For Wetumpka local Clay Mundy, 3D printing started as only a hobby.
However, what started as a gift from his wife has quickly turned into a product line for T-Rex mugs and more.
“I have ADHD,” Clay said. “She got me a 3D printer. It helped me with making fidget stuff and to make stuff for a family.”
Mundy started out small making small things with patterns he found online, and for the last 14 months he has been developing his craft.
“I kind of ran with it some,” Mundy said. “Somebody was like, ‘where did you get this?’ It steam rolled from there.”
A year after his festival debut with 3D printing, Mundy was back and just as popular as ever.
“It’s still early and I’m already low on inventory,” he said of this year’s Oktoberfest.
Munday quickly grew from his one printer.
“I wasn't expecting it to be a business,” Mundy said. “I have six printers now. They are running pretty much all the time. They run 24/7. I have already run one into the ground.”
The couple started selling tumblers at festivals and to friends and family about three years ago.
“The market got saturated,” Mundy said. “We moved to laser engraving.”
It’s selling fast enough that Mundy doesn’t do all the designs himself. He subscribes to several Patreon sites that allow commercial usage.
At Saturday’s Oktoberfest Munday had cases for cigarette lighters, dragons and other mythical creatures. Some even have movement.
“We make a lot of dragons that are intricate,” Mundy said. “I made one with kids in mind, made with ball joints so they can pull apart and put it back together. It's very strong. Adults can play with it as well, but they normally want something smaller or larger.”
After almost selling out Saturday in Wetumpka, the Mundys returned to their home to make sure the printers were still going with projects for their next festival and sale.
