Learning mindset in action: my 3D printing adventure
By: Judy Hoff Gilbert
Tags: Growth Mindset, 3D Printing, Learning

I’m working on being more intentional about learning, by seeking out opportunities big and small to learn, and noticing things about the experience. I wrote this post for my team at Zymergen.

ZEAL is “Zymergen Exploration And Learning,” a program to support career development through stretch assignments, elective side projects, and bungee assignments into different roles. We’re piloting the program in People Operations in 2022.

Recently, in the spirit of ZEAL, I decided to learn a new thing, and that thing is how to use the 3D printer that my family acquired a few years ago.

I did a little Googling and determined that Tinkercad would be an appropriate entry point, so I signed up for an account and did the tutorial.

I decided to make a ZEAL trinket for each person on the team. So using the “word” functionality I made a design, added a loop for hanging, and tried to print.

The printer sat there and did nothing. I attempted to enlist the expert assistance of my 14-year-old, the original owner of the printer. He advised me on an additional piece of software, Cura, that was necessary. I turned to the internet for more detailed advice and downloads.

I took a quick detour to learn how to run Linux on my Chromebook, and then downloaded and installed Cura to translate my design into a printable file.

This all worked pretty well and I sent the design — this time in the correct format — to the printer.

But no! It quickly became apparent that the Z and E were insufficiently close together.

Fig. 1. Time to reassess kerning.

This sent me back to Tinkercad for revisions, and I shipped V2 to the printer.

Perhaps I should have checked my work more closely. An hour later, I checked the printer and found the finished product:

Fig. 2. Always proofread.

I briefly considered changing the name of the program to “ZELAL,” but decided to go back to the tools to find and remove the extra “L.” (Reminder to proofread, check for the correct version of the file, and make sure no formatting gremlins have crept in.)

As I was editing, my 10-year-old noticed what I was doing and gave me some helpful advice on navigating Tinkercad. I had forgotten that she had also learned to use this software; it’s a good reminder to cast a net broadly when looking for help.

I sent the latest version to the printer, checking periodically to make sure that the correct letters were being formed. And then, the final version:

Fig. 3. Ta da!

I did a final quality control review and started printing the second copy.

Here’s the finished set. These trinkets are a limited edition. Not exactly handmade, but each one comes with a hand-tied ribbon and a letter of the alphabet between A and W, because there are 23 of them and I happened to have some alphabet beads around (reminder to use available resources).

Fig. 4. The complete set (including the beta at upper left).

Here’s a video of printing in action: ZEAL printing.

(Because my learning mindset also demands that I figure out how to set up the Wyze camera to do a time lapse, and remember how to post to YouTube.)

I had fun with this project, and writing about it was a good way to consolidate and reinforce what I learned, to make sure it sticks!