Fast-printable Inside Spool Silica Gel Container

thingiverse

**Updates** **2023-08-13** Fixed bottom slot length in `silicagelcontainer.stl`, they were too short for bridging to work properly **2023-08-15** Smoother rounding of the lid thread. Added 1mm variant and lid with more tolerance **Description** I really liked the [Inside Spool Silica Gel Container](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3222374) with hygrometer support from @Tenshe but it took very long to print. Since I wanted to print a couple of those I decided to redesign it in a way that prints *much* faster. The speed is mainly improved by using rectangular slots instead of small holes, since (FDM) printers are much faster when printing longer lines. This doesn't work well with a circular design so I made octagonal. In an attempt to improve the aesthetics I gave it a twist. Print time is also improved because no support is needed for the raised bottom in case a hygrometer compartment is included. Note that this prints relies on the bridging capabilities of the printer and the way it is sliced. It worked perfectly for me with the default settings of Cura with a layer height of `0.28`. **Variants** * `1mm` slots of 1mm for smaller silica gel crystals * `tol_25` lid with more tolerance. More tolerance might be needed if the print is less accurate, which may also happen when you print at higher speed * `no_hygro` no hygro compartment * `no_support` with hygro compartment but without embedded support **Customization** This print can be customized in the Thingiverse Customizer but I would suggest to download OpenSCAD instead because the model may be too heavy for the customizer. If you feel lucky you even may try to tweak some hidden parameters like the number of sides but this may leed to incorrect results, so do check this. OpenSCAD is really easy to install and use. Just open the design and change the parameters. When satisfied, choose Render (F6) and then export as STL (F7). The model is tested with the latest stable release (`2021.01`) but produces a somewhat better mesh with the latest development version (tested with `2023.07.24`) **Parameters** * `part` select the part to print or view * `hygro` whether or not a hygrometer-compartment should be included * `hygro_support` if `true` (default) support layers will be included (relying on bridging). Ensure that `layer_height` is correct and verify the slicer results! * `spool_width` the width of the spool (default is `66`). Extra height added by the hygrometer is accounted for * `diameter` the (outer) diameter of the container (default is `50`). Making large changes to the diameter may result in incorrect result or challenge the bridging capabilities of your printer! * `layer_height` (default `0.28`), used to generate proper support layers when `hygro` is `true`. * `pitch` the number of degrees per mm for the twist (default `0.6`). Negative values or `0` for a twist the other way around or no twist at all is supported. * `slot_width` the slot width (default is `1.8`) * `lid_tolerance` (default `0.15`). This only affects the lid, so if the lid feels too tight or too loose you just need to reprint the lid with a different tolerance setting. **Support** Support is only required when `hygro=true` and `hygro_support` is false. And even then only to support the raised bottom. **Infill** I used 20% but a lid with 0% infill was also printed perfectly, the same may apply for the container. **Lid thread** With a normal thread the lid may very easily be misaligned with the container. Therefore I created an alternative lid locking mechanism. If there are requests for a normal thread anyway I may add an option for it.