Inside the Cabinet - Layer by Layer
In our previous journal article, we explored what 3D printing is and how it’s reshaping modern craftsmanship. Now, we’re taking a closer look at how it actually happens from the first digital sketch to the final tangible object, and the exciting new possibilities that tools like generative design are opening up.
From Idea to Digital Model
Every print begins long before any material touches the printer. At Makers Cabinet, we start in Autodesk Fusion 360, a CAD (Computer-Aided Design) platform that allows us to sculpt our ideas virtually. The process begins with a simple 2D sketch, outlines, circles, or profiles that define the object’s shape. We can even trace a paper sketch to build on a profile. From there, we extrude these forms into three dimensions, refine edges, add holes and threads, and test how multiple parts interact through joints and motion studies. Fusion 360’s built-in physics and simulation tools help us predict how the design will behave in real life: how it flexes, where it might fail, and how to make it stronger or lighter before we ever print it. We can even calculate how much material it will use, giving us an idea of how much it could cost to produce the item.
Once the model is complete, it’s exported as an STL file, a digital mesh made up of triangles. This file is then processed by software like Bambu Studio, Cura, or PrusaSlicer, which ‘slices’ the design into thousands of printable layers and toolpaths that the printer can follow precisely.
For those keen to experiment, Fusion 360 is free for personal or educational use.
Ferrule - Section View in Fusion 360
The Magic of Generative Design
One of the most exciting advances within Fusion 360 is generative design. Instead of manually modelling every line, you set the goals and constraints: the size, material, load requirements, and fixed points. The software then uses algorithms to generate multiple possible solutions, each optimised for strength, weight, and efficiency. The results are often astonishing, organic, skeletal structures that look more grown than computer-coded. They mimic the efficiency of nature, producing forms that use the least material possible while remaining incredibly strong. Whilst we haven’t designed our tools using this process, we have played around with it for making certain one-off designs. For example, a custom bicycle seat post for our friend Jake and also some shelving brackets for a desk. We think it is a great innovation, because it could allow us to build very material-optimised and efficient objects.
Jake's Bike Seatpost - developed using Fusion's generative function. First 3D printed and then CNC machined in aluminium.
Printing in the Real World
Once sliced, the design moves to our Bambu Labs printers, which we use for their reliability, precision, and speed. A thin filament of material, often PLA, a biodegradable plastic derived from cornstarch, is melted and extruded through a heated nozzle. The printer traces the design layer by layer, each new sheet of material bonding to the one below until the full form emerges. Once it's cooled down, we snap it off the bed and it will require a little bit of finishing, usually honing edges with a Stanley knife and a little bit of sand-paper to finish.
We have not been sponsored by Bambu or asked to write this, so these are purely our thoughts. We bought our current printer about a year ago and have been so amazed at the quality it outputs. We’d definitely recommend it for anyone looking to purchase a 3D printer; it puts to shame all that we have used in the past, and we paid about £300 for ours, which is very reasonable.
Example of shelf bracket 3D-Printed using Generative Design
Try It Yourself
If you don’t own a 3D printer, many maker spaces, universities, and even public libraries now offer access to 3D printers, often alongside free training sessions. On a trip to California in the summer, I was so happily surprised to see a 3D printer available at a local public library (Santa Barbara https://library.santabarbaraca.gov/library-services/technology-access). This allowed me to work remotely alongside Odin as he could continue to develop the Elipso back home in London, and I could print off my own version to see how it was developing.
If you don’t feel so confident in designing in CAD, we can also recommend another incredible technological innovation, which is crowdsourced design. On websites like Thingiverse, Printables, and Cults3D, you can find thousands of designs that you can download, print, or modify. People are sharing their designs online, allowing for more local and democratised design.
This shared approach to making is what makes 3D printing so special. It removes the barrier to entry to design, allowing for low-cost, fast development and boundless methods to create locally.
