Dual Gyroid

thingiverse

The gyroid, a periodic minimal surface discovered in the '70s, is a popular choice for showcasing powder printers. Surprisingly, these intricate structures with overhangs and bridges print well on a Makerbot as long as they are small-scale and require no support. During the Seattle Mini Makerfaire, I printed dualstrusion gyroids on my Replicator in just 30 minutes, also including single color versions. Gyroids can be stacked in three dimensions to form continuous surfaces. Although the dualstrusion version needs minor knife work due to ooze from the Replicator's PLA, only a small overhanging point requires removal. I created this shape using Matlab's gyroid.m and an STL-writing tool, then adjusted it in OpenSCAD as intermediates (GyroidThin, Thick, Half) for further customization.