The Weekly BuildVolume #1, Issue #1By: PrintBluePrintIntroHappy Saturday everyone, and welcome to the very first official issue of The Weekly Build! I’m excited to finally launch this newsletter and share it with the MakerWorld community. Whether you’re a designer, printer, collector, or just someone who enjoys seeing creative ideas come to life, this newsletter is for you.Each week, we’ll cover some of the most interesting and trending creations on MakerWorld, along with community highlights, exciting projects, future ideas, and updates from me. This newsletter is meant to be both informative and fun, giving a weekly snapshot of what’s happening in the world of 3D printing and design.We also want this newsletter to feel interactive and community-driven, so we may occasionally include polls, design ideas, upcoming concepts, and questions for readers to respond to. Over time, this format will continue to evolve based on feedback and what people enjoy most.Community FocusAlong the way, we’ll explore new trends in 3D printing and share thoughts about where the MakerWorld community could go in the future. There are so many talented people creating incredible things every day, and this newsletter aims to highlight that creativity while also keeping readers informed and inspired.Since this is the very first issue, everything is still in its early stage. Future issues may include more structured sections such as featured themes, project spotlights, design challenges, or community discussions. I’m always open to suggestions, so feel free to share ideas for what you’d like to see included.Updates & Future PlansThis newsletter will also be a place where I can share updates about upcoming models, design ideas, and projects I’m currently working on. Some ideas will be simple concepts, while others may eventually turn into full releases.The goal is to give readers a small behind-the-scenes look at the creative process — how ideas start, develop, and eventually become finished designs. As this project grows, I hope it becomes something that people can follow along with week to week.Why Did I Start This?Over the past several months, I’ve noticed how active and creative the MakerWorld community has become. People are constantly posting new models, sharing remixes, improving existing designs, and showing off their latest projects. It’s really interesting to see how quickly ideas spread and evolve within the community.I also noticed how popular MakerWorld’s Weekly Roundups are, and that inspired me to create something a little different. Instead of only focusing on what has already happened, I wanted to make a newsletter that could also talk about future possibilities, creative concepts, and ideas that people may want to see become reality someday.Another reason for starting this newsletter is simply because building things is fun — and sharing that process with others makes it even better. 3D printing communities are full of experimentation, creativity, and innovation, and I wanted a way to bring some of that excitement together in one place each week.Closing ThoughtsMost importantly, this newsletter is meant to be something enjoyable for the community. Whether you read every issue or just stop by occasionally, I hope The Weekly Build becomes something people look forward to each week.

Valve Made Accessory Design Easier — So I Made 3 Steam Controller StandsValve recently did something really nice for makers: they released CAD files for the external shell / surface topology of the new Steam Controller and Steam Controller Puck. The files include STP/STL models and reference drawings with important keep-out areas, specifically to help people hack, mod, or design accessories around the controller.That might sound like a small thing, but if you design 3D printed accessories, it makes a huge difference.Usually, designing around a controller means a lot of guessing: measuring curves by hand, taking reference photos, printing test pieces, adjusting, printing again, and slowly working your way toward a good fit. Having proper surface geometry removes a lot of that friction. You can spend less time guessing the shape and more time making something useful.For me, that turned into three simple accessories for the new Steam Controller.1. IKEA SKÅDIS Wall MountThe first model is a compact IKEA SKÅDIS-compatible wall mount.I wanted something clean that gets the controller off the desk, but still keeps it easy to grab. The mount uses a strong vertical SKÅDIS hook and holds the controller snugly in place, so it feels more like a proper fitted accessory than a generic wall hook.It is a nice option for pegboard setups, gaming rooms, desk walls, or anyone who already uses SKÅDIS to organize their gear.2. Ultra-Slim Display StandThe second model is the most minimal one.This stand uses under 9g of filament and prints in under 40 minutes, even on high-quality settings. It is basically the quick-print option: small, lightweight, and simple, but still enough to hold the controller upright on a desk or shelf.I like this one because it does not try to be more than it needs to be. It is just a clean little stand that does its job.3. Minimalist Desk StandThe third model is a more solid-looking minimalist stand.It has a slightly larger cradle shape and gives the controller a clean display position while still staying compact. This one feels a bit more like a permanent desk or shelf stand — simple, stable, and made to blend in instead of stealing attention from the controller.Why I Appreciate Valve Releasing These FilesThe best part about this is not just that I could make a few controller stands.It is that Valve made it easier for the community to build around their hardware. They did not need to release full internal production files or anything sensitive. Just the outer shape, useful references, and keep-out information are already enough to help makers create better-fitting accessories.That is the kind of support that makes a product more fun to own.A controller is already useful on its own, but once the maker community can design around it, it becomes part of a bigger ecosystem: wall mounts, stands, docks, travel cases, grips, accessibility mods, holders, display pieces, and probably a lot of strange ideas nobody has thought of yet.I really like that Valve seems to understand this. Instead of locking everything down, they gave makers a head start.

this is a 1100+ word report in 3d printing AI was not used except to generate a cover photo. I have worked hard on this and always appreciate a like or a boost also if you would possibly like to see more of this content you can follow me. Also if you find an error or question feel free to leave a comment and I will try to reply. 😄  3D printers are extremely fascinating to watch and to work with. In this report I will talk a little bit about how they work, when they were invented, and what they are used for.There are two main kinds of 3D printers, ones that use filament, FDM (Fused deposition modeling) also called FFF (fused filament fabrication), or resin printers, SLA (stereolithography), DLP (digital light processing), and LCD (liquid crystal display). I will mainly be talking about the ones that use filament, FDM or FFF.A 3D printer works by forcing plastic 1.75 mm through a nozzle usually .4mm in diameter heated to about 210 degrees Celsius or 410 Fahrenheit. The first layer, which is usually .2mm high, is extruded onto a print bed which is normally heated to 60 degrees Celsius to help the layer stick better. The layers after that are stacked on top of each other. There are three coordinates X Y Z. X and Y are the length and width of the model and Z is the height. This is used to make gcode which is a file containing coordinates that is sent to the printer telling it where to move next. A gcode for a 6-hour print which is about average size is roughly three miles long.There are many different kinds of filaments, the most basic and popular is PLA. PLA stands for polylactic acid which is made from fermented sugars from sugarcane or starch to generate lactic acid and made into pellets and then melted down into filament and put on spools. Because it is made of sugarcane it is biodegradable and is technically food safe, but it is still not recommended to eat. One of the down sides to PLA is it melts at a low temperature and if set out in sun for a while it will deform.PETG (Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol-Modified) is another more common type of filament. It is made from the same plastic that soda bottles are made out of with Glycol added. It will bend more under stress instead of cracking like PLA which makes it a popular choice for springs and other parts under tension. It is also more UV resistant than PLA.ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is the same plastic that LEGOs are made of. It gives off fumes when printed that can irritate the skin so it must be printed either in an area with good ventilation or in an enclosed printer with a carbon air filter. Many people prefer to print it in a printer that has a heated chamber to keep it from drying too fast and warping or cracking.TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) is like rubber. It can be bent and stretched to more than five times the original size. It is somewhat hard to print because it can bend while printing. It also can absorb water from the air which can cause it to bubble while printing and make the print look ugly and stringy.Finally, PVA (Polyvinyl Alcohol) is a filament that is water soluble meaning it will dissolve when submerged in water. It is used to print supports so you can submerge your print in water get a cleaner finish on overhangs instead of having to break off the normal plastic supports which can be a pain, however you do need a multi color printer in order to switch colors which can add another two hundred dollars to the printers cost. Because it dissolves in water it must be kept in a sealed bag with desiccant to keep it from absorbing water out of the air and making a mess.Now I will talk about the invention of 3D printers. The first person to make a 3D printer was Dr. Hideo Kodama. In 1981 he created a machine that polymerized resin using UV light, however he never finished the process of getting a patent and in 1984 Charles Hull, also known as Chuck, patented an idea similar to Dr. Hideo Kodama's idea. It was a printer that used UV light to cure a resin. Then in 1987 he created his machine which he called the SLA 1. It used a UV light to cure photopolymers. Before this there were a number of patents that were filed for machines similar to 3D printers, but they were never actually built. The first FDM(FFF) printer was made and patented by S. Scott Crump and Lisa Crump in 1989. Owning a 3D printer around this time cost around $650,000. Nowadays a beginner's printer can be bought around the $150 to $200 range. But for a larger more advanced multicolor one it can cost anywhere from $500 to $5000.3D printers are used for many different things. Many people own them for a hobby or just to mess around with in them in their spare time. Just figuring out how they work can be entertaining. More recently they have been experimented with to print food like crackers, pasta, chocolate, and candy, however it is difficult to ensure that everything is food safe when doing this and due to some health concerns it probably will never become super popular.3D printed houses are also being experimented with. A giant machine extrudes a concrete mix layer by layer allowing the house to have curves that could be difficult to make with wood. Also, the houses can be built in only a couple of days which would cut down on labor costs. A medium sized house 1800-2500 square feet costs around $300,000 - $550,000. One downside to these houses is that it is not easy to be able to put in the plumbing and electrical when your wall is solid concrete and if you need to work on it later on it is quite difficult.In May of 2013, Cody Wilson, a worker for Defense Distributed, designed a .380 pistol he called the "liberator". It was completely 3D printed except for the bullet and a nail used for the firing pin. He uploaded the model onto a 3D printing website but a few days later it was demanded that Defense Distributed take it down however it had already gotten 100,000 downloads. After this the idea emerged that 3D printers could be used to cut weapon shortages for the military. Also resin printers have been used by dentists to create dentures and retainers. In closing 3D printers are very interesting. Being able to create your own parts when something breaks is very helpful. Also, it can help to teach basic computer skills and CAD (Computer Aided Designing). I hope this was interesting. Thanks for reading