricharan Chiruvolu, a computer vision engineer specializing in 3D vision, who shared his valuable perspective.

#4 I May Have A *slight* Addiction To Printing Covers For My Bionic Arm

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#5 Who Ever Designed This Thing I Printed It... I Have Never Been So Horrified And In Love At The Same Time!!

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#6 I Modeled, Printed, And Painted This Little House To Express My Frustration With The Housing Market

Image credits: psybermonkey15

Over the past few years, 3D printing has rewritten the market for common consumer goods. “From phone cases to prosthetics," 3D printing has enabled more personalized and custom-made wares, as noted by Sricharan. "Also, it helps to bring down the production cost for a few products, giving customers more access to distinctive designs.”

Customization can be challenging under traditional manufacturing processes because they rely on predetermined molds and tooling configurations when producing items in large quantities. Consequently, it becomes difficult for them to build or modify their machinery to accommodate every unique design or variation. Conversely, in 3D printing, molding or tools are not required at all.

#7 A Loggerhead Turtle Got Into A Boating Accident, Resulting In The Loss Of A Majority Of Its Lower Beak. Scientists Gave It A New 3D Printed Titanium Beak. It Looks So Badass. He Is Now A Cyborg Turtle

Image credits: reddit.com

#8 Was Born Without An Arm So I Built Myself My Own Eletronic 3D Printed Arm. This Is Me Holding An Egg

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#9 My Wife’s 10 Year Old Brother Got A 3D Printer For Christmas. I Joked That He Can Build Me A Playstation. Every Day I’ve Been Asking Him When It’ll Be Ready. Today He Brought Me This. Best Present Ever

Image credits: mugshotbarber

According to Sricharan, one of the major benefits of this technology is that prototyping costs are greatly reduced using this method. Rather than spending thousands on prototyping, companies can now produce test pieces at a fraction of such prices.

“It has brought about faster distribution of prototypes, thus hastening market entry for new products, while on-demand creation has also prolonged product life for many consumers.”

#10 A Redditor Has Built Me A New Finger After Insurance Turned Me Down For One. They Took An Existing Design And Customized It With My Feedback And Made Me Whole Again. It Should Be Known That Limb Labs Wanted 15 To 20 Thousand Dollars For One

Image credits: Butt_F**king_Smurfs

#11 My 8 Year Old Asked For A Nintendo Switch For Christmas. Prusa I3 Mk3s To The Rescue! We Did Buy Her An Actual Switch, But She Must Endure This First

Image credits: Javaroad77

#12 I Hate Flossing, But Flossers Are A Waste Of Plastic, So I 3D Printed A Reusable One!

Image credits: timnitro

Traditionally, product design engineers would make mock-ups of products like ergonomic chairs using cardboard or foam. These mock-ups were then given to professional developers, who refined them into functional prototypes. With the development of digital technologies and 3D printing, this technique has evolved. These days, engineers create intricate digital models of products through the use of computer-aided design (CAD) software. The prototypes can be 3D printed straight from these digital models.

#13 Finished Printing The Oof Stones

Image credits: Interesting-Lemon

#14 I Made A 'Toothpaste Mover' So You Can Push Toothpaste From One Costco-Sized Tube Into A Lil Travel Tube ???

Image credits: naynaybae

#15 Proof That Perseverance Pays Off...my Full Iron Man Suit, Printed In Many, Many Pieces On My Tiny Up Mini Over 6 Months

Image credits: JayLuvLL

Apart from the financial and efficiency gains, 3D printing also has environmental benefits compared to traditional manufacturing methods. Sricharan believes, “Through 3D printing, waste can be reduced by using only the required materials for each product; it also supports local production that could reduce transit-related emissions.”

Compared to traditional techniques such as molding or cutting, where there may be excess material waste, 3D printing constructs objects with only the necessary material. By doing so, waste is reduced and resource efficiency is enhanced.

#16 Bastard Broke Into The Wrong Goddamn Rec Room

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#17 Just Finished My Arkham Knight Cosplay! Fully 3D Printed And Painted, This Was So Much Fun To Do!

Image credits: jmweissman

#18 One Lid To Rule Them All

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Further explaining how 3D printing supports sustainable practices throughout the product life cycle, he added, “Many materials used in 3D printing are recyclable or biodegradable, thus offering green alternatives; through simplifying maintenance processes, this technology can help prolong the life of products. This helps reduce overall waste and promotes a circular economy mindset where materials are reused and repurposed rather than discarded.”

Speaking about the benefits of 3D printing in healthcare, Sricharan believes it has the potential to revolutionize medicine. “Advances in bioprinting could make it possible to 3D print organs for transplantation, and more complex medical items will be made using improved multi-material printing.”

#19 Simple Design For A 7 Year Anniversary Present. The Pennies Are Dated With Years That Are Significant To Us

Image credits: backstagestitches

#20 (Oc) I Made The Jetpacks For My Light-Year Suit Everything Is 3D Printed!

Image credits: DansJungle

#21 Where The Sidewalk Ends

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In the future, many things can be achieved through 3D printing. “Larger build volumes and faster printing rates will enable 3D printing to be a practical choice for mass manufacturing, opening up previously unheard-of possibilities in a variety of industries. Envision entire neighborhoods filled with quickly and effectively built 3D-printed homes, transforming the housing market and tackling problems like disaster relief and affordable housing.”

#22 Phone No Longer Overheats While Charging In The Sun

Image credits: Rhesonance

#23 I Made This Guitar For My Son's Birthday

I have a few small things to finish it but it's essentially finished. Printed in PETG on my X1C and I used stone coat epoxy with miraclekoo resin dye. The pickups are fender noiseless n4.

Image credits: krisclarkdev

#24 Don't Feed Spray Paint After Midnight

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Talking about the endless possibilities of 3D printing technology, he concluded, “Furthermore, there is even more potential when artificial intelligence and 3D printing are combined. AI is able to optimize designs for material efficiency, strength, and weight, resulting in products that are not only highly functional and sustainable but also inventive.”

#25 S̵t̵e̵a̵l̵ ̵t̵h̵e̵ ̵k̵e̵y̵s̵

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#26 I Found A Mini Nuclear Power Plant On Thingiverse And Modified It To Fit On My Humidifier

Image credits: RocketPuff

#27 My New Favourite 3D Print

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While 3D printing can be beneficial in so many ways, it’s also a great technology to be used on an individual level. These brilliant posts really show how creative people can get with 3D printing. Which one of these creative designs inspires you to get a 3D printer? Don’t forget to upvote the ones you like the most!

#28 Finally Finished The Wife's Fully Motorised Mk49 Rescue Suit 3D Printed On Ender 5 Plus Bondtech Ddx Direct Drive

Image credits: tomnewdelhi

#29 Designed A Custom Duck Hunt Display For These Nerf Guns That I Printed Zapper Shells For

Image credits: pyro487

#30 I 3D Printed The City Of Denver

Image credits: Majestic-Weekend-484

#31 Me And My Son 3D Printed A Life Size Battle Droid. Turns Out They Were Quite Big

Image credits: kahnindustries

#32 Only My Second Print, And I'm In Love

Image credits: PotterOneHalf

#33 Moon Lamp

Image credits: acidbrn391

#34 Iron Man Mk3 Helmet - Neptune 4 Pro

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#35 I'm Working On A 3D Printable Model Of Bmo From Adventure Time With Accurate Internals!

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#36 After Three Failed Attempts, I Present To You: Invisiball In Spectrum

Image credits: Novonod

#37 3D Printed Pingpong Paddles

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#38 I Turned An Mri Of My Own Brain Into An Stl And Then Printed It At 1:1 Scale!

Image credits: JesseIrwinArt

#39 I Made A 3D Printed Top

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#40 Lantern Corps Rings

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#41 Tales Of Bayun

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#42 Pushing The Limits Of My Multi-Material Printer

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#43 My Partner Keeps Buying Plants So I Have To Keep Designing Plant Pots. Here's One Of My Latest Ones

Image credits: Xrontos

#44 3D Printed Ruined Town

Image credits: GlitteringYard3318

#45 My Dad 3D Printed A Lever To Replace His Light Switch

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#46 My Step-Son’s Soccer Team Won First In A Tournament But They Didn’t Get A Trophy So I Designed And Printed Him One

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#47 Working On Our First Armada Ships

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#48 I Work In It. This Business Card Embosser Should Prevent Countless Calls! /S

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#49 Behold. The Glocktopus. Hes Gunnin For Your Heart

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#50 Annoying Pac-Man Ghost I Made

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#51 Print And Paint

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#52 Broke My Arm, Got A 3D Printed Cast

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#53 I 3D Printed This Hair Pin And I Love It! So Fancy With The Gold Paint

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#54 Dakrillith - Trench Terror Fantasy Mini! 3D Printed And Painted

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#55 Just Had To Do It, I Couldn't Resist

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#56 When A Failed Print Is Still A Happy Little Mistake

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#57 Made Myself A Gamepad For My Phone

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#58 Slab Nerf Blaster - 90%-Ish Done. Prusa Mk. 4 + Mmu3

Image credits: ArchitectOfFate

#59 Pla Grafted Great Sword

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#60 The Immortalized Art Of Ever Green

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#61 Everyone Needs A T-Rex Skull For Decor. ?

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#62 65 Hours, My Longest Print Ever

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#63 Sharing: I Made A Spirit Bomb Holding Goku Decor For My Home's Eyehole With Hueforge

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#64 I Also Print The Shoes!!! ???

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#65 Tip: 3D Print Your Mice Before Buying

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#66 Graffiti Keycaps

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#67 Inserts For My Travel Tool Box

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#68 I Designed And 3D Printed A Mini Dual Flag Holder For My Hitch Receiver! Take That Truck Bros

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#69 Full Size Helmet And 650% LEGO Helmet

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#70 Deadpool Bust

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#71 Made An 8-Bit Link With A Small Shelf To Hold Up Nice Prints Or Other Cute Things

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#72 3D Printable Shock Mount For At2020 Microphone

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#73 Cyberpunk Patriot Custom Itx PC Build - 3D Printed And Modelled Panels

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#74 Tabletop Scale Diorama

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#75 Fully Printed Skyrim Skyforge Model

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#76 Got Some Really Cool Sparkling Gold Pla....anyway Half Of That's Gone In A Day But Check Out This Sweet Sword LOL

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#77 For A Shared Flat

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#78 O.m.g It Turned Out Just Like I Had Designed It, No Errors

Image credits: lonnielonnielonnie65