For this assignment, I was hoping to create multiple cool prints. What I didn’t know was that I needed to do a lot of tweaking, test printing, and verifications for this assignment. I had a lot of messy prints, some came out smaller than I planned, and some became Slinkys or just a pile of a mess. This project definitely gave me a learning experience.
SnowFlake Print
Out of all the prints, These ones were my favorite. It wasn’t necessarily what I was hoping for, but it still ended up looking cool. I wish there were more overhangs though. There was some spacing as you can see from the rendered model in cura. I was hoping the lines that stick out would hang a little also, but they ended up “hovering” over each other. The Snowflake design came out cool, but doesn’t appear to have anything “hanging”. I realized that I had to change my approach.
My First Trials
I loved seeing how these models looked in Rhyno which made me happy. For this one, it looked cool and it looked like DNA. I knew I shouldn’t get my hopes up about this though, as I knew that once it was printed, it was going to look nothing close to DNA as you can see.
I had other cool designs that I created but didn’t come out, so I decided not to include them in this post, as I had a lot of trial and error. I think there were multiple issues I needed to account for.
Looking Back at Class Code
I started messing with the class code examples and managed to print this object, by messing with the sliders and variables. At first, I thought it wasn’t going to print given that it started out kind of weird. I had to stay watching it making sure it didn’t clump up or start doing weird things. I decided to try a different bigger shape.
This one had its issues, but I let it print for a little longer, and it managed to come out. Towards the end, however, something happened to the shape so I had to stop it. So now I have to be careful when I hold this because it seems like I can just pull it by the strand and just pull it apart like string.
My Star Attempt
I loved the way this was coming out, it did however need help from the start, I had to make sure it was sticking to the bed so it could start forming its shape. As I left it to print for a while, I came back to the top mess. It started doing weird things and so I had to stop the print. It now looks like a star slinky.
Iterative Process
I didn’t have a set plan or use any existing examples for my design. I wanted to be creative by playing around with the code, and changing how it worked with random turns and movements. This approach allowed me to be more creative, but it was challenging because I had to figure things out as I went along.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this assignment was challenging but definitely a learning experience. I initially set out with the hope of creating multiple intriguing prints, but I quickly learned that 3D printing involves a lot of trial and error. Many of my attempts resulted in messy prints, with some coming out smaller than intended and others resembling Slinkys or just a chaotic pile of material. Despite the challenges, this project was fun and interesting.
Hello Nathaniel, I really enjoyed your presentation in class. My favorite object was the object from figure 7, the spiral print. Just how the whole piece came together over time looks really awesome. Great Work!
Thank you so much Atah, for some reason, I’m always nervous about those presentations. I wish the last parts of the print finished as planned, but you’re right, it still came out pretty cool. Thanks!
Hi Nathaniel, I really like how your snowflake and ring came out! I tried some of the spiral like structures that you did as well but I couldn’t get any interesting shapes to come out of it. The first spiral you did looks really cool, I like the solid looking edges and the stringy sides. Good work!
Thanks a lot, Michel, this assignment was tough as some of the prints didn’t come out as planned. Then again it might’ve been my fault because I went into this fully blind wanting to be “creative”. Thanks for your comments!