Dork Helmet's Planet Blaster

thingiverse

## Update (Jan 9, 2019) Uploaded a two-part version of the model, tailored specifically for Maker Select Mini, Makerbot, and other printers that cannot print the full height design. Note that there's zero clearance between the pipe and the body, so you'll likely need to sand both surfaces to achieve a smooth fit. The sanding process should help roughen up the surface area, ensuring better glue adhesion. ## Dork Helmet's Planet Blaster This spacecraft is designed to take you on an intergalactic journey to the farthest reaches of the universe. The planet blaster takes a standard 14mm bowl. Hot gas drawn from the bowl flows down to the base of the water chamber, where it diffuses through numerous small holes to facilitate cooling. A sectioned STL file is included for previewing in Thingiview to better understand this process. ## Recommended Print Settings: To ensure a watertight print, calibrate your extrusion rate first. I recommend printing a test print and weighing it with an accurate scale to compare the weight against what your slicer says it should be. If you're printing one of these, you likely have a suitable scale available in your home. I print these using PLA, then bake them in the oven for 1 hour at 180F to anneal the plastic. This increases the strength, temperature resistance, and water-tightness of the print. PETG also works, but stringing is nearly impossible to remove from inside the water chamber unless you pause the print to clean it out, which can be frustrating. Printing with ABS is probably not a good idea either. Here are my recommended print settings: - No supports - 0.2mm layer height - 25% rectilinear infill - 5 bottom layers - 5 top layers - 3 outer perimeters with a 0.5mm nozzle, 4 perimeters with a 0.4mm nozzle - Extrusion width = nozzle diameter + 0.05mm - 105% extrusion multiplier - Extruder temperature set to the upper end of the filament's temperature range. I use generic PLA filament at 220C. With these settings, the planet blaster requires 150-170g of plastic. ## Keep Your Planet Blaster Clean! Lots of people will tell you that 3D printed designs like this are a bad idea due to potential health risks - and they're right. To clean and sanitize your planet blaster, fill it with warm water + dishwasher detergent and let it soak overnight. This will break down built-up residue and kill any critters that might grow in the print. Drain and rinse well with fresh water when you're done. ## Legality Depending on where you are, there may be laws restricting the use or possession of planet blasters. Make sure you know your rights and stay out of trouble. Additionally, the planet blaster bears a resemblance to another well-known science fiction space-object, and its copyright owners likely won't approve of planet blasters being sold for profit. That's why I'm providing this design under a -NC license.