First Thin-Layer Design (2009) - Remix/Test of Print Flat-Roll Heptagonal Column

thingiverse

In 2009, Mathieu Glachant (syvwlch) posted the first thin-layer design on the Thingiverse, as well as several other firsts*. As he describes it, "This rests on the notion (or hope?) that if you print something sufficiently thin, it will bend without snapping." At the time, he did not have a 3D printer, and it appears no one has ever finished, printed, and tested his prototype design, or least never posted a make of it. So, I "pushed-pulled" the "flat underside" to add a "minimum thickness" one-layer (0.2mm) base to the original model. And, I changed the first-layer fill-angle from 45° to 90° to make it the "most elastic (normally parallel to the direction is which the plastic is laid)" as later recommended by an Anonymous user (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:487/comments). This latter recommendation shows a advanced understanding of print layering, especially for a then-emerging technology like 3D printers. The uploaded STL file is the modified model I printed. Overall, it printed well, and most importantly, it folded as Mathieu envisioned and designed. The edges are a bit more rounded than expected, which leaves very small gaps between the folds on top and bottom. If you're interested in thin-layer design, see my collection of exemplar things in my [Design: Thin-Layer Collection](https://www.thingiverse.com/antonaccid/collections/36824383/things). Some special properties of thin-layer things include: flexible (i.e., bend, fold, roll), stretchable, light weight, transparent especially with translucent filaments, heat-and-bend into complex shapes, static adhesion. Combining thin-layers with thin-walls (e.g., grids, patterns) can make things that are even more flexible, and printing thin-designs with flexible filaments, such as TPU, enables us to design new things not possible with more rigid filaments. *Some of Mathieu's other firsts include: - Architectural structure: Gothic Nave Section (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:139) - Remix combining two exsiting things: Birdhouse Variant - Suction Cups to Affix to Window (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:208) - Topologically-generated design: Icosahedron Experiment (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:418) <br> - - - - - I reviewed the very early Thingiverse, noting firsts, developments, trends (e.g., first thing, stl file, toy, supports, print-in-place, etc). If you're interested, I've organized my findings into a [First-Year of the Thingiverse](https://www.thingiverse.com/antonaccid/collections/39887127/things) collection. For each included thing, I also posted a Comment describing its significance.