My interest in 3D printing began after watching a YouTube video that showed how digital designs could be turned into physical objects. What started as simple curiosity quickly turned into a deep hands-on pursuit. I purchased an entry-level 3D printer kit and spent an entire day assembling it from scratch. That first build introduced me to far more than just printing—it forced me to understand mechanical alignment, belt tensioning, stepper motors, firmware setup, and calibration. As I used the printer, I became increasingly invested in improving print quality and reliability, which led me to learn slicing parameters, material behavior, and troubleshooting mechanical and electrical issues.
As my drone projects became more performance-focused, I began to hit the limitations of the original printer. The frame lacked stiffness, precision was inconsistent at higher speeds, and the delta-style design made it difficult to achieve the accuracy I needed for structural parts. Instead of upgrading incrementally, I decided to design and build my own 3D printer from the ground up. Drawing on what I learned from the first machine, I switched to a CoreXY architecture for improved motion control, used stronger aluminum extrusions for rigidity, and added linear rails to increase accuracy and repeatability. This custom printer allowed me to print faster, with tighter tolerances, and directly supported my drone development work.
Currently, I am exploring a much more challenging area of additive manufacturing: developing a personal experimental version of an SLS (Selective Laser Sintering)–style printer with the long-term goal of understanding how metal 3D printing works. This project has exposed me to a new level of complexity. Maintaining a sufficiently high and stable chamber temperature, achieving consistent powder melting, and preventing warping or incomplete fusion have all proven to be significant challenges. I am also working on the mechanical design of a reliable powder-spreading system, which requires extremely uniform layer thickness and precise motion—something that is far more difficult in practice than it appears in theory.
While this SLS project is still very much a work in progress, it represents how I approach engineering: learning by building, testing limits, and accepting failure as part of the process. From assembling my first kit to designing custom printers and now experimenting with advanced manufacturing techniques, 3D printing has become a central tool in how I explore ideas and turn concepts into real, testable hardware.