this post was submitted on 06 Jan 2026
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I'm going to have access to a 3D printer for a few days. I know two friends who've used them, but it's only been for art and figurines, or professional purposes.

Are there any other cases you can think of where a custom-printed item is better than the myriad of mass-produced plastic items?

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[โ€“] helvetpuli@sopuli.xyz 5 points 6 days ago

I replaced the hinge on our freezer door with about half an hour of design time and a tiny amount of filament. Previously the fix required replacing the whole freezer door.

That fix alone paid for the printer.

Now I'm putting orthopedic insoles. It's been a lot more effort since it required learning how to use TPU, but now I can just size the shoe and send the file.