TikTok is a mesmerising world of quick videos. For those who don’t use it, you may be surprised to learn it’s highly addictive! Particularly for the younger generation who have shorter attention spans – expected to be around eight seconds for Gen Z1, who have grown up in a digital world of video clips and YouTube and favour visual ways of consuming information.
In the world of social media, TikTok is popular for short-form videos that users can laugh, learn or engage with. This appeal isn’t lost on a growing 3D printing fan base either: at the time of writing, there are over 4.1 billion views for 3D printing videos on the platform alone!
The six most popular items to 3D print on TikTok
At E3D we have a very big – and actively growing – consumer following. Lots of our customers choose E3D for 3D printer parts, and we also attract a young following on our community forum and Discord server because we’ve been in the game a long time. But with 3D printing becoming more popular and accessible for consumers, we wanted to see which items are making their way into the TikTok world and becoming quick video trends.
From weird and wacky, to wonderfully practical, let’s deep-dive into the alluring 3D printing world on TikTok…
1. Shampoo holder - 25.8 million views
@paultheprinter Hi friends, meet Paul. #3dprinting #3dprinter #satisfying #problemsolved #result #fyp #foryou #HomeImprovement
♬ Ashes - Stellar
With toiletries falling over being one of the biggest bugbears in the shower, 3D printing innovators on TikTok have shared how they made a solution with their own holders.
2. Extendable scissors - 21.2 million views
@marsgizmo timelapse of the rainbow scissors snake ✂️ #myart #3dprinting #marsgizmo
♬ AK47 Tik Tok - Pr!d3
Another wonderfully practical but unusual print; this timelapse video of making extendable scissors has got to be one of the most satisfying watches yet!
3. Toothpaste tube head - 20 million views
@theracingchins Would not recommend brushing your teeth with this #babyoda #3dprinting
♬ original sound - Kira Kosarin
Did you know these even existed before today?! Yoda and Shrek seem to be the most popular ones to print.
4. Phone case - 18.9 million views
@kaivertigoh How to 3D print a Phone Case: @lsxserg #learnontiktok #3dprint #gadgets #iphone11 #3dmodeling #tech #coolstuff
♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod
Why wait for a phone case delivery again when in just three hours you can custom-make your own to your own liking? Perhaps an ideal investment for those serial phone breakers out there...
5. Costume - 18.8 million views
@emily.the.engineer iron man update :) #ironman #fyp #3dprinting #haventseen
♬ Celebrate the Good Times - Mason
Can’t find what costume you like? Why not just print your own? There are over 80 million cosplay-related 3D printing videos on TikTok for inspiration.
6. Twist containers - 18.6 million views
@itsboyinspace Welp this Knurl Twist Container will be absolutely huge... 😂😆🤦♂️ #fypシ #fyp #satisfyingvideos #3dprinting #creality #3dprint #ender3v2
♬ original sound - Ben Pendergast
Another weird and wacky addition to the 40 million+ accessories category of 3D printing on the platform!
Why is 3D printing popular on TikTok?
Georgia Willans, marketing manager at E3D, comments on the findings: “TikTok is a whole other internet world that is changing the way people - particularly the younger generation - interact online. Couple this with 3D printing, which at one point not too long ago felt novel and rare, to now being much more accessible and possible for everyday consumers; and it’s clear to see why our community has taken to the social media platform to share creations and ideas.”
“We know how satisfying and fascinating it is to watch things being 3D printed first hand, so even for those who are new to our world, TikTok is providing a platform to learn, explore and uncover the 3D printing possibilities. We’ve noticed an increasing trend of people sharing 'how to guides' on the 3D printing hashtag too, which again, is just lovely to see from our community!” Georgia adds.
Good news! We're on TikTok now as well.
Want more cool 3D printing content? You can follow E3D on our blog, or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn, too.
1 https://www.iabuk.com/opinions/rise-short-form-video-gen-z-social-revolution