My name is Ian but most people call me Mitch and some of you may know me from the app as MitchTheWriter. I live in England which is part of the UK and I’ve only been a Creality user since 2021. I took an early retirement from work in 2018 and now devote most of my spare time to 3D printing and all that goes with it.

The impression of 3D Printing

The first time I was aware of 3D printing was when watching a TV program about 20 years ago. It showed a completely 3D printed model of this real-life model which was powered entirely by the wind.

The concept fascinated me and so wanted to be able to print 3D models myself. The only thing was the extremely high cost of printers at that time.

Favorite printer

It wasn’t until nearly 20 years after that initial desire to 3D print that I purchased my first Creality printer; the Ender 3 Pro. I enjoyed using this so much that I now have an Ender3 V2 and have just taken possession of a rather nice Ender 2V2 Neo. I also own A Halot One.

I’d say May's favorite has to be the V2 but I’m expecting that to be changed once I get the Neo up and running!

First successful print

Surprisingly, my first fully successful print was the T-800 head from the Terminator movies. It took over 2 days to complete but I was delighted when it was finished. I decided to paint and add electronics to it and now it takes pride of place in my collection.

Biggest problem

The biggest problem I would say is consistency. I can have a perfect print 2 or 3 times in a row of the same model but then the 4th doesn’t come out right. It’s usually something simple that’s causing the problem but it can be frustrating.

Why love 3D printing

I love 3D printing and everything that comes with it. As I’ve said before, I retired early from work in 2018 (yes, I’m old, but not that old!) and I then found I needed something to fill my time. I’d suffered for many years with depression and anxiety but have found that when I’m printing or painting models, it takes my mind away from those issues. You could say that

3D printing both changed and saved my life!

Favorite print

Although I’ve said that the T-800 takes pride of place; my favorite print so far has to be this one of The Hulk that I did a few months ago. It took about 200+ hours to print, assemble, prime, and then paint but I’m so proud of how it’s turned out.

Most impressive 3D story

Personally, the thing that I’ve done relating to 3D printing that I’m most impressed with is the enclosure I’ve made. I had the idea to use an old filing cabinet to make an enclosure and managed to get hold of one very cheaply. I fitted it out with lights and electronics and then painted it and adapted the drawers into a door. People that have seen it have been impressed with my handiwork and can’t quite believe it’s not still a filing cabinet! I decided to write an article about my experience of building this enclosure which can be seen on the Creality Cloud app.

Community Helper

I offered to become a Community Helper as I wanted to give something back to Creality and the users of Creality printers. Although I’ve only been involved with the hobby for just over a year, I’ve immersed myself in it and have researched, learned, and experienced pretty much everything to do with 3D printing.

When I was selected by Creality to become a Community Helper I was delighted. I’ve been doing this now for several months and enjoy every bit of it. I can honestly say I’m proud to be a Creality Cloud Community Helper and hope to continue for as long as they want me to.

Dream of 3D printing

3D printing has brought me a sense of purpose and well-being that so thought I’d lost and would never regain. I’ve now got a hobby that allows me to make pretty much anything I want or need (within reason). I’ve made friends through the app, the other helpers, and on Facebook, and all because of 3D printing.

My dream for 3D printing would be to see it used more widely in the production of medical devices and prosthetics, particularly in poorer parts of the world. 3D printed houses are also becoming more prevalent but only in more affluent regions so again, it would be good to see this expanded to poorer areas.

My personal dream would be to visit the Creality factory to see the machines that make actual dreams come true!

To Creality Cloud

The first thing I’d like to say to Creality is “Thank you”. Firstly, producing a range of quality and affordable 3D printers that have meant I can get involved in 3D printing. Secondly, for giving me the opportunity to be involved with the Creality Cloud app and hopefully in future developments.

My only suggestion to Creality would be to keep up the good work and to keep focusing on the customer experience of using their machines.