The original Thingiverse object I choose, which is linked below the picture of the 3D print, is a remote control holder that was created by the user Niverson. The 3D model is designed to simply hold a Roku TV remote control and be attached to the wall using a screw or nail. I decided on this object from Thingiverse because I often find myself losing small objects like my tv remote and AirPods when I’m in my room and saw this as the perfect opportunity to adjust it to my own needs.
To improve this design I started by adding an extra pocket to hold other devices, such as AirPods. I also adjusted the hole for the nail to make it easier to hang up. Lastly, I decided to also scale the model up just a tad to make it more versatile and allow for it to hold other electronics or remotes that may be bigger.
3D View of my First Iterations:
F|F Iterations
Original Thingiverse created by Niverson:
This is the original design that the user Niverson on Thingiverse created with no modifications or adjustments.
Remixed Thingiverse:
This is my remixed version of Niversons design, I simply adjusted it so that the back wasn’t rounded that way it would fit better to the wall. I also adjusted the original design by adding a ledge so that it could hold more things, such as Airpods. Additionally, I set the infill to 25% instead of the original 10%, which seemed to help make it more sturdy and reliable than the initial print. Despite making my version more sturdy and better fixed to the wall, I didn’t scale it correctly which caused the ledge to be virtually useless since only very tiny things can fit in it. Overall, I learned a lot from this print including that I need to scale my designs and pay more attention to dimensions before printing.
3D View of Final Iterations:
Final Print:
After my first print with my original iterations, I realized that I was going to have to make some adjustments to the scale of the model. In order to do this, I found the dimensions of a Roku remote and Airpod Pro case online and then drew a few models to better visualize what adjustments I was going to have to make in Tinkercad. In the end, I also decided to add two extra millimeters throughout the whole design for some extra space in case you wanted to use it to hold more things. All in all, this project was a big challenge for me in that it pushed me to learn more about 3D printing and that you don’t always get it right on the first try.
The object I would like to make to demonstrate form and function is this cotton swab and cotton pad container. The purpose of this is to effectively organize those items and either leave the out on your counter or be able to store them away or travel with them using the lid. It is perfectly fitted for the round pads and contains small compartments to fit in a bunch of swabs.
Some personalizations I would like to make in order to make it more usable for me would be to lessen the amount of compartments. By making only 3 compartments it would give me more space to fit something other than just cotton swabs that may be bigger like makeup brushes. Another personalization I could make would be to make the base of it wider. The original design is just under 119 cm wide. If I made it 123cm I think that would be enough to give more space to fit other things, all while keeping the spot for the cotton pads the same size.
F|F Iterations
This is my original print of the un-altered cotton swab and q-tip holder by Syzguru11 on Thingiverse. This print took about 7 hours and came out great. In my sketches I mentioned wanting to get rid of some of the walls that section it off but after seeing this first print I decided to focus on just removing the lid and the lip at the bottom of the front opening.
After seeing the original print I decided I wanted to remove the small lip from the bottom of opening in the front. I thought this would be a good idea since having that there may make it more difficult when trying to get out the last cotton pad. Finally, I decided to remove the lid seeing as it was not very useful and for myself it did not seem to serve a purpose.
Here is my Tinkercad design with the removed lip using a box hole and the removed lid with a box hole over it as well.
If I had more time to test out more versions of this print I would try to take out some of the walls that make the compartments but when I tried to do that originally, I could not figure out how to properly cover the wall with a hole without messing up anything else in the process.
This was when I was trying to figure out how to cover the walls. It is complicated due to the the rounded walls on both sides. I am sure there is a way to do this but I could not figure it our in time to make a print of it.Here is where I finally was able to semi cover the walls the way I wanted to without creating a hole at the bottom or being destructive to any other part of the design except for the two walls. Unfortunately when I printed this the printer ran out of PLA and was not able to complete the Thing. From what I could tell I was able to remove most of the wall successfully.
As you can see the lip was removed but not in the best way. It was hard for me to tell how it would turn out on Tinkercad but obviously this still works and I think was a beneficial change.
Overall, the process of remixing and reworking this print was really fun and I learned a lot about Tinkercad. I wish that I had more time to reprint my last version without the walls but either way I think my final print was good enough and it has already been extremely useful!
The image above is a model of an engineering stencil ruler designed by @JojodaHobo. It allows individuals to plot straight lines on paper and trace other precise geometric shapes. It is an essential tool for engineers, architects, and individuals who simply want to add precision to their sketches. There is a multitude of shapes cut out of the filament, allowing creators to make a perfect circle or right triangle, among other designs. It is a simple and common object that is extremely useful to designers of all different backgrounds.
Personalizations and Improvements:
The image above represents how I envision modifying the existing object. Although I want the height and the length to stay the same, I would like to increase the ruler’s width from 1mm to 2mm. This would make the object much more sturdy and durable. I also would like to remove some of the original geometric stencil shapes, and replace them with shapes that are more tailored to my design tendencies. Overall, I was pleased with the majority of the original design elements, but my desired modifications will make this an even more practical tool.
Form|Function Iterations
Original Thingiverse Object:
Pictured below is a 3D print of the original Thingiverse object, attributed to @JojodaHobo. This print contains no personal alterations or modifications. Because the ruler only has a thickness of 1mm, it is very flimsy.
Iteration Process:
At first, I was quite intimidated by the thought of adding my own modifications to this ruler. I was uncertain on how I would go about filling the stencil shapes that exist in the original design, in order to implement my personalized stencil shapes. Below is a time-lapse video that demonstrates how I designed my Tinkercad remix. The entirety of the process took roughly 45 minutes.
Posted below is a 3D view of my completed Tinkercad remix.
The pictures below are of Tinkercad designs that I incorporated into my iteration. The lightning bolt was designed by @blaise-miranda and the high contrast squiggles were designed by @Annie-Sullivan. I transferred both of the shapes into my workplace and then transformed them into holes, in order to create two separate stencils on the ruler.
Functionality:
In the video below, I demonstrate the functionality of the object that I remixed.
Overall I was very pleased with how my iteration turned out. By increasing the original ruler’s thickness from 1mm to 2mm, the durability was clearly improved. I also increased its personal functionality by adding personalized stencils that will provide me with greater design benefits.
I only ran into a few slight problems. When removing the base filament from the ruler, it made the primary straight edge a little jagged. Normally this would not be a problem, but because one of the sole benefits of using a ruler is having a smooth straight edge, it created a slight drawback. In order to overcome this inconvenience, I merely had to sand it down. The only other issue that I had was that the numbers and marks on the ruler showed up very faintly.
Iteration #2:
After spending a few days using the first iteration I created, I realized that the problems that I initially identified upon the completion of the print were going to require me to complete a second iteration. The two primary problems I had were these: it was a little too thick, which prevented me from using some of the stencils with a pen, and the straight edge was jagged because of the raft that was printed with it.
To solve these problems, I decided to decrease the height of the ruler from 2mm to 1.5mm and remove the raft from the print settings in Ultimaker Cura.
I also wanted to address the comments and critiques that I received from my classmates, which mainly emphasized the lack of numerical markers and measurement lines.
In the slideshow above, I demonstrate the modifications I made to my initial iteration. As stated above, the most significant changes I made include the addition of number shapes provided in Tinkercad, measurement lines made from rectangle blocks, and a decrease in height.
Although the height change made all of the stencils usable, while simultaneously maintaining its durability, I created a completely new problem in this iteration. Upon closer look, one can see that the rectangle boxes that I converted to holes, in order to create measurement lines, ended up creating divots in the ruler’s straight edge.
Final Iteration
These pictures are of my final ruler iteration. Although I was able to eliminate the divots that were previously present, I ran into a new problem. As pictured below, the squiggle stencil did not print properly due to a printer malfunction.
Conclusion
After completing 3 different iterations of the ruler, I was still not able to make the perfect print. This was in part due to time constraints out of my control and printer inadequacies.
Overall I am not disappointed, as I was able to sand down the rugged edges of the first ruler that I printed to optimize its functionality. Although I cannot easily use all of its stencils and it has very faint measurement markings, it serves its main goal perfectly–allowing me to draw a straight line!
If my final iteration had not been messed up by the printer malfunction, it definitely would have been the best of all three iterations. Not only was the straight edge smooth, but it also had clear numerical markings and measurement lines. Below is a picture of the printer settings I used to print the ruler. Hopefully I can find time to fully ‘straighten’ any remains problems out.
The original concept is made for a simple headphone stand. The legs are meant to balance out the weight from the arching top point that hovers over the center of the piece. The piece is meant to serve as a stand for gamers or anyone that requires headphones in general. A stand is essential for tidying up a desk space. This particular stand creates a balance from the top to the bottom so that it does not tip over, this will be challenge to uphold in changing the original design.
As you can see, the model does not fit within the boundaries of the plane, so I will need to downsize it slightly.
Potential Personalizations/Improvements
The overall size needs to be smaller. In addition, the divot at the top where the headphones rest needs work. I look to improve that by creating a much more definitive arch that would prevent the headphones from coming off the stand as easily. Something that I would also like to include is an optional piece that allows for cord management if users had cords to deal with. The piece could be a clip that is easy access on the side. The major challenges with each of the improvements will be curvature. I will need to learn what will be acceptable for printing and what will ultimately need to change so the overall design will work.
F|F Iterations:
For my initial approach to this print, I chose to print the original that I first saw on Thingiverse by @makerbot. The original unfortunately was meant for a larger printer than we have access to in the labs. So I ultimately had to scale the size down a bit. If scaling down wasn’t a factor, this piece turned out really well.
Moving forward from the initial design, I chose to print a remix by @N3D_printing. In this remix there are three parts to the design and each one snaps into the other. In the pictures above you can see the three initial pieces along with different views of the top piece.
In addition to trying the new print, I tried different variations of the top piece with my alterations. All pieces were full scale, printed to specifications of the creator, besides my alterations for a deeper headphone rest and a cord management clip.
The largest factor in the most recent print was the height requirement being tall enough for the headphones. In print 1, I downsized for a difference in printers. In print two, I tried to attempt a different remix that made it so I would be able to piece the components together. The main points that went wrong were the sizing on the pieces compared to the hole In which the piece is supposed to connect to. None of them would snap in correctly. As a result, I ended up sanding the snap in pieces down to just super glue it together for now. One thing that did work was the more definitive arch in the top. It printed differently than anticipated, but still stayed balanced. The other modification technically worked, but not as planned. The original had the issue of size, but the remix had many more issues with structure. I will be changing and reworking ideas to maybe mesh the two together for the final. As far as my specific iterations, I now understand what will work and what isn’t plausible.
F|F Final Print and Reflection:
For my final I chose to return to the original Thingiverse creation by @makerbot . I chose to do this because the remix had a great idea, however the amount of modifications took too much time for my situation.
My modifications stayed relatively the same, the arch had no change. The clip however, I moved down and around toward the back. I did this because the cords for headphones are usually placed on the bottom of headphones so with the chosen placement, it pulls the cord up and out of the way; Far more accessible than the last iteration.
I’m a firm believer in nothing is perfect and there is always room for improvement. So, this is my final I will be going with, but there is definitely room for improvement if given the chance in the future. I learned a lot from start to finish!
This image from Thingiverse is of a 3D printed bottle opener. It is used to manually open glass bottles with metal caps. The small size of this bottle opener makes it convenient to travel with, as it can be made to go onto a keychain, or can simply fit right into your pocket. The bottle opener has a unique feature with a hole for your finger so the opener can be easily maneuvered to remove the bottle cap. The other side of the opener has a hooked end that goes over the bottle cap and applies pressure on it for removal. The image above displays how your hand can fit into the bottle opener and how it is used.
Potential improvements I might make to this bottle opener would be to add a second hole for the middle finger. I think the addition of this hole will allow for more pressure to be used to open the bottle with even more ease. It also increase the stability you would have on the bottle when opening it. I increased the length of the bottle opener slightly to accommodate for the second hole. For a personalized touch, I would add a very small hole at the top of the bottle opener to allow for it to be placed on a keychain.
F|F Iterations
The creator of this model of a 3D bottle opener is Mark Manger.
After printing the original model and testing its functionality alone, I found that my initial remix concept to add an additional finger hole made it more difficult to open a bottle rather than less. The curved open end that follows the first finger hole on the original model allows for more pressure to be exerted on the opener. That extra pressure is needed to force the cap off of the bottle. The length and infill of the remix needed to be altered more for the iteration to work properly. While the double finger hole might not have worked, I did add some additional features to the original bottle opener. I glued a coin onto the bottle opener end of the model to provide a better anchor to lift the edge of the bottle cap. I also added a keychain to the petite hole at the top of the bottle opener by expanding the hole slightly.
Final Print
For my final print of this model, I decided to re-do my original iterations with a few added changes. My original idea to add an extra finger hole was not successful at first. However, I altered the length of the bottle opener to be slightly longer and I fixed the positioning of the extra hole on Tinkercad. I downloaded the final remix as an STL file and I was able to print a working model with a larger infill of 30. These added alterations allowed my final print to function successfully. I glued a coin onto the end of the final print just like the original model.
This is a model of a COVID resistant door opener. The main purpose of this object is to use this item as an alternative way to open doors without having to physically touch the surface of a door knob or lock. The angled hook is designed to be able to push up or down on a door handles in public spaces while the circular section of the object is to place your fingers through to allow you to pull open any doors or entrances. The square shaped fragment on the opposite end on the hook is used to push against objects you don’t want to make contact with like elevator buttons or doorbells. There is also a small hole at the end of the object to hang off of a keychain or lanyard.
Personalizations/Improvements
One personalization I made was to widen the hole used for a key chain or a key ring so that this object could fit into many different sized key chain holders. Another change was to add in little divided spaces for fingers so that the grip is more comfortable and doesn’t slip from the person’s grasp. I also added in a smaller hook so that it can be used to turn/twist smaller locks on doors. Overall the my main improvements would be to add on elements that make the object more comfortable and versatile to use.
Before seeing the physical 3D print of the door opener my iterations at first was to make the handle longer so that more fingers would comfortably fit in the hole, to add in finger dividers in the handle for a more comfortable grip, to make a smaller hook where the button pusher would be for unlocking doors, and to make a larger hole for more keychains to be able to fit in it. After finally printing out the door opener I found that the thickness of the object made it impossible for any keychain to fit through as I tired to fit it on my own key hook and was unable to do so. I also found that the thickness of the object made it too big to really hang on a keychain as well so I definitely wanted to change that. I saw that the button pusher on the opposite side of the hook was very small and was too short to successfully do its job. After trying out the door opener as well I found that the grip wasn’t as comfortable due to how thick it was. From all of these elements I also was able to come to the conclusion that the adding in another hook to unlock doors was unnecessary as well.
My final iterations that I made on the door opener had changed compared to my first draft of iterations. I first made the object thinner (7mm rather than 15mm), I pulled out the button pusher on the opposite side of the hook so that it was a lot longer than the original object, I slimmed down the object so that it was longer and less squished to make a little more room for fingers to fit in the handle, I also added in finger dividers for a better grip. After trying out the object again I found that slimming the door opener down and making it thinner made the object more efficient as it was easier to maintain as well as was effortless to keep on a keychain comfortably. Elongating the button pusher also made the aim more precise and unchallenging to spot. I also found that adding making the handle longer and adding in finger dividers made the grip much more snug and smooth to use.
F|F Final Print and Reflection
This is my F|F final print of the door opener made originally by mr_walker on Thingiverse. The remixes I finalized on this object was making the thickness of the object much thinner, creating finger dividers for a better grip, and making the button pusher longer as well as sharper for a more precise aim.
Before & After:
Reflection:
The overall process to reach this final print took a couple of trial and error prints before reaching the final remix of the object. Each print brought me closer to the final product so the process in total took some time but was exponentially improving after every step. Although the object was a very solid, well made door opener there were still small improvements that could be made to make it most ideal.
After making my first couple of iterations I was able to draw conclusions from those remixes and ultimately find the final changes that needed to be done to this object. I originally made the object thinner than the original (from 15mm to 7mm) but then found that the object was slightly too thin so for my final remix I made the thickness 8mm instead. The 8mm was a comfortable middle ground between the other two sizes. After using the original door opener I then printed the first remix with finger dividers for a more comfortable grip. After comparing the original that didn’t have finger dividers with the new remix I personally found that I preferred the object with the finger grip as it was more convenient for me to use. The last iteration I decided to add was to make the button pusher more angular so that it could hit smaller more precise button easily. I found that with the original object it was harder to get a concise aim at smaller buttons. The final step I took was changing the print settings when printing my final door opener. I changed the infill density from 20% to 40% and changed the infill pattern to tri-hexagon because both of these elements create a stronger product especially due to the fact that the door opener is thin.
Overall I’m very happy with the final product and can’t wait to hang it on my keychain.
The image above is an original 3D print found on Thingiverse. It is designed to be stuck to the wall in order to hold a Roku remote in a convenient location. Theres a hole in the back for the the holder to be nailed into the wall. I chose this design because I always find myself losing my Roku remote so it’d be convenient to have a holster in my room. In addition, I thought this would be a beneficial yet simple creation for my first print.
Iteration Concept Sketch:
After looking into some changes and improvements I could possibly make I decided to extend the height of the holster. In one of the same images the creator provided the remote didn’t look very secure do to the front wall being too short. Next, I decided to remove the back nail hole and use stick on holders on the back of the holster to avoid damaging the wall with nail holes.
After completing the print I realized the hight of the holder was a little short and it felt like the remote could potentially fall out so in my remix I will attempt to increase the height slightly to ensure I wont over lap the buttons. In addition, I was advised to switch 3D printers due to the prints coming out in poor quality.
My Remix:
After increasing the height and using a different printer I was much more satisfied with the effectiveness of the holder and the overall quality. The print was much less flimsy and the print came out much crispier. As for the height change, the remote feels much more stabilized and fits perfectly to my liking. Coincidentally when I switched from the Ultimaker 3 to the Ultimaker 2 extended+, the color of the print was purple fitting the colors of the Roku logo.
Video Demonstration of remote holder in use:
Before and After Iteration changes (use slider to move between before and after):
Final Reflection
After completing my final iteration I’m satisfied with the outcome. After putting the holder to use, I can confidently say that increasing the height also increased the stability of the holder. After doing some testing I decided to stick with the nail hole to ensure the holder stays completely secure to the wall which is definitely the smarter option in the long run. Lastly, I believe my changes improved the aesthetic of the holder as well, the final iteration looks sleek and better quality. Overall, I enjoyed working on this project and I believe my final print will become very helpful when keeping track of my remote.
This is a 3D printed plant pot. The purpose of this object is to hold small plants such as flowers or succulents. There are two deep cut-outs that allow space for both the plant and the dirt that it requires in order to grow. The object includes mini stairs for an aesthetic look. This object also allows for the owner to place not one, but two different kinds of plants within the object, which would provide for a more aesthetically pleasing look.
Personalizations & Improvements
I really love the design of this object and I think that aesthetically it looks really good. One improvement that I think would really help would be the addition of small holes in the middle wall. This would allow for even distribution of water and allow for wiggle room, should you over water one of the plants. The small holes would give you the added luxury of only having to water one side. Another change I made was that I made the object 25% smaller. I thought that this would be beneficial in regards to printing time and it would make the object that much more versatile, you could put it in so many small places! Lastly, I made an aesthetic change, I thought the pot might look more cohesive and interesting if the first set of stairs went into the object itself.
F|F Iterations
Original Object by @AndresQuijas on Thingiverse
Tinkercad Iterations
3D Print Iterations
I found this process so exciting and interesting! I began with printing the original object, but when I put it in Cura it was going to take a day and a half to print. After talking with Dr. Hooker I decided to scale it down by 50% with a .2 layer height and 5% infill. With this, I was able to cut down the time it would take to print by a lot. After printing the first print, I realized that it came out with a bottom piece part attached to it. I wasn’t really too fond of the way it looked and also thought it would add to the print time. The next day when I went to print my object with iterations, I realized that the different printer I was using printed even faster! As it printed I watched and I found that the printer I switched to did not add that bottom piece, which I think works better for the object aesthetically.
When I was adding iterations in Tinkercad I worried my iterations would be uneven, but eventually, I got it down. When I printed the second object, it came out perfect. I did end up making what I would call a “happy mistake”. When I printed the altered object, the holes weren’t completely hollow, but I actually liked the way it looked a lot better. I also think that it would function better for plants. This way the water can seep through slowly if you over water one side and it also makes the holes in the object more discrete. In addition to this, I really liked the way the object looked without the third set of stairs and the extension of the lower crevis.
F|F Final Print & Reflection
This is my final remix of AndresQuijas flower pot, more about my remix can be found on Thingiverse.
Reflection
Throughout the process of working on this project, I have been able to learn so much about 3D printing that I never knew before. I started out feeling discouraged when I realized that the specific flower pot I chose to print would take a day and a half to print. With help from Professor Hooker, I was able to adjust aspects of the print in order to get the printing time down. I started by adjusting the sizing by 50% with 0.2 layer height, and 5% infill. After printing the original in with those adjustments, I printed my iterations with them as well. I was content with the way my iterations came out and for my final print I wanted to make the print true to size, so I did. My final print is the actual size that the piece was supposed to be, so I was able to put actual plants in the print, which was so cool. I enjoyed seeing the print “come to life” and be put to real use. I watered the plants on one side and check the soil to see if the holes I put in were doing their job, and it worked! Through this project, I have learned that 3D printing is a big game of trial and error, so when I got to my last print and was satisfied with it, it was a really gratifying feeling.
Original design by colleeniebikini on Thingiverse.
This is the original model off of Thingiverse that I printed. Below, I will explain the flaws I found using this model.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cH_ipOZVkI
(the video file was too large to embed so I uploaded it to YouTube)
Below are my first iterations on Tinkercad & the print
In this first iteration, not only did I decide to make the model shorter and wider to open up the mouth, but I also printed it without a raft or a base of any kind which reduced my overall print time. I had no troubles with this since the object itself already has a relatively flat, stable base. However, I was still not pleased with the out come and found while my adjustments did not help with the issue of the narrow mouth- it did not totally solve the problem.
Second iteration on Tinkercad and prints:
After not being satisfied with my first iteration, I made another. I printed this one without any kind of base as well. This time around I kept the planter short and wide like my original idea, but just increased the overall size of the model. This seemed to be the sweet spot, and I finally printed a model that I was satisfied with. I am excited to use it soon!
This is my final addition to my print. I added a drainage tray to catch some of the water that comes out of the drainage hole in the planter after watering the plant. I didn’t print either of these with a base, and both turned out smooth with a nice finish thanks to their shape. Overall I didn’t run into many issues throughout the process, and achieved my goal of making the planter easier to use in the process of actually planting.
F|F Research and Concept
Above is the image of an original 3D print of a small hexagonal shaped planter. It is large enough to contain a singular small to medium sized plant and has a fun, geometric design. It has a drainage hole on the bottom to allow for proper watering of the plant. The original design narrows down at the opening of the planter, making potting a plant properly with the right amount of soil difficult.
Improvement Concepts
One improvement I wish to make upon the original planter design is to slightly shorten and widen the object. This will not only widen the base but the mouth as well, allowing for more ease when filling with soil and potting a plant.
The image above is a model of a 3D printed jewelry holder. The purpose of this object is to hold large amounts of necklaces, bracelets, rings, and other kinds of jewelry with its copious amounts of tree branches and it’s bowl at the bottom. Many people keep their jewelry in an unruly fashion: in miscellaneous bowls and on hooks that get too clogged. This model is a solution for the issue of having a disorderly system of storing jewelry, because there are a large amount of tree branches and a bowl at the bottom that can hold all of those pieces. This design is great for almost all kinds of jewelry.
Potential Personalizations/ Improvements
One improvement I wish to make is elongating the trunk size; doing this would allow for longer jewelry, such as longer necklaces, to be hung without cluttering the bottom bowl. The original design has the trunks length at 41.87mm, so I would increase that size to be around 50mm. The other adjustment I would make would be to lengthen the branch sizes in order for them to be able to hold more pieces of jewelry per branch. Both of these adjustments would allow for more jewelry and more kinds of jewelry to be stored on it.
F|F Iterations
The Creator of the 3D Tree Jewelry Holder is Rui Costa e Silva.
Below are my first iterations on Tinkercad and the print
When I printed the original design, I thought the quality of the design turned out great; the branches were not flimsy, the bowl at the bottom was sturdy, and it looked very nice. The only issue I had with the original design was that it was small and short, so I could not hang bracelets from the branches, only rings. In this first iteration, I wanted to try to solve this issue I was having with the original design. I extended the top of the tree from 83.75 mm to 98.00 mm in Tinkercad. When I did that, it made the printing process go from ~3 hours to ~13 hours, so I decided to change the layer height to .3 to bring down the time to 4 hours of printing time. What worked about my iteration was the height adjustment I made as it successfully held larger pieces of jewelry that the original print could not hold. What did not work and what I learned from printing this iteration was that with the taller branches needed to come a larger bowl, as the bowl is the base for the tree and it seemed off balance. In my next print I will handle this issue by increasing the length and width of the bowl. I also learned that changing the layer height to 0.3 took away from the integrity of the print, making it not as pleasing to the eye and also a bit more flimsy.In the future I would maintain that longer printing time in order to uphold the quality of the design. In the end, what is important is the quality of the design, and not as much the length of time it takes to print (so long as there is not a time constraint which there wasn’t in my case).
Below are my second iterations on Tinkercad and the print.
With my second iteration, I wanted to resolve the issue that my first iteration had where the base was not very sturdy so it was easily tipped over. In this iteration, i increased the length of the base bowl from 97.88mm to 106.94mm. In addition, I changed the width from 62.19mm to 68.19mm. I maintained the height that I had for my second iteration, so the new enlarged base effectively stabilizes the taller branches. With my first iteration, I tried to shorten the printing time as much as possible by using an infill density of 20% and a layer height of 0.3, and this led to the print coming out very flimsy. With this second iteration, I set the layer height to 0.2 and the infill density to 40%, and this effectively made the print much more hefty and dense, not easily knocked over. I am very pleased with the iterations I made and believe that it is now a design that works perfectly for the function I wanted to add of being able to hold larger pieces or jewelry. This iteration is the sturdiest of all of my prints (including the original design and my first iteration) and it is also the most pleasing to the eye because of sanding the branches down post-print. Other than sanding, there were no other post-print touch ups because I was satisfied with the beautiful purple color and feeling to the jewelry tree.
Reflection
Overall, my experience with printing this jewelry tree was very exhilarating and interesting. My experience with printing this object began with the first print, where I had taken a design I found on Thingiverse and printed that. It was very exciting getting to see an object on the internet, pressing a few buttons, and then have it appear before my eyes. After seeing and touching the original design with my own eyes and hands, I was then able to figure out what I could change to customize this design for my own functions, which for me included making it bigger in order to hold longer pieces of jewelry. After printing my first iteration, I got the hang of what the actual effects of infill density and layer height really meant, so I was able to adjust those in my second iteration to enhance my prints integrity. In addition, getting to see by holding and using the print itself showed me how the height in my first iteration affected the sturdiness of the jewelry tree, and so I was able to come to the conclusion of lengthening and widening the base bowl. Overall, this project made me feel more confident in my ability to use Tinkercad and understand the aspects of a 3D printed design that increase its integrity. I am excited to continue on my 3D printing journey and learn more and more about this incredible invention.
Below is a link to my Tree Jewelry Holder on Thingiverse:
