We can finally make all the props we always wanted as children
Our 3D printing journey started back in 2021 when a coworker bought a Snapmaker and brought it into work in his office. Actually watching it work was inspiring but left a lot to be desired. If we wanted a 3D printer, it needed to print in colors, not just one. Fast forward to 2023 when we found the Bambu Labs P1P, a cheap, bare bones printer capable of printing in up to 16 colors. We started at one and grew to 8 colors in 2023 and even started making toys for IC3D's 3d Printed Toys For Tots program. When Bambu Labs released their A1 Mini printer, we got a combo capable of printing in 4 colors, and when the full size A1 came out in 2024, we picked that up too. We tried a few commercial licenses and products in the early part of 2024 but never made a sale until August when we switched from random cool items to Star Trek cosplay parts, specifically the pips we designed for printing. From there we grew with other commercial licenses, some monthly and some as complete perpetual licenses, to where we are today, printing with five printers, all manufactured by Bambu Lab. Currently, we are selling printed props and accessories while using printer free time to manufacture toys for a local charity that has outreach across the US and around the world providing those affected by disasters and war who have nothing with a bit of hope and essential supplies.
Intrepid 3D Prints is run by Eric, a full time IT Tech & Systems Administrator as a "real" job. His wife Cara is a stay at home mom who provides support to the business by checking on the printers and handling minor fixes while Eric is at work (fixing spool issues, swapping colors, restarting prints, et cetera). Our toddler is our QA tester. He loves to grab the test models (we keep one of each model on hand for photos) and play with them. Our newborn/baby is our in-house emotional support because sometimes you just need to have baby cuddles.