
I 3D-printed every bit of my wedding, including my bouquet - ewinick
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612486/i-3-d-printed-every-bit-of-my-weddingincluding-my-bouquet/
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rflrob
I designed our wedding rings and had them 3D printed by Shapeways (they use a
lost wax casting process for precious metal objects). It's pretty cool having
a one-of-a-kind piece, plus knowing that if anything ever does happen to the
ring, it can be easily replaced.

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LeoPanthera
What software did you use to model the rings?

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rflrob
I used AutoCAD, but that's mainly because I was already moderately familiar
with it, and thanks to my university affiliation it was free. Gotta respect
the "hook 'em while they're young" business model.

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jwbensley
I don't know squat about 3D printing. Is the plastic biodegradeable, otherwise
you end up replace things (like the bouquet) with things that aren't
recyclable / don't biodegrade ?

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io_io
PLA Filament (The most common type in personal 3d printing) is technically
compostable, but realistically will likely end up in a landfill due to
inadequate disposal practices in most waste management systems.

[https://serc.berkeley.edu/compostable-plastics-are-they-
play...](https://serc.berkeley.edu/compostable-plastics-are-they-playing-you/)

~~~
jwbensley
Thanks for the info. When 3D printing started to blow up I brushed it off due
to the plastic waste I would produce. I need to look into it again it seems.

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swsieber
Also, certain types of 3D printable materials are reusable, if you put in the
effort.

[https://3dprint.com/42595/extrusionbot-cruncher-
recycle/](https://3dprint.com/42595/extrusionbot-cruncher-recycle/)

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Konryan
This is interesting, though the environmentalist in me can't help but think
about how much plastic that is...

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jjeaff
PLA, the most common 3d printing material, is made from cornstarch and is
biodegradable under the right conditions.

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matmann2001
I love the idea. I know it's a bit far out for desktop printers, but there
have been articles about people 3D printing dresses even. That would have been
cool to print your own wedding dress.

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binaryblitz
That's what I expected. I printed "every part" of my wedding, except 90% of
everything there...

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zekevermillion
That is a cool idea. That way you can save your flowers more easily. We had a
nice floral bouquet, but I'll tell you 6 years later that the ones we saved
show the effects of age!

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syntaxing
I highly recommend others to do this if you have the time. Printers are dirt
cheap nowadays (relatively). I designed and printed our cake topper. We
painted each other's topper which was super fun. My wife crocheted all the
boutineers and crosages. It was great since they were soft enough to be
handled but sturdy enough to last probably our lifetime.

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dre85
Cool story, but I'm still not totally sold on 3d printers. Could you not
achieve the exact same effect with traditional arts and crafts like origami?
I'm sure if you want to spend 75+hours building a bouquet, an origami one
would probably be way more impressive and even biodegradable, no?

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jjeaff
Presumably that 75 hours is mostly just setting things to print and leaving
it. Fdm 3d printing is rather slow. But you just need to check on it
periodically to make sure things haven't gone haywire.

Also, the most common 3d printing material, PLA, is biodegradable, at least
with the right conditions, as it is made from bio materials like cornstarch.

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robut_98765
This is actually a happy story, for a moment I was worried that the person got
everything 3D-printed before they even got married.

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ykevinator
Love everything but the landfill

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thedanbob
I'm getting married next month and my fiancée and I have prepared all the
decorations ourselves. I designed and 3D printed table number stands and the
cake topper while she added the finishing touches with spray paint. Highly
economical and a lot of fun!

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mobilemidget
I agree with lots of fun; though economical I'm not so sure about

* and good luck with the wedding!

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TeMPOraL
> _though economical I 'm not so sure about_

It probably is, if the alternative is trying to get something suitable without
having sellers/providers realize you're shopping your wedding, to avoid
immediate quadrupling of prices.

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NikolaeVarius
I would disagree due to the sheer amount of time it takes to print everything.
3D printers are still slow.

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TeMPOraL
That matters only if you pay someone else for machine time. If you own a
decent 3D printer, you just leave it on and occasionally fix whatever issue is
messing up the ongoing print.

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NikolaeVarius
Except that requires you to babysit the printer. There isn't a "good" way of
monitoring longer prints. Either you spend time just sitting next to the
printer constantly, or you walk away and pray it works.

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TeMPOraL
True, but that reduces the problem to "not possible for everyone". If you work
remotely, and have a printer next to your computer, it's entirely doable. My
coworker set up his printer at his parents' house, and built a system for
remote control & monitoring, including a camera pointed at the print bed. He
does remote prints this way.

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potta_coffee
I 3D printed my bride.

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wowFilament
This is pretty much the least interesting use of a 3D printer I can think of.

It's about as interesting as walking into some tourist trap souvenir shop and
discovering that all the key chains and coffee mugs are 3D printed.

You want me to get excited about 3D printing?

Stop making me pay $1000 for cell phones.

Stop making me buy expensive new data cables every 3 years because the plugs
are different all over again.

Stop charging $90 for $2 shoes at the factory outlet down the road and just
let people print them for $10.

Stop printing action figures and chess pieces.

I don't need another paper weight or bottle opener.

Help me print an entire apartment full of livable furniture wouldn't be
slightly embarrassing to reveal to people.

Put a roof over my head. Give me a car to drive. Let me quit my job and just
print all the status symbols I'm supposed to be chasing.

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Spivak
I feel like you're ascribing a lot of sci-fi dreams to a technology that lets
you work with (mostly) plastic without molds. Like these things aren't
replicators.

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filamentWow
It's more like, hey wow, look at all these little trinkets that don't really
change anyone's lives.

In the long run, 3D printing just seems like a niche, elitist version of
hoarding.

Fill your house with arts and crafts that serve no practical use, other than
to occupy space, break up a fear of the void.

