You can use this plastic tape measure straight out of the 3D-printer

by Larra Morris

Maybe the most practical dream of a 3D-printing future is on-demand widgets. Missing Ikea pieces, just a button-press away. But what about instant tools, completely assembled and usable straight from the printer? That future’s almost here.

You can’t print a whole toolbox yet, but tinkerer AngryMonk has developed two plans—one for a tape-measure, one for a dial caliper—that print completely functional tools at your whim. No, these aren’t one-piece devices, but the printer just makes the disparate pieces so that they’re assembled from the start.
via Gizmodo

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May 4, 2026

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You can use this plastic tape measure straight out of the 3D-printer

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