I made some mistakes learning how to use the $300 Elegoo Centauri Carbon 3D printer, but it didn't take me long to make my first part.

The G code for the printer was generated by FlatCAM, a piece of software made specifically for cutting PCBs with a mill.

A printer is essentially a sophisticated plotting machine that moves to certain coordinates told to it by the slicer in the programming language G-code. That's why slicer software is so important.

When a print job is finished, custom G-code causes an attachment on the printer to wedge itself under the build plate and peel it off until it is freed from the magnetic bed, after which the ...

Fast-forward a decade, and the world of 3D printing has evolved tremendously. Printers are faster, smarter, and more refined.