Chain Mail

thingiverse

I got the idea to 3D print chain mail from a friend who's into reenacting. They know firsthand how long it takes to make metal chain mail by hand, so I figured why not let a machine do the job for me. The pattern of the links is straightforward, but designing it requires getting the links in place without any overlap. This just involved a lot of trial and error with Autodesk's spacing and angles until I found the right combination. Once I had one link connected to four others, it was just a matter of adding a base to support them and creating a linear pattern. I had to run a few test prints to figure out the optimal contact between the links and the base, as well as the necessary contact with the print bed. If I had a dual extruder, I'd print the base in PVA so that I wouldn't have to spend time cutting it away and risk breaking the links. I'd love to see someone take this design and make their own remix. Nozzle diameter: 0.3mm Material used: 3D Solutech PLA Extruder temperature: 200°C Bed temperature: 65°C