Why not make your own Valentine's Day Gifts?

{Joel Leonard holds a bouquet of 3D printed roses he created in a variety of colors in honor of Valentine’s Day and to show that homemade gifts are possible even with technology. Joel Leonard, Davidson Local}

In this age of digital manufacturing, you can  blow the mind of your Valentine by making personal, custom gifts with a 3D printer, and it’s not as hard or expensive as you might think.

3D Printers are very affordable, In fact I have an AnyCubic Vyper and it only cost me $300. Or you can go to Lexington or Thomasville Public Library and get help making gifts. That's probably the easiest and cheapest option for most. The important thing is more folks need to learn 3D printing because these skills can open up future employment doors and enable more to create custom designs that bring anything they conceive into reality. 

In preparation for Valentine’s Day, I have been making 3D printed roses and they have exceeded my expectations. Each rose was downloaded from the 3D printing online design library Thingiverse, modified slightly on Prusa Slicer, downloaded onto a storage disk, then transferred to the 3D printer. An hour and 15 minutes later a new rose is born. I have made more than 40 roses thus far and used two spools of 3D filament. So the machine has been working more than 50 hours. The machine does all of the work - all I do is punch the buttons, remove the new rose and punch in for another one. Anyone can do this. 

A full set of chess pieces made with a 3D printer. Joel Leonard, Davidson Local.

This is a great project for kids to get exposed to advanced manufacturing to give roses to their parents and grandparents. Not limited to just making roses, you can make vases and can find an assortment of designs for other projects at this link https://www.thingiverse.com/search?q=valentines+day&page=1

Here is a design for a heart-shaped candle holder https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1322003 and this is one for a heart-shaped gift box https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4756055

A heart made of individual 3D printed roses in a variety of colors. Joel Leonard, Davidson Local

There are designs for jewelry boxes, even cupid's bow and arrows - all kinds of gifts- and if you can get access to a 3D scanner you can scan yourself or your Valentine and make a mini-statuette keepsake that will last forever if cared for properly. I had my aunt and uncle in their 80s scanned and printed up a statue of them together. After my uncle passed away, this gift was even more cherished. 

With all of the new manufacturing jobs coming to North Carolina, the need for machinists is critical and learning digital manufacturing via making gifts can help provide an entry point for more gain these skills. All over the country, 3D printing farms are being set up in schools to train and inspire our youth. Locally, the schools have a couple, though not many are getting access to them, and many don't know about the services of the Lexington and Thomasville libraries. So I hope that after reading this, more supporters will work to grow these educational opportunities, by helping to donate 3D printers to our schools and encouraging students (and grown-ups) how they can use them, both in the job world and to make personalized gifts.

The 3D printed lion that is part of the chess set Leonard created. Joel Leonard, Davidson Local

Check out these lions that I made for the Davidson Local custom chess set. If you have questions about 3D printing, feel free to contact me at Joelskilltv@gmail.com.