2021

How to become a Maker

By Firas Helou
TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 2
2 Definition of a Maker and Where to start ........................................................ 3
3 3D Printing ....................................................................................................... 4
3.1 How does 3D Printing work? ..................................................................... 4
3.2 The 3D Printer ........................................................................................... 4
3.3 Downloading the files ................................................................................ 6
3.4 Modeling software .................................................................................... 6
4 Arduino ............................................................................................................ 8
5 Makers Faires .................................................................................................. 9
6 Makersnews .................................................................................................. 10
7 About the Author ........................................................................................... 11
8 References ..................................................................................................... 12

1
1 INTRODUCTION

In this document, I will share with you my experience and how I became a
maker. Since I was a kid, I have always wanted to make and invent stuff, but I did
not have the means or tools to do so. The reason is my ignorance about what can
be found in a bookstore from books regarding any subject you can think of and
learn about. Back then we had no internet access yet, so that also was a missing
step. All I could do is watch a British TV show called Art Attack presented by Neil
Buchanan. It was about art making from drawings to handcrafted things and
shapes from castles to paintings, boxes, gifts and many more things that any artist
or maker would enjoy doing. So, after watching the aired episode, I used to go
and build those things. I still have one of them at my parent’s house in the living
room. And that continued till the internet entered our home. Even so, we did not
know that anything you want can be found online and that anything you want to
learn can be learned online!
It wasn’t until the end of 2011, that I was introduced to the Arduino board by
a friend of mine. And so, I got the injection and started learning the Arduino and
making projects. And at the end of 2016, I found out about 3D printing from an ad
on Youtube and then on Amazon about a small 3D printer for hobbyists.
On June 2017 I bought my first 3D printer for 200 bucks. It was a disaster but a
good way to learn about 3D printing concepts. And so, my adventure as a Maker
started.

2
2 DEFINITION OF A MAKER AND WHERE TO START

A Maker is an individual who has interest in creating and making new devices
as well as tinkering with existed ones. He is a part of the maker culture which is a
contemporary subculture representing a technology-based extension of DIY
culture. This culture supports open-source projects and hardware in general. Its
main interest is the engineering-oriented pursuits such as electronics, robotics, 3D
Printing in addition to the more traditional activities such as metalworking,
woodworking and its predecessor traditional arts and crafts.
If you are seeking to join the maker movement and become part of this maker
culture, 3D printing and Arduino electronics are two means to start with. Later on,
you can add woodworking as a way to step up your level. But this last option is
not a necessary one.
This document, will be a guide for everyone seeking to become a maker using
these two means. It is not an official document but simply a personal experience I
went through which I felt nice to share and help anyone who has no idea where
to start alongside some information I acquired through out these five years.

3
3 3D PRINTING

3D Printing or additive manufacturing is the process of building three

dimensional objects using a digital file. This process consists of the action of laying
up layers of material one above the other until the object is created. Each layer
can be defined as a thinly sliced cross-section of the object.
3D Printing enables you to create complex shapes using less material than the
traditional way of manufacturing. It is a cost-effective method. That is why it is
used by industrial companies as a fast way of prototyping their ideas and designs
with as many trials as they need.
There are many different 3D Printing technologies but we will be focusing on
the FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) which is the most common one and most
used by makers.

3.1 HOW DOES 3D PRINTING WORK?

The first step in the 3D printing process is to obtain a 3D model file with the
.stl extension. You can either produce it using a CAD software like Blender for
organic modeling or Autodesk Fusion 360 for parametric modeling or download it
from a 3D library website like thingiverse.com.
Next you import the file into a slicer, it can be any slicer from the free that
comes with the printer you buy, a free slicer that can work with different
machines or a paid slicer like simplify3D. You define your settings then slice the
model and export it as a gcode. Then you place it on an SD card or a USB stick and
insert it into the 3D printer, or send it via WIFI then choose the file and hit print.

3.2 THE 3D PRINTER

To understand the 3D printing process, lets learn first the parts of a 3D
printer.

4
 Print Head

Build Platform
Nozzle

Filament

Control
Screen

The main components are:

▪ Build Platform: The build platform is the surface on which the parts are
formed. Most of these platforms are heated to help with adhesion of the
part.
▪ Extruder: The extruder is the part responsible for melting and depositing
the plastic filament to build the model. It is made of two subcomponents:
The hot end and the cold end. The hot end contains a heater and a nozzle
and the cold end consists of the motor, gears and other small components
that pushes the filament into the hot end. Between the hot and cold end
there is a heatsink and a fan for the cold end to stay cool and avoid
jamming. There is an additional fan which cools down the molten plastic
after it exists of the nozzle. It is usually called the cooling fan.
▪ Print Head: The print head consists of one or more extruder and on the top
of it there is a tube which feeds the filament into it.
▪ Control Interface: Some printers have a touch screen which is used to
control the 3D Printer, others have a simple LCD screen with a scroll and

5
 click wheel. In addition, an SD card or a USB stick are also present for
placing the files on them.
So, to start printing, first you send the 3D model to the printer via WIFI or
place it on the USB stick or SD card that comes with it then you choose the file
and click print. The nozzle and the platform start to heat up until they reach the
defined temperature. The extruder then starts to pull down filament into the hot
end in preparation for deposition.
Now that the printer is ready, the print head lowers down or the platform goes up
depends on the 3D printer model, and molten plastic starts to go out of the nozzle
and be formed into the target shape layer by layer and then cools down thanks to
the cooling fan. The head moves in z axis by a small amount and the process is
repeated until the part is complete.

3.3 DOWNLOADING THE FILES

Now that 3D printers are more common and the community that uses them is
growing fast, many websites have emerged as repositories for 3D models. The
files are uploaded by members of the community itself to be shared with other
members. They can be paid or free depending on the amount of work that is put
in them and the artist status. This way anyone can have models and use a printer
without having any 3D modeling skills. As an example of these sites:
▪ Thingiverse.com
▪ Myminifactory.com
▪ Thangs.com
▪ Cults3d.com

3.4 MODELING SOFTWARE

To become a better maker and to develop your skills, the best way is to learn
a 3D modeling software. For that a couple of free to download and install
software can be found. The first is Blender which is an open-source free to
download modeling software. It can be used to make organic modeling. Organic
modeling is creating 3D models of living creatures such as people or animals. It
has many features from 3D modeling, to animating, to fluid and smoke simulation
and many more.

6
 Another software we will mention is Autodesk Fusion 360. It has a personal
use limited version that includes basic features and can be renewed on annual
basis. It is mainly a parametric software and is widely used by makers.

7
4 ARDUINO

Arduino is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use

hardware and software. You can tell your board what to do by sending a set of
instructions to its microcontroller. It has a variety of sensors that can be
connected to it. That is why it is widely used by makers to manifest their ideas
into physical devices.
Arduino has a variety of boards with specific characteristics. The commonly
used one by beginners is the Arduino Uno.

You can start with the beginner kit that comes with many sensors and
components that can be connected to the Arduino from LEDs to 7-segments
displays and many more.
As for your references, there is plenty of websites and books that teaches
about the Arduino and your main reference should be the Arduino official website
Arduino.cc. It has many different tutorials and lots of projects shared by the
community alongside a forum on which you can post questions and get answers
and help about your applications and learning process.

8
5 MAKERS FAIRES

Maker Faire is a convention of do-it-yourself enthusiasts started by Make

magazine in 2006. Participants come from a wide variety of interests from
robotics to 3D printing, computers, arts and crafts and from the hacker culture.
These Faires are organized in many countries in the world. Once you become a
maker and have many interesting projects under your belt, you can participate in
such events and show the world your ability to design and build devices.

9
6 MAKERSNEWS

For more information, you can visit websites like makersnews.net where you
can find information and news about 3D printing and Arduino from different
sources and be informed about important Youtube channels related to these
subjects and when they upload new videos. In addition, you can find important
playlists to help you start learning about 3D printing and Arduino if you don’t like
reading much. Also, you can find popular projects and popular 3D prints that the
community likes.

10
7 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I am a fellow maker. Originally a Mechanical Engineer

graduated from CNAM university in Beirut, Lebanon and a
freelance web developer. A 3D printing, electronics and
Formula 1 enthusiast, I presented a study for making an
RC F1 car in my senior project at the university. And at
the moment I am working on building that car which can
be followed on my blog firasf1dream.wordpress.com. In
addition, I am the founder of makersnews.net, a maker
news aggregator which helps makers be informed about what is happening in the
maker community from 3D printing to Arduino electronics, Youtube channels
updates, important playlists, popular projects and 3D prints and maker faires
videos. I decided to write this small document to help everyone who is seeking to
join the maker community to where to start from.

11
8 REFERENCES

• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/
• 3D Printing.com https://3dprinting.com
• The 3D Printing Handbook – Technologies, design and applications
• All3dp.com https://all3dp.com
• Arduino.cc https://www.arduino.cc

12