“My Father, In His 70s, Found a New Passion in 3D Printing”

In recent years, Jorge Rui noticed something changing in his father, José Maria. Once curious and hands-on, his dad had started to drift into a kind of apathy, spending long hours in front of the TV or sitting by the window.

But whenever he came over to Jorge’s house, he was mesmerized by his 3D printers in motion. This gave Jorge an idea: he gifted him an A1 Mini of his own, hoping it’d bring some rhythm back into his father’s life.

And he was right.

“I never imagined that I’d be spending my days with a machine that turns things from the internet into tangible objects. It’s strange and wonderful at the same time.” - José Maria, nearly-80-year-old 3D printing hobbyist

From Curiosity to Frustration to Passion

José Maria's first reaction was a mix of surprise and hesitation. 

While he was amazed when seeing this technology for the first time at his son’s house, he still wondered: “What am I going to do with this?”

There were plenty of challenges. Language barriers. A missing computer. The learning curve of the printer itself.

"I struggle with things like changing the filament," he shares. "It takes me a long time, sometimes nearly an hour, just because I don’t understand what the printer is asking me to do."

Also, not having a computer makes certain tasks nearly impossible for José Maria, like resizing models or making basic edits. Even when his son creates a custom part for him, sending it by email doesn’t help. His phone is the only device he uses to connect to the printer, but it can’t open or transfer files received by email, which often leaves him stuck unless Jorge is there to help in person.

Despite some of these technological barriers, though, José Maria keeps going, still just as excited about the printer as the day he got it.

“It’s given me something to focus on, something that feels productive and rewarding. Before, days felt long and uneventful, like I was just letting time pass without really doing anything,” he says.

Printing On The Daily

Now, José Maria prints all sorts of things almost every day, usually on the hunt for something practical.

“I take real satisfaction in printing things that are not just fun, but genuinely useful in daily life. That’s what I like the most. I spend a lot of time searching for just the right piece I need.”

He also likes to print miniature monuments, with the intention of hand-painting them later. But, he admits to being a serial project starter: “I’ve never actually finished painting one. Before I know it, I’m already looking for the next thing to print,” he confesses.

That said, Jorge Rui tells us his father is strict when it comes to PLA. Every spool is precious. Nothing gets printed without purpose, or at least, without a quick check-in with his wife.

“He spends hours searching for models he thinks my mother might also like. It’s as if he needs her approval before ‘wasting’ his precious PLA. And yes, to him, it really is precious,” Jorge adds.

Aside from an infinite spool, what José Maria truly dreams of is being able to make his own models or remix existing designs. Though he was once familiar with computers, he doesn’t currently use one, making 3D design a skill for the future.

But who knows? With the rise of AI-powered idea-to-3D tools, the gap between imagining and making is getting smaller by the day. Perhaps soon he'll find new ways to bring his ideas to life!

Not Just Passing Time

Jorge’s father doesn’t like being described as elderly.

“I don’t see myself as an old person. In fact, I don’t like it when people say I’m in my ‘golden years’ or use those kinds of labels. The truth is, I’m almost 80. What really matters to me is being in good health,” he says.

As Jorge Rui points out in his post on Medium, 3D printing has become a source of support for his father’s overall wellbeing. 

This new hobby keeps his mind active through learning, experimenting, and troubleshooting. It also keeps him emotionally engaged by giving him something to care about, and to look forward to.

And José Maria sees it that way, too.

“Sometimes it’s frustrating, sometimes it’s confusing, but there’s always this small sense of satisfaction when a print finishes just right. I don’t always know what I’m doing, but I know that I’m doing something. And that, for me, is already a big thing.”

A lovely reminder that 3D printing is more than just making things.

It's stories like this that give meaning to everything we build at Bambu Lab.

Do you have a story to tell about how 3D printing has made a difference in your life? Tag or DM us on social media!