Excavator/Scoop

thingiverse

What's more fun than a construction toy built for construction itself? This excavator shovel features two short rod pivots on each side, enabling effortless tilt control or rigid positioning options as needed. The robust walls of the piece measure 2mm thick, guaranteeing maximum strength and durability. Printed upright with no need for a raft or supports, this model showcases excellent design efficiency. Print Settings Rafts: Doesn't Matter Supports: Doesn't Matter Resolution: Set to 0.35mm layer height with a 0.5mm nozzle for superior print quality. Infill: Utilizing a moderate 20% infill density for the optimal balance between weight and detail. Post-Printing Following the successful print, I required some manual adjustments – a quick run-around of a file to remove the remaining burs from the rod ends. The outcome? A sturdy, perfectly functional piece. How It Was Designed Starting with a solid hexagon foundation in SketchUp, I expertly sliced it in half and extruded the resulting shape to form the shovel scoop's characteristic profile. Later additions included the durable rods and precise digging teeth. Design Evolution: A Critical Iteration Process Having refined my initial designs through multiple iterations – importing key components from ThinkFun construction sets into SketchUp for critical clearance analysis – I'm pleased to say this particular iteration strikes a perfect balance between practical functionality and recognizability. An earlier, curved design variant did indeed mirror the real thing but required additional support structures during printing. The finalized, hard-edged design now proudly stands out as an attractive and efficient 3D-printed model.