How I Got Into 3D Printing (and Why I Kept Going)
A GPU bracket project led me to 3D printing. I didn’t plan to go deep - but open hardware, RepRap, and a “good luck” DIY kit changed everything.

It started with my PC - back in March 2019.
I was trying to set up dual vertical GPUs, two 1080TIs with an SLI bridge. I needed some custom brackets to make it work. They were probably out there somewhere, but I couldn’t find any to buy.
Our R&D department had a 3D printer, so I decided to learn how to use it. Just for that one job.
But I got curious.
Once I realized I could model parts myself, I started learning SketchUp and printing small things to improve the build. It was trial and error. Print, test, adjust, repeat.
Printing at the office was slow and not always practical. The printer was only available when the R&D department had no tasks assigned to it, which wasn’t often. And since 3D printing always involves a trial-and-error loop - measure, model, print, adjust, repeat - I needed access more frequently than the schedule allowed.
So I bought a DIY 3D printer kit from Shopee. It came with no manual. Just a small note that said, “Good luck.”






The "Good Luck" Kit
Assembling Process
Turned out, it was a variant of the HyperCube Evolution (HEVO). I figured it out, assembled it, flashed the bootloader, and made it run. That was my first printer. It lived.
It Lives #1
It Lives #2
That’s when I discovered RepRap: Replicating Rapid Prototyper.
The idea behind it was incredible. Everything was open design. Members were encouraged to contribute. You could set up a printer from online resources using open-source designs, or even receive one from a kind contributor. Then you’d use that printer to create parts for someone else - a way to give back to the person who helped you, and to the community that made it possible.

The number of 3D printer owners grew because of this idea. And that growth helped 3D printing spread further and faster, changing how people build, fix, and invent things all over the world. Everyone becomes an inventor - not by title, but by action.
I started contributing too. Sharing parts, helping others, sending pull requests to Marlin.
It all started because I needed a bracket for my PC. I stayed because I found something more. A mindset. A way to create, solve problems, and give back.