WTFFF?! 3D Printing Podcast: 3D Print Tips | 3D Print Tools | 3D Start Point

A lot of people have asked us over recent months: “Can we buy your tie? Is it for sale? Where can we buy your 3D-printed tie?” In this WTFFF?! episode we discuss the options we considered for where to sell it, and reveal that it is finally for sale.             We gave a lot of thought about where to sell it, and at one point, Amazon had a 3D-printed product store. We were very excited about that, and we got accepted into it. But then they disbanded it promptly before we were able to get our product over there. And they made it such a headache that we eventually gave up on them. It just didn’t make sense, and it became much harder to create a listing on Amazon within the category. What we found actually was an easier path for making it available for people to buy that is lower maintenance for us as merchants, the answer for us was Etsy.  To send us a message, go to 3dstartpoint.com or wtfffpodcast.com or shoot us a message at info@wtfffpodcast.com or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

We have had some questions from listeners about some of the events happening locally and internationally. In this episode of WTFFF?! Tom & Tracy discuss the biggest question, which events are better to attend and participate in: Big show or little show? The problem is, it’s like a big fish, little pond, little fish, big pond kind of situation. It really depends on your goals. Doesn’t it depend on whether you are an attendee or an exhibitor? Let’s break that down. To send us a voicemail, go to 3dstartpoint.com or wtfffpodcast.com or shoot us a message at info@wtfffpodcast.com or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

My feet still hurt from walking seemingly endless rows of exhibits at CES as I write this. We just got back from CES, and while it’s fresh in our minds, we are going to recap the best and the worst of CES 2016 in regard to 3D printing. Let’s just say, that show is gigantic. Thank goodness the 3D printing related companies were not spread out so much. For those of you that did not have the opportunity to attend the show, we have you covered. In this episode of WTFFF?! we run down our best and the worst picks of 3D Printing at CES 2016. To send us a voicemail, go to 3dstartpoint.com or wtfffpodcast.com or shoot us a message at info@wtfffpodcast.com or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe!

Last August we interviewed Colton Robtoy as he wasplanning the CD Printathlon. CD is the Capital District, which is the Albany,NY area. We were talking to him about the challenges of planning this Printathlon.He was trying to get the word out about it, and that is why he came on ourpodcast. Very recently we noticed that he had written some recap blogposts in the Pulse on LinkedIn. They were awesome; they had such great tips. Hewas so honest about all the things that went wrong, and we loved his methodicalapproach and analysis to it so that he would make an even better event nexttime. We thought we should have him back on WTFFF?! to talk about that. He is a student, and he put on a 3D printing event. Hehad no event planning experience; this is not his background. He is anengineering student. Was it train wreck? Or did it work? To send us a voicemail, go to 3dstartpoint.com or wtfffpodcast.com or shoot us a message at info@wtfffpodcast.com or on our facebook or twitter!

Shapeways recently published a report on its top 10 most purchased products of 2015. In this WTFFF?! episode Tom and Tracy run down the top 10, and discuss what the most purchased products tells us about the customers who shop at Shapeways. Has the market tipped with mainstream consumers shopping in this marketplace, or is it still dominated by the 3D converted? To send us a voicemail, go to 3dstartpoint.com or wtfffpodcast.com or shoot us a message at info@wtfffpodcast.com or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

The January Report from 3D Hubs was released last week. In this WTFFF?! episode Tom and Tracy discuss the highlights from the report, and have a deeper discussion on how useful this information is. Do the differences in the report from month to month signal significant shifts in the industry, or do you have to look at changes over a longer period of time in order to get a clear picture of how things are shifting? LINKS IN THIS EPISODE 3D Hubs January Report To send us a voicemail, go to 3dstartpoint.com or wtfffpodcast.com or shoot us a message at info@wtfffpodcast.com or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

Last week MakerBot announced that this month they are releasing a new Smart Extruder, called the Smart Extruder+. In this WTFFF?! episode Tom and Tracy discuss if this is just another Band-Aid making an incremental improvement, or if this represents a major change for the MakerBot line of 3D printers? LINKS IN THIS EPISODE Yahoo Finance article cited To send us a voicemail, go to 3dstartpoint.com or wtfffpodcast.com or shoot us a message at info@wtfffpodcast.com or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

In this WTFFF?! episode Tom and Tracy discuss if manufacturers should use crown sourced designs to build your design library, or should use professional designers? It really depends on your business model, or your plan. In some cases crown sourced designs may not meet your needs, the old adage is still true, you get what you pay for. To send us a voicemail, go to 3dstartpoint.com or wtfffpodcast.com or shoot us a message at info@wtfffpodcast.com or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

In this episode of WTFFF?!, 3D Printing Safety First, we have an interview from downunder with Gail Greatorex from Product Safety Solutions. We talked with her via social media a long time ago, when we first started the podcast. She was pointing us to materialsafety data because we were talking about filament, air quality, and some ofthose things at that time. She was also pointing out other significant safetyand quality issues, so we have been wanting to have her on the podcast for awhile. I’m glad we finally made that happen with the time difference. There are so many things to consider about 3D Printed product safety, many potential hidden product land mines. To send us a voicemail, go to 3dstartpoint.com or wtfffpodcast.com or shoot us a message at info@wtfffpodcast.com or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

In this WTFFF?! episode Tom and Tracy discuss how some 3D Printer manufacturers are building brand loyalty by providing exceptional customer service. One thing that we have learned in business is that you can not have exceptional customer service without allowing for "exceptions." Here is where US companies may have an advantage over foreign competition. It is hard enough to build brand loyalty when you have a US office and customer service team, forget it if you are trying to service US customers remotely from your native country. To send us a voicemail, go to 3dstartpoint.com or wtfffpodcast.com or shoot us a message at info@wtfffpodcast.com or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

In this WTFFF?! episode Tom and Tracy discuss how success in 3D Printing involves failing, but failing as fast as possible while spending the least amount of money possible. There are arguments to be made that you should not buy your own 3D printer, and just use 3D Hubs, the UPS Store, or a service bureau. Others would argue that having your own 3D printer is the fastest way to fail at the least cost, and the way to go. Regardless, whether you are prototyping parts for tooling, testing parts for production, or using 3D printing to create fine art, time is money. To send us a voicemail, go to 3dstartpoint.com or wtfffpodcast.com or shoot us a message at info@wtfffpodcast.com or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

In this WTFFF?! episode Tom and Tracy discuss the value of 3D Print pictures. When you are trying to market your 3D Print designs, business, or event, publishing photos on social media is critical. In today's modern business climate, social media marketing is reaching more customers for far less cost than the old school traditional media opportunities of TV, magazines, and newspapers. Real world examples are provided and discussed so you can see how sites like Pinterest are helping companies reach consumers, and how you can too.  To send us a voicemail, go to 3dstartpoint.com or wtfffpodcast.com or shoot us a message at info@wtfffpodcast.com or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

Happy New Year! In this WTFFF?! episode Tom and Tracy discuss a key lesson learned in the last year. Taking Action is as important as anything else you can do to achieve success in 3D Printing education, or business. They dig deeper and share a formula for success they learned from Greg Reid, author of "Three Feet From Gold", Passion + Talent + Association + Action + Faith is the formula for success. Tom & Tracy also reveal how taking action has propelled them to success in their business, and how you can apply this formula to achieve success in your 3D Printing education or business pursuits. To send us a voicemail, go to 3dstartpoint.com or wtfffpodcast.com or shoot us a message at info@wtfffpodcast.com or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

Happy New Year! In this WTFFF?! episode Tom and Tracy discuss their New Year Resolutions for the podcast. Providing a more complete resource on 3DStartpoint of reviews, tips, and events is top on our list. A close second is maintaining the quality content, transparency, and integrity as we move toward taking sponsors to help support the podcast. Lastly, a sincere thank you to you, our listeners, for a great 2015 as we look forward to an even better 2016! To send us a voicemail, go to 3dstartpoint.com or wtfffpodcast.com or shoot us a message at info@wtfffpodcast.com or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!

In this episode of WTFFF, 3D Printing Nerd Power Guides, we have an interview with quite a character, Joel Telling. His YouTube channel is “3D Printing Nerd.” We love that name! He really has a lot of fun with what he does here on his YouTube channel, and it’s all about 3D printing, as well as some things non-3D-printing just for fun. He has a lot of videos and 6,000 subscribers. No companies are providing the entire package of customer service and resources to make customers successful. It’s one of the things we are starting to see changing a little bit in the industry. But until then, these tutorials, which are a lot of what these YouTube videos consist of,are really critical to help people be successful and have the best experience with their 3D printer. To send us a voicemail, go to 3dstartpoint.com or wtfffpodcast.com or shoot us a message at info@wtfffpodcast.com or on our facebook or twitter! Its absolutely free, so ask away and and don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear more on our regularly scheduled Thursday podcast episodes!