Four years ago, 3D printing became \u00adMarko Trutschel\u2019s new hobby and passion. \u201cI had been an extreme athlete, competing in 24-hour mountain bike races. Then I\u00a0had a\u00a0very serious accident on my bike. My spine was broken, and I\u00a0could no longer compete in endurance sports\u201d, he said. \u201cI suddenly had a\u00a0lot of time on my hands and wondered how to occupy myself. I\u00a0bought a\u00a0simple 3D printer. I\u00a0knew you operate it like a\u00a0CNC machine,\u201d explained Trutschel, who has worked as a\u00a0CNC lathe operator since 2011.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his leisure time, Marko Trutschel explores the wide-ranging possibilities of 3D printing.<\/p>\n<\/div> He started out by learning the basics. \u201cThere are great instructions on YouTube. I\u00a0was immediately hooked. My background is in plastics. and I\u00a0quickly saw that a\u00a03D printer can do almost anything,\u201d he said. A\u00a0trained precision machinist, he began making a\u00a0wide range of products: vases, animal figures, carabiners, etc. \u201cThe stories about what I\u00a0could design and produce gradually spread among my acquaintances. I\u2019ve already printed vintage car parts that were not available otherwise. I\u00a0look at the installation space, create the design, check the load with AI, and I\u2019ve always found a\u00a0solution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For greater flexibility in the use of color, he \u00addesigned a custom-made add-on to his 3D-printer, allowing him to print with eight instead of four \u00adcolors simultaneously. His wife has also benefited from his expertise. He designed an identification band for employees\u2019 beverage bottles, and his wife\u2019s company gave her a bonus for the innovation. \u201cMy wife also printed all the Christmas ornaments last year herself,\u201d Trutschel, 42, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trutschel also sees his workplace as a key area where the technology could be applied. \u201cI\u2019ve been telling my supervisor how great it would be to have a high-performance 3D printer in our department for some time,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you can design a 3D model, you can print it. Especially for small, difficult, delicate items, 3D printing offers many advantages. It works faster, the risk of injury is much less, and it consumes almost no material beyond what is \u00adrequired,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sw.fst.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/42_04_P1150006_4c-1160x1497.jpg\")
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