Cardinal - Stained Glass Suncatcher

thingiverse

A creative way to showcase 3D printing and add some decorative flair to your windows! Print the outline in black or a dark metallic-looking filament, then print the "stained glass" with various translucent filament colors. Material: PLA seems to hold up well after a year of being exposed to direct sunlight in a hot climate without any detectable color fade. PETG works just as well too. Printing Tips: - Infill: Experiment with different infill patterns and percentages to create unique effects. For this example, I used 100% infill. - Layer height - I found that using a 0.3mm layer height produces clearer results than a 0.2mm layer height; try experimenting for different looks. I also used three perimeters and three top and bottom layers. - Scale the z-height to generate different material thicknesses of the stained glass panels, creating various shades of colors (try anywhere between 50% and 150%). Assembly and Finishing: No glue is needed as the parts normally snap into place; if necessary, tap on the parts with the back of a screwdriver. Occasionally, you may need to use the end of a slotted screwdriver and a small tap to seat all corners and edges properly. Use thin fishing line and a suction cup to complete the project! An extra tip: Sometimes the back (top when printing) of the "stained glass" panels can appear stringy-looking - try using a heat gun after assembly for a quick clean-up.