Extending and Collapsing Cylinder Generator

thingiverse

This is a highly customizable OpenSCAD program that generates a set of collapsible cylinders that can be easily printed using vase mode. The program also includes a simple "end cap" generator for making a simple prop staff similar to a traditional "jo" or "bo" staff. The end cap is designed to be press fit, allowing it to be removed if any of the cylinders break and need to be replaced. Due to the tight tolerances required for printing in vase mode without artifacts or defects, this program necessitates a printer and filament that are consistent enough to produce high-quality prints. If there are defects present, it will likely cause problems when the cylinders extend or collapse. In the program, each cylinder is generated from an iteration number, ranging from 0 to N, with 0 being the innermost cylinder and N being the outermost. To achieve optimal results, print cylinder 0 zero with around 4-8 bottom horizontal shells, and the rest of the cylinders with a single shell. The "end cap" piece should also be printed with 4-8 bottom horizontal shells. Another critical parameter to set is the extrusion width. A good starting point for this value is 0.85mm, even if you are using a 0.4mm nozzle. Additionally, make sure your extrusion multiplier is set accurately, as 1.0 is a suitable starting point for this. In practice, it may take some fine-tuning to get this program working on a specific setup. I successfully used my Prusa Mk3s with 3D Solutech PETG filament, printing at 30mm/sec (the provided .STL files are optimized for this configuration). Once you achieve proper mating between cylinders 0 and 1, the rest will also follow suit. When fine-tuning the program, focus on two key values: the adder (a) and multiplier (m). The adder determines the difference in diameter between the top and bottom of the cylinder, and should be set as small as possible but not less than the extrusion width. A good starting point for this value is 0.9mm. The multiplier determines how much the diameter of the cylinder grows with each iteration. If the cylinders don't extend enough, increase this number; if they extend too far and slip out of alignment, decrease it. It may take a few attempts to find the optimal setting, as 0.1mm of movement can make a significant difference in the overall performance of the program.