Better Than Toilet Paper in a Pandemic - a Bidet

prusaprinters

<p>-----Updated March 22nd, 2020 V1.4, new improved larger radial grips and more powerful spraying nozzle size-----</p> <p>This is a simple portable bidet that is to be attached to a standard plastic disposable bottle.</p> <p>Let’s give people in our communities one less thing to worry about! This pandemic has us all justifiably scared. In my community toilet paper and hand sanitizer were sold out before most people even believed there was a problem. A bidet can greatly reduce or even eliminate a persons need for toilet paper and with this design anyone can print a functional bidet fast and cheap anywhere. Works with PLA. Print time is as little as 78 minutes each using a 0.6mm nozzle when printing multiples.</p> <p>The bidet, to the majority of westerners is a strange and unknown device. It falls within a weird sort of cultural taboo, as evidenced by the fact that I struggle to find socially comfortable words to describe the everyday act of “going to the bathroom”. If you are not currently a bidet user, please try to restrain your skepticism. Speaking as someone who didn’t encounter a bidet before adulthood, I promise you that they are absolutely superior to using toilet paper alone.</p> <p>Quick one page how to use a bidet article:<br/> <a href="https://www.bidet.org/pages/how-to-use-a-hand-held-bidet">https://www.bidet.org/pages/how-to-use-a-hand-held-bidet</a></p> <p>Video about going toilet paper free with a portable bidet 5:31mins:<br/> <figure class="media"> <oembed url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWjJgi7QkEo"></oembed> </figure> </p> <p>I make no claim of originality with this design. Attaching a spray nozzle to a plastic bottle is obvious, countless similar devises have been manufactured over the years. Factory made portable bidets will be superior to anything we’re likely to print, but presumably they will be in short supply along with toilet paper as demand increases.</p> <p>I encourage you to print these and distribute them for profit or charity as you see fit. I know it’s not much, but I believe giving people one less thing to worry about has real value in times of uncertainty.</p> <p>I'm done working on this for the time being, lots of personal stuff to deal with, pandemic and all. I encourage you to modify and improve this design with or without my involvement. Feel free to post a link to any competing design in the comments, if I learn of any better or comparable design that is published under a similar license I will direct viewers towards it.</p> <p>I am distributing these freely in my neighborhood. I take them directly from the printer with a zipper sandwich bag and add a simple paper printed note. I'm currently leaving them in local take a book leave a book mini libraries in my neighborhood.</p> <p>I don't plan on improving this anymore unless the local demand increases.</p> <hr/> <p>There is room for improvement here, but I feel like its useful at this point</p> <p>Design Considerations:<br/> The bidet will 'sweat' a little at the layer seam locations. I've found that aligning the seam position to the rear, opposite side from the spray nozzles minimizes this best. I’d like to figure out a way to prevent this, but I assume any solution would greatly increase the print time.</p> <p>The ‘bottle cap’ seal: Currently I’m using a simple 45 degree angled cone, it prints well, but only works with considerable tightening. Some people may struggle with it. In this orientation I don’t think it’s possible for most printers to create the conventional upside-down “U” shaped channel used in bottle caps. Printing with supports leave an uneven surface and messes with the threads. One possible solution is to redesign the bidet from scratch with the intention of flipping the print orientation upside down.</p> <p>Some ideas for improvement:</p> <p>-Test different sprayer nozzle shapes and sizes</p> <p>-Test different pipe lengths and bend angles</p> <p>-Improve threads. I've learned there are two common thread sizes, this is only designed for the one disposable water bottle I happened to have.</p> <p>-Explore inverting the print orientation to allow for a better ‘bottle cap’ seal</p> <p>-Test and optimize for common 0.4mm printer nozzles</p> <p>-Try to eliminate ‘sweating’ (much better with seam position aligned)</p> <p>-Invent a 3D printed one-way air valve, to let air back into bottle more easily</p> <h3>Print instructions</h3><p>This is designed to use a 0.6mm nozzle</p> <p>Align the layer seams to the side opposite the spray holes</p> <p>The lower threaded portion and the spray nozzles should be printed at 0.15mm layer height for quality. Between 9.95mm and 105mm can be set to 0.30mm layer height for reduced print time</p> <p>2 perimeters and 15% Infill</p>