Printed Parametric Chainmail

I've been wanting to try this for a while. This is a sheet of interlocking rings, printed in place. The rings are basically square, with cut off corners. Two sets of diagonals cross each other at different heights, with four posts at the corners. Well, it makes sense when you see the pictures!

This is the first thing I've designed in OpenSCAD, so the code is probably pretty sloppy. The major parameters that can be changed are the layer thickness and line width, along with ring size and number.

I searched for "chainmail" on Thingiverse and the only result was a post by Vik on the Interlocking Rings thing: "Next, chainmail. Right?" So I hope you like this, Vik!

Another weird one, this turned out surprisingly tall. The thin legs suggest that it is most at home underwater or on a low-gravity planet. It's unclear whether this thing is alive or not.

Despite some pretty large overhangs at the bottom, this printed fine for me. The only trouble I had was getting the feet to stick to the build platform, since the area is pretty small. I imagine it wouldn't be a concern if you use a raft.

Dimensions:
63.8mm x 56.3mm x 103.1mm tall

This was inspired by nicholasclewis's photo of his glowing Gold Star here: thingiverse.com/derivative:4360 . It really made me want to design a glowing, pointy, handheld object, especially since most of my designs aren't really meant to be handled. So, this is the result!

Thing10 is printed in two identical halves, which can be glued together to form a rough sphere, or enjoyed on their own. The printed half is vaguely reminiscent of the Sydney Opera House crossed with a sea urchin. I may have gotten carried away with the pointiness.

The walls are designed to be a single filament wide. I use 0.3mm layers, with width/thickness ratio of 2.0, giving a wall width of 0.6mm. If your wall width is different, you may want to scale the STL file. You probably want to preview the build in software, like with Skeinlayer in Skeinforge. In general, Skeinforge seems to be pretty finicky with very thin walls. I suggest printing multiple copies at the same time, like 2 or 4, to allow some cooling, since it is a very quick print.

If you are having trouble printing Thing10 at the default size, you could try scaling it up 2x (or whatever gives you double filament walls). I plan to try this soon since a big one would let you see the details better.

As for the glowing, options include fluorescent or glow-in-the-dark filament, or those types of paint applied afterwards. I designed Thing10 so it could be painted from the bottom (when printed in clear PLA), so that you don't rub off paint when playing with it. I used this technique with some glow-in-the-dark paint for the green one in the picture. The blue one is Ultimachine's translucent blue PLA. Obviously it is much easier to paint the two halves before gluing them together.

Dimensions:
Thing 10: 35.7mm diameter x 15.66mm tall (each half)
Thing 10b: 71.4mm diameter x 31.31mm tall (each half)

Update 5-09-2011:

I printed it out at double the size and it is much more impressive. I've uploaded Thing10b.stl which is just the original file linearly scaled by 2x. I recommend this larger version, and it is still pretty quick to print.

Here is a tower-like thing. That extra support thing kind of looks like a leg. In fact, it almost looks like the whole thing is crawling through that hole in the wall.

This one gave me a lot of trouble printing, mostly in the transition area from the "trunk" to the "top". Even though the overhang is only 45 degrees, I have been getting a lot of drooping printing in PLA. I think I just need more airflow to cool it. I would expect fewer problems in ABS.

In addition to Thing9, I made Thing9Top to experiment with printing that feature. It doesn't look bad on its own, so I'm including it below.

Dimensions:
Thing9: 59.2mm x 57.6mm x 102.6mm tall
Thing9Top: 26.0mm x 26.0mm x 57.1mm tall

I did learn two interesting things about my printer (RapMan 3.0) from multiple attempts at printing this, both pretty obvious in hindsight.

Printing Thing9Top gave different results, in the same areas, than Thing9, just due to the height above the print plate. When the print head is low, the air from the fan blows down and across the plate, cooling the print well. When the head is high, like near the top of Thing9, the RapMan's fan produces much less horizontal airflow.

Also, since the fan is positioned on one side of the extruder, cooling is much greater on that side. The "spokes" on that side turned out perfect, while those on the opposite side drooped. I saw the same effect previously while printing a dodecahedron, but didn't figure out why.

These effects don't matter if you don't use a fan while printing, but I thought it would be worth mentioning them for the few that do. Also, it is easier to blame my printer than the 3D model ;).

This is a longer version of the Snake, even more fun and bendy than the original. It's too large to fit on a Makerbot or ToM, so you will need something like a RapMan or RepRap to print it. Or you could chop it in half and print in two parts.

There are two versions. The default LongSnake is designed to have a center core section that is two filament widths thick. LongSnakeThin has a thinner, single filament thick center, so it's more flexible as a result. I recommend the thin version for PLA, at least. Both are oriented diagonally on the printbed to fit nicer.

Dimensions:
LongSnake: 137.4mm x 137.4mm x 11.1mm tall (190mm long)
LongSnakeThin: 144.3mm x 144.2mm x 11.7mm tall (199.5mm long)

The thin version is slightly larger because Skeinforge was giving me trouble. I have been printing with 0.3mm layers and 2.0 width/thickness, so increasing the center thickness to just slightly over 0.6mm helped a lot.

EDIT Dec 3, 2011: Added Balloon v2 file, with some minor changes to improve slicing with skeinforge. I had the best results when I turned infill off completely. I recommend you review the layers with strings before printing, to make sure the extruder doesn't start/stop in mid-air.

This thing is based on the experiment with strings that I did with Thing8. It is inspired by tc_fea's excellent Fractal Tree 2 ( thingiverse.com/thing:4340 ). I had shown the printed model of his tree to someone and they asked if it was a balloon. So I thought I'd see what kind of balloon I could make. I am very happy with the end result!

This is a very challenging print. The two times that I've printed the balloon part, a few of the strings failed to make it across the gap. It might take a lot of experimenting to get a perfect print, but it still looks good with a few broken strings.

UPDATE: It turns out it was an issue with the way skeinforge was slicing the STL. I've included a version 2 file below which seems to work better, at least if you turn off infill.

The gondola is printed on its side to create the eight strings that support it hanging from the balloon. It is also oriented at 45 degrees on the build plane so that the topmost wall is more easily bridged, because Skeinforge defaults to 45 degree infill.

Amazingly, those 8 thin strings are enough to support the weight of the balloon, as you can see in the photos.

This was printed on a RapMan 3.0 in black UltiMachine PLA.

(Alternate name: Articulated Python)

When I was little, I had a wooden snake just like this (but better). The cutouts allow it to bend. So I thought I'd print out something similar to see if it would work.

In PLA it is kinda stiff. A more flexible material would probably be better.

I made the snake short so that it would fit on a Makerbot, so it came out kinda chubby. It could actually be a little bit longer and still fit. At some point I will design and post a longer version for RapMan/Mendel sized beds. Or maybe a modular snake!

Oh and the STL has some weird stuff on the edges of the nose, but it doesn't seem to hurt anything when printing.

Dimensions: 80.2mm x 80.2mm x 11.3mm tall
(It is printed diagonally, the snake itself is around 110mm long)

EDIT (Feb 11, 2011)

I've included an alternate file, SnakeThin.STL. This version has a thinner core that should be only a single layer thick. It ends up being much more flexible. Skeinforge kept giving me trouble with the core so I scaled up the model slightly.

SnakeThin dimensions: 84mm x 84mm x 11.7mm tall

This one has a really nice star shaped base. And a lot of strings! The droopier one reminds me of a spider web. If not for the hole in the base it could be a decent pen/pencil holder.

This Thing was designed with the filament's tendency to droop in mind. Those thin rings in the model should print as single sagging filaments. I designed and printed with 0.3mm layers, but I imagine a little bit larger or smaller should work.

The first print I did was white PLA at 205 degrees. It drooped a little more than I wanted, so I printed it again at 190 degrees. But that one didn't droop at all! I think both look nice. I will have to try again at around 200 degrees though.

I am not sure how much it will droop in ABS, give it a try. Make sure to turn support off!

Dimensions:
77.5mm x 73.8mm x 81.6mm tall

Reminiscent of a lotus flower or maybe an artichoke. Due to its delicate nature, it is purely decorative.

More than anything else I've printed, this one was really mesmerizing to watch print.

When printing, try to eliminate oozing and strings through software as much as possible. Be careful when cleaning up any remaining strings. The second set of petals is especially fragile.

Dimensions:
Thing7:      87.5mm x 87.5mm x 63.5mm tall
Thing7Small: 70mm x 70mm x 50.8mm tall

This thing looks like it could be a distant relative of Thing1. It's not entirely clear how it would walk around; maybe it prefers standing still.

Thing6-Short is a shorter version (it is just Thing6 with the bottom 20 legs [toes?] cut off, but don't tell it). I haven't printed it yet but it looks sorta interesting.

Dimensions:
Thing6          72.8mm x 70.7mm x 113.1mm tall
Thing6-Short  66.8mm x 60.0mm x 85.1mm tall

This thing is the result of semi-randomly placing 3mm beams and posts. It could almost be some kind of weird city.

There are a couple of unsupported spots, but you could just pretend the resulting strings are power lines or something.

Dimensions: 60.1mm x 60.1mm x 40.3mm

This is possibly some sort of vase or jug. The five things on the outside kinda remind me of tentacles.

To increase your chances of printing this watertight, you could try increasing the extrusion rate (RPM). At best I've only been able to print this "almost watertight"; it usually leaks around the bottom.

Dimensions:
89.6mm diameter x 100.8mm tall

This thing can probably be used as a toothbrush holder. The four holes might be a little small for some toothbrushes, but you could use the larger center hole. Or try the included large version.

It also makes a decent base for Thing2. If you flip it upside-down, it can be a cool looking base/support for something, like a glass of water.

Dimensions:
Small   60.0mm diameter x 79.3mm tall
Regular 75.0mm diameter x 99.1mm tall
Large   90.0mm diameter x 119.0mm tall

Here's another thing, my first attempt at a tower. The columns on the second level are a little too close together but it still comes out pretty nice. It is just under 130mm tall so it should be possible on a MakerBot. A large size is also included, in case you're feeling ambitious!

Dimensions:
Regular 60.0mm x 52.7mm x 129.7mm tall
Large   84.0mm x 73.7mm x 181.5mm tall

I was playing around in Alibre Design and came up with this thing. I think it might be an eyeball monster. I've included small and big version STLs as well.

I tried to color part of the eye using a blue sharpie but it bled horizontally because of the layers. So I ended up just coloring the whole thing :). Maybe paint would work better?

Dimensions:
Small   37.5mm x 34.0mm x 47.1mm tall
Regular 50.0mm x 45.3mm x 62.8mm tall
Large   75.0mm x 67.0mm x 94.1mm tall