Four groups so far have constructed their own 3D Printers from kits with the help of the Nova Labs 3D Printer Group. Every Monday the group puts their printers to the test to see who can produce the best 3D print. It’s a good way to keep printers calibrated and finely tuned as well as to experiment with new methods for improving prints.

Here’s a roundup of the 3D Printing challenges to date.

3D Printing Challenge #1: “Sliced Human Skull with Mandible and Teeth”

Results from Week 1 of the Nova Labs 3D Printing Challenge.

3D Printing Challenge #2: The 5 piece “Iris Door Box v3”

The source can be found on Thingiverse: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:140048

 At World Maker Faire NY 2013, there was a company that had produced hundreds of these “Iris Door Boxes”, and they actually sold out during the first day so this item is very popular.

Iris Door Box (v3) Week #2 3D Printing Challenge Results

To assemble the parts for the Iris Door Box, you need 5 pan head screws #4 x 1/4″.

3D Printing Challenge #3: A 2 piece print, the “Screwable Jewelry Box”

The source is found on Thingiverse: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:413

Don’t be fooled. This print challenged how well printers were calibrated. The idea is that the two printed parts can screw together perfectly to make a fully closed box.  There were 3 variants to try.

Eric Mitchell demonstrates how the box fits together:

3D Printing Challenge #4: A 4x normal scale Lego-style “Minifig”

The “Blank Minifig, Jumbo Snap-Together Version” is found on Thingiverse: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:170076

Competitors were asked to be creative with colors, accessories, and characters (Heisenberg/Rick Grimes characters were given preferential treatment).