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Most of the guys I know who have 3d printers are so eager to have someone ask them to make a specific thing for them on the 3d printer, and it's always really practical makes.

this idea that things are generally improved by the production of more stuff, more niche gizmos and doodads. It is a facet of the thinking behind over consumption.

Yeah like look at all the consumer tech we have now, and are we any happier? There's a cruel optimism to chasing these gewgaws.

There's that, and also looking at "technology" (in the general sense) as this messianic thing that will eventually save us all if we just keep accelerating and inventing things and crashing forward into the future — we'll eventually tumble into the beautiful green glade at the end of history where nothing hurts and all is harmonious — all without ever having to do any messy introspection or trying to solve our problems with what we have right now.

Anyway it's foolish. But I blame the owners more than the consumers.

I fucken repair shit with 3D printed parts so that I don't need to buy new shit.

Not only that but most 3D printing is done with PLA which doesn't generate meaningful microplastics. I mean, it does but they only last a short time out in the wild. A study funded by the state of California found that PLA will last up to three years of left out in the environment (e.g. not in a trash dump).

Three years is nothing. Also consider that many animals can eat and digest PLA. Furthermore, if it ends up in your body it will eventually be broken down.

The real microplastics problem comes from tires and plastics like ABS that are used in f'ing everything. ABS microplastics last like 400 years or something like that.

Other plastics last even longer but the studies I've looked at all suggest the same thing: Tires and ABS.

Even PET water bottles aren't as bad because they only last 80-100 years (until *fully" broken down). That sounds like a long time but also consider that PET fibers are mostly inert and don't seem to absorb and re-release nasty things like ABS.

Don't get me wrong: PET microplastics (which mostly consist of tiny fibers from textiles—not from bottles) are 100% a problem. They're just a fraction of the problem of everything else.

For reference, the biggest problem with PET fibers is that they float and can be carried by the wind. That means they tend to settle on top of soil which causes it to absorb more heat and retain less moisture... Requiring more watering. Whereas the butawhateverthefucktoxicshit that tires break down into can result in soil that's harmful to life (in general). Enough of it and nothing will grow at all.

That's why you rarely see weeds sprouting up from kids playgrounds that were filled with chopped up car tires. Well, that and the fact that they can get really hot.

It's the individual responsibility argument of environmentalism all over again. It's mostly large corporations dictating law to do very intentional things at often incomprehensible scales that is responsible for the vast majority of pollution, and it's those same large corporations which promulgated the notion that environmentalism is everyone's equal responsibility and if you don't recycle your plastic bottles or drink through a paper straw you're the problem.

This isn't to say that individuals should not be environmentally conscientious, but it shifts the blame to be woefully incongruous with reality and leads to individualist virtue contests like this post.

I've seen a video of someone experimentally recycling that into new filament. Unfortunately, there's probably not a commercial product for that.
Also, if I recall correctly, they had an issue with keeping it at constant width.

It's easier to print bullshit than to learn cad. I'm learning to model by printing gridfinity organizers. It's easy and practical. I waste less time searching for junk and waste more time modeling the bins. 👍

but enthusiasts sure love printing bullshit

Back in my day, 3D printing enthusiasts printed stuff to tweak their 3D printers. 3D printers print prints for printer printer's printers.

It's a cast for injuries.

Now you tell me what the bottom thing is supposed to be.

Iirc thats a device that exponentially turns slower and slower. Something like gear 1 turns every second and the last gear will move 1 tooth every 100 billion years or something stupid like that

I thought for a long time that PLA was biodegradable, but turns out it isnt really. It doesnt compost in nature, it just breaks apart into microplastic. It needs active heated industrial composting to actually degrade into something harmless.

This is a common misconception. PLA is technically compostable industrially, but it will be very slow to break down naturally if you just leave it outside. It can take about 80 years, which is a lot better than other plastics, but it's a bit misleading that it's called biodegradable. There are true biodegradable filaments like PHA, but they're a lot less common.

That being said, 3D printing is actually really useful, and not a significant part of the plastic waste problem.