Advancements in printing technology have made the term "functional 3D prints" a hot topic in the industrial, research, and home hobbyist sectors.

From household items to medical equipment to engineering prototypes, functional prints are rapidly proving 3D printing is more than just a glancing hobby. Instead, it can be a tool that offers some exciting possibilities for purpose-driven innovation.

If you're reading this post, it's likely that you're on the hunt for some practical 3D print ideas. With that in mind, we've put together 24 types of functional prints to introduce you to what's possible. Hopefully, these categories can inspire you.

Moreover, if you discover functional printing is something you're interested in, make sure to check out our other short list of useful 3D prints that you can make right now.

Now, on to the prints!

24 Types of the Best Functional 3D Prints

Home decor is a fantastic place to dive into the world of useful printed objects. There are a number of common household items that can be repaired, replaced, or improved just by using your 3D printer. Here are just a few:

Home Decor

Vases

Everyone knows that flowers can brighten up a space. But did you know that owning a 3D printer offers almost limitless possibilities to print custom vases for those flowers? If you've ever dreamed of having a vase for every season or holiday, but didn't want to shell out for expensive ceramic or glass--just fire up your 3D printer and print as many vases as your heart desires.

Lampshades

You can absolutely print lampshades for your home with your 3D printer. The only limiting factor may be the size of your print bed. If you have a giant 3D printer, however, then it's easy to change up every lamp shade in your home. You can customize textures, shapes, and even colors to create the perfect lamp shade for your space.

Planters

Do you need a self-watering planter for your favorite Ficus? Or how about a new set of seed starter cups for that spring herb garden? Perhaps a specialized hydroponic garden system is more your speed. Whatever the case, 3D printing and green thumbs go together like peas and carrots.

Art Pieces

Decorate your space using unique art pieces you've designed with 3D printing. Make a gift for that special someone, or express yourself in new ways through an entirely new type of media. 3D printing offers the perfect culmination of modern and art for every home.

Boxes

Storage is an often overlooked category of 3D prints, despite being necessary for many spaces. Small boxes and storage containers can help you organize your office, your garage, or your kitchen. Larger boxes can offer significant space savings without the excess cost of buying storage.

Watering Cans

Still using identical watering cans? Why not take advantage of 3D printing's flexibility and design a can that fits your personal style? Choose interesting nozzles, handles, and even can shapes to merge function with aesthetics.

In the Office

Phone Holders

Stands, magnet-based holders, and phone clips are all useful print ideas. Phone accessories are some of the most functional 3D prints you can make, and they'll help you attach your phone to your desk, your car's vents, or even to the wall. When you need a stand for your phone, look no further than 3D printing.

Camera Mounts

While camera mounts might not be the first thing on your mind when you think about 3D printing, we'd invite you to reconsider. From clamps to 1/4 20 screw-in connectors, to entire mounting systems, camera mounts and equipment allow you to get creative with 3D printing.

Dividers

Organizational items are a no-brainer when it comes to functional 3D printed objects. One of the ways to achieve that organization is by making toolbox and/or drawer dividers. These are almost too easy to print, as just a few layers of filament can mean the difference between a well-organized drawer and a junk-drawer mess.

In the Kitchen

Image: Jean van der Meulen / Pexels

Spatulas

Hungry? Why not bring 3D printing into your kitchen? You could start with everyone's favorite pancake flipper, the spatula. Spatulas can be used for various kitchen tasks--which makes printing one absolutely functional. Just make sure you use a food safe filament that can withstand high temperatures.

Measuring Cups

In keeping with our current theme, measuring cups are another great kitchen staple that can be made using 3D printing. Like our spatula suggestion, we'd recommend you use food safe filament for anything you'll be eating or drinking out of.

Storage Jars

If you're not a giant fan of square or rectangular shapes to hold items, jars, and other cylindrical containers can serve the same purpose while adding a bit of panache. And many prints offer both a base and a lid, which can screw together without any extra hardware.

Bottle Openers

Custom 3D-printed bottle openers are not only fun kitchen tools, but you can also design them for businesses or special occassions. Moreover, close friends and family might love a 3D-printed bottle opener as a gift or party favor to remember that once-in-a-lifetime backyard barbecue!

In the Garage

Screw and Nut Drivers

Now, let's leave the kitchen and head into the garage for some 3D-printed tool ideas. Tools are another common 3D print category, and it's surprising how many tools you can make or improve with just a 3D printer. Both screwdrivers and nut drivers can be made using a 3D printer. While it might not be practical to make plastic driver bits, just due to the amount of torque they need, you can create handles and holders for bits you already own.

Wrenches

Adjustable wrenches are a useful 3D print for lighter duty tasks. But, where 3D printing really works well is when it comes to Allen type wrenches. Instead of fumbling with those thin, L-shaped, metal Allen wrenches, you can print handles to give you more leverage. Nice!

Wall Hooks

Whether you need to hang extension cords, artwork, or your unused kayak, 3D printing provides an almost infinite number of options for wall hooks. You can choose to make them in fun colors, or you can stick with basic black, white, and gray to keep them from hogging the spotlight.

Cable Organizers

If you're like most people, you probably have numerous cables lying around for every one of your electronic devices. It seems like these cables multiply if they're not well-contained. Enter cable organizers. 3D printing offers a myriad of cable organizers in all manner of configurations. Looks like we've found your next project.

Cogs and Bearings

Where durability is most important, metal is always the best choice for cogs and bearings. But, for the cogs and bearings that aren't under heavy stress, 3D-printed plastic can be more than enough to keep a machine going. Nylon cogs are especially popular for this type of application.

Mechanical Parts

The last few types of functional prints bring us full circle into industry. Starting with 3D printed functional parts. Gears, brackets, braces, and all types of other mechanical parts can be made using 3D printing. Specialized materials offer strength and cost savings. If you can make it out of plastic, then it's likely that you can 3D print it.

Wearables

Image: MART PRODUCTION / Pexels

Jewelry

Add some bling to your outfit with 3D-printed jewelry, or use 3D printing as a first step in designing molds for custom metal pieces. Create original designs to sell, exclusive one-offs to keep, or sentimental heirloom pieces to give away. Crafty!

Prosthetic Parts

If you really want to push the boundaries of functional prints, then look no further than prosthetic parts. These futuristically cool functional 3D prints provide considerable quality of life improvements to those with disabilities. Some non-profits gift 3D-printed prosthetics to disabled people at no cost. We bet you didn't know that your 3D printer could actually be a force for good. Now you do.

3D-Printed Shoes

We wouldn't recommend you run a marathon in 3D-printed shoes, but that doesn't mean you should ignore the possibility of 3D-printed footwear. In fact, several major shoe companies have already explored 3D printing as a way of manufacturing affordable, environmentally friendly kicks.

Other Miscellaneous Functional Prints

Industrial Prototypes

In the stages between a full-realized product and its inception lies the realm of protyping. When makers need to improve a product or adjust its specifications, that's when 3D printing can be most helpful. Instead of changing part specifications and waiting weeks for them to be manufactured, makers can print off a prototype in just a few hours.

Pill Dispensers

Aside from tool stuff, the world of personal health products is booming with potential 3D printing applications. Take pill dispensers, for example. Pill dispensers--just like the ones you can pick up at the drugstore--are relatively easy to print and can vastly improve your lives with their functionality.

Tips for Printing Functional 3D Prints

So, there you have it. 24 types of functional 3D prints. Hopefully, they've inspired you to think about the ways you can incorporate functional 3D printing into your workshop. That said, here are a few tips that should make your functional 3D prints live up to your expectations.

• Weigh the Pros and Cons: Functional prints are excellent, but they do have certain limitations. Among them, durability, scale, design time, and cost. If one of those is an issue, then functional printing might not be the best choice for the application. So, choose wisely.

• Choose the Best 3D Printer There are many 3D printer options on the market today that can make functional prints. For us, however, we're a bit biased. We think our AnkerMake M5 is the best tool for the job. It's inexpensive, it accepts a wide array of filament types, and it can print at speeds up to 500 mm/s. Which makes it one of the most capable budget 3D printers on the market.

• Select Appropriate Printing Material: Choose materials that fit the situation. PLA, for example, is great for some applications, but too brittle for others. PETG is much more difficult to print, but it will hold up better to strain than PLA. ABS is the gold standard for strong prints, but it doesn't do well when exposed to the elements. ASA solves that issue, but it has its own storage guidelines to prevent warping during prints. So, make sure you do the research to find which material is right for what you're printing.

• Optimize Your 3D Model: If you're designing prints using CAD, then you want to ensure you're accounting for the limits of your printer. Excessive overhangs, long bridges, and odd printing orientations can make achieving a quality print difficult. So, when designing, you always want to consider how your printer might handle those details. That's why prototyping should be an important step in your design process.

• Perform Necessary Post-Processing: 3D printers will never give you perfect surfaces and angles. There will always be variances. Layer lines can also affect the way a print looks, and performs. That's why it's critical to post-process your 3D prints. In some cases, that means removing any brims or supports, in others that means filing layer-line gaps, painting, and/or clear coating.

Remember, careful consideration of your model and the appropriate 3D printer selection are the two most crucial aspects of producing quality functional 3D prints. As we stated above, if you have doubts about which printer to choose for the task, it's worth checking out the AnkerMake M5. The print quality, speed, and ease-of-use make it an absolute rock star for makers who don't want to spend all day fiddling with a printer.

Functional Prints are the Future

3D printing is no longer confined to industrial applications. It's now a part of many people's daily lives. Functional prints further that evolution, and allow 3D printing to transcend just making toys. For many, functional prints make their 3D printer into a tool that can help them in ways they probably hadn't considered.

FAQ

How do 3D printing materials impact the functionality and durability of functional prints?

Like anything, 3D printing materials have their limitations. But, with careful research and experimentation, many functional prints can be made with readily available 3D printing filament. Tougher applications will require tougher materials, however, which can increase costs and overall printing times.

What are the best 3D printers to build functional prints?

Realistically, any 3D printer can be used to make functional prints. As long as it is capable of printing the requisite material and has the bed size to support the model. However, 3D printers with full-metal hot ends, and direct-drive extruders often open up the functional printing process to filaments that may not be available on lesser machines.

Is PLA suitable for creating functional components?

Yes. You can use PLA, as long as you are aware of its brittle nature and its other limitations. For example, PLA is food safe, but it will melt at lower temperatures than other plastics like ABS or PETG. As with any print, you need to consider what the print will be used for, and then employ the appropriate material.