Ideas in the Making: Exploring 3D printing and beyond

In recent years, creative tools like 3D printers — once expensive and largely inaccessible to non-designers — have found their way into homes, classrooms, libraries and community art centers. These increasingly popular tools have opened the door for people of all ages to experiment with design, craft and fabrication in new ways. Yet for many first-time users, myself included, the technology can still feel intimidating at first glance.

I recently shadowed Makerspace Technician Abby Shenker who taught me how to use Weston AIC’s 3D printer at a drop-in appointment. Her patience, warmth, and deep technical knowledge immediately transformed a foreign process into something that felt completely manageable. Step by step, she showed me how to set up the printer, use the free open-source platform Thingiverse to choose a design, select filament colors, and print a tiny robot — a project she uses to introduce all first-time users to the process.

Whether explaining how a digital model becomes a physical object through 3D printing or guiding beginners through custom stickers and iron-on designs using the Cricut machine, Abby creates an atmosphere that encourages experimentation, curiosity, and confidence with new technology. Her approach makes creative technology feel accessible to everyone — not just experts.

Abby studied 3D modeling and advanced manufacturing at the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport, Rhode Island. During the pandemic, she gained extensive hands-on experience while working for a company producing personal protective equipment. In our session, she explained that people come to Weston AIC to use the equipment for a wide range of projects, from creating prosthetics for children to designing model trains and Live Action Role-Playing (LARP) props.

The growing popularity of these tools reflects a broader cultural shift toward hands-on creativity. More people are seeking opportunities to make meaningful gifts, customize everyday objects, and learn new skills away from a screen. Tools like Cricut machines, laser cutters, and 3D printers bridge digital creativity and physical making, allowing users to watch their ideas come to life in real time.

This summer, community members curious about creative technology can explore 3D printing right in their own backyard at Weston AIC. Whether you are an artist, hobbyist, parent, or simply someone eager to try something new, consider getting certified with Abby by making an appointment on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. You may leave not only with a finished project, but with an entirely new sense of creative possibility.