So you finally decided to spoil yourself to a new 3D printer did you?? That Black friday deal was too much to pass up and now you find yourself sitting with your old printer collecting dust and not making models. You look on your local buy and sell groups and its flooded with people practically giving them away. You ask yourself what can i do with my old work horse to give it a second life. Here are some options for you

1. Make it a laser engraver:

For as little as $60.00 Canadian, you can get a genuine Creality laser upgrade module (1.6w) to etch or cut paper. the module is a direct replacement for your hot end and can open up a world of new possiblities for your projects. be sure to use in a properly ventilated area as it can get a bit smoky. As a person who owns an engraver, i personally would invest in the 10w variant allowing up to 5mm cutting of beachwood.

2. turn your printer into a Plotter

Want to write the same note over and over again? Need to fill out a bunch of Christmas thankyou cards? A quick google search to find some directions, a quick small print and youre off to the races. never again will you have to use your hand to give that personalized touch to your correspondance, that old ender 3 will do it for you. the best part is you can remove the pen and still utilize the printer if you want to start a print farm :)

3. Home desk CNC machine

Following the directions from https://www.instructables.com/Turn-an-Old-3D-Printer-Into-a-CNC-Machine/, with a little investment you can start milling custom pieces for your next project from wood, metal or whatever your heart desires. this may be a but more DIY, but who doesnt love another proejct?

4. use those stepper motors for home automation

too lazy to open or close your blinds??? well take those stepper motors and linear rails and put them back into use to open and close your blinds. utilizing an ESP32 and ESP home controller to drive the motors and commands, you too can tell your favroite smart home client that you want that old ender 3 to close the blinds for you.

 Old 3D printer? why not...