Dana Holt

Articles by Dana Holt

• Prusa XL Gets Its Most Ambitious Update Yet: Silicone Printing, Pick-and-Place, and a Lower Price
  Printers · 2026-06-25

  Prusa Research has significantly upgraded the XL platform with two new experimental toolheads, a price reduction, and the end of the semi-assembled option — signaling that the mach…

• Creality K1C Review: Carbon Fiber Capability at the Entry Point of Speed Printing
  Printers · 2026-06-21

  The K1C is Creality's answer to the question of whether a 600 mm/s CoreXY machine can handle abrasive composite filaments without constant nozzle replacement. The answer is mostly …

• Bambu Studio Support Painting: Precise Manual Control Over Auto-Generated Supports
  Software · 2026-06-20

  Bambu Studio's support painting tool lets you block auto-generated supports, add manual supports to specific faces, and enforce tree vs normal support type per region. Here's how t…

• 3D Printed Footwear: How Adidas, Nike, and New Balance Are Using Additive Manufacturing
  Industry · 2026-06-20

  Lattice midsoles, custom orthotics, and personalized fit are all being produced with 3D printing at commercial scale. Here's what the major brands are doing and what it means for t…

• 3D Printing in Fine Art: Sculpture, Installation, and the Original vs Print Debate
  Industry · 2026-06-20

  Fine artists are using 3D printing for large-scale sculpture, edition production, and forms impossible to hand-fabricate. What does this mean for the art market's ideas about origi…

• Bio-Based and Sustainable 3D Printing Materials: Beyond Petroleum-Derived PLA
  Materials · 2026-06-20

  PLA is bio-derived but not biodegradable in typical conditions. The next generation of sustainable filaments — PHA, hemp composites, and bio-PETG — offers different trade-offs wort…

• Bambu Lab P1P vs P1S: Is the Enclosed Chamber Worth the Price Premium?
  Printers · 2026-06-20

  The P1P and P1S share the same CoreXY motion system and print quality. The difference is the enclosure, chamber heater, and camera. Here's when each choice makes sense.

• Creality Ender 3 V3: The Budget Staple Gets a CoreXY Upgrade
  Printers · 2026-06-20

  The Ender 3 V3 replaces the classic bed-slinger architecture with CoreXY, adds input shaping, and targets 600 mm/s — all while maintaining the price point that made Ender 3 synonym…

• Glass Fiber vs Carbon Fiber Filament: Which Reinforcement Is Right for Your Application?
  Materials · 2026-06-20

  Both add stiffness and reduce weight compared to base filaments. But GF and CF have different mechanical profiles, abrasion demands, and cost structures that make them suited to di…

• Threading 3D Prints: Printed Threads, Heat-Set Inserts, and Captured Nuts
  Guides · 2026-06-20

  Bolting 3D printed parts together reliably requires understanding when printed threads work, when heat-set inserts are worth it, and when a captured nut is the right call.

• Designing and Printing Watertight Parts: Vases, Containers, and Plumbing Fittings
  Guides · 2026-06-20

  FDM prints aren't watertight by default. Layer gaps, infill voids, and perimeter seams all leak. Here's how to close them — in the slicer, the design, and post-processing.

• Ironing in FDM: The Slicer Setting That Makes Flat Surfaces Glass-Smooth
  Guides · 2026-06-20

  Ironing passes a nearly-dry nozzle over the top layer after it's printed, remelting the surface into a flat, glossy finish. Here's how it works and when to use it.

• Slicer Showdown: Bambu Studio vs OrcaSlicer vs PrusaSlicer — Which Should You Use?
  Software · 2026-06-20

  All three major slicers can get plastic on a print bed. Where they diverge is in workflow philosophy, calibration tooling, and how tightly they're coupled to their hardware ecosyst…

• Best Filament Under $25: Value Picks That Don't Compromise on Quality
  Materials · 2026-06-17

  Budget filament has improved dramatically. These are the brands and specific spools worth buying at the low end of the market — and the ones that waste your time despite the low pr…

• Dual Extrusion FDM Explained: IDEX, Tool Changers, and Multi-Color vs Soluble Supports
  Printers · 2026-06-17

  Dual extrusion opens up soluble supports, true multi-color printing, and dual-material parts — but IDEX, tool changers, and shared-nozzle systems each make different tradeoffs. Her…

• How to Print Lithophanes: Slicer Settings, Lighting, and Material Choice
  Guides · 2026-06-16

  Lithophanes turn flat photos into translucent 3D sculptures that reveal detail under backlight. This guide covers the right settings, orientations, and materials for clean results.

• OpenSCAD for 3D Printing: Parametric Design Without a GUI
  Software · 2026-06-16

  OpenSCAD lets you write 3D models as code, making designs fully parametric and scriptable. Here's how it works, what it's good at, and how to think in constructive solid geometry.

• Large-Format Resin Printing: Build Volumes, Printers, and What Big-Bed Resin Is Actually Like
  Printers · 2026-06-16

  Large-format MSLA printers can print the whole torso of a costume prop or a full helmet in one shot, but big build plates introduce challenges that compact printers don't have. Her…

• Outdoor 3D Printing Projects: Materials, UV Resistance, and What Actually Lasts
  Guides · 2026-06-13

  Not all filaments survive outdoors. This guide covers which materials hold up to sun, rain, and temperature cycles; realistic UV degradation timelines; and the best outdoor project…

• 3D Printing Electronics Enclosures: Raspberry Pi Cases, PCB Housings, and Heat Management
  Guides · 2026-06-13

  Custom 3D printed electronics enclosures let you build exactly the housing your project needs. This guide covers design approaches for Raspberry Pi cases, custom PCB housings, vent…