3D printing ideas for grandparents

July 9, 2022 5:56 AM

My 15 year old son loves to 3D print things and has access to great equipment and materials. His grandparents’ joint, 75 bday celebration is coming up and we need ideas for a gift. What is something that he could make that they would find useful/neat/fun? They are active and have recently moved into independent living. All ideas appreciated.
posted by pearlybob to Grab Bag (5 answers total)

Best answer: Decorative wall hook/ keyhook, either flat or 3D (like this: 1, 2) where the wall portion has a personalized design that'd be meaningful to them? An artistic combo of names of kids/grandkids could work, or an icon that's thematically related to some interest of theirs.
posted by Bardolph at 6:44 AM on July 9, 2022 [4 favorites]

Best answer: What about a cake topper that's really personalized to them?
posted by cocoagirl at 10:20 AM on July 9, 2022 [4 favorites]

Best answer: Independent living might mean they don't need more 'stuff', but I've been thinking about making a cityscape for my in-laws. Print files might be hard to find depending on the city though. A city skyline would be simpler and take up less space.
posted by lemonade at 4:09 PM on July 9, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: A print of their former house?
posted by Sukey Says at 12:41 AM on July 10, 2022 [1 favorite]

Make a bobblehead of them? for a cake topper? (there are apps).

Keychains with their initials intertwined (also apps).

matching rings. earrings.

There are apps that help you design things.

Your son may well want to print on his own equipment, and I'm guessing he doesn't have a printer that'll print gold, silver, copper, brass, steel, etc., but those printers certainly do exist. You can upload a file, and they'll mail you the end result.
posted by at at 4:59 PM on July 12, 2022