Helical hair clip

thingiverse

WORK IN PROGRESS. My wife had a broken hair clip from a popular mass-produced brand that she asked me to recreate using my 3D printer. Taking on this challenge, I set out to design a similar clip and test its printability with FDM. Despite initial doubts about the material's suitability for such a complex shape, I was determined to make it work. To achieve this, I needed to learn how to create helical sweeps in Fusion 360, which proved to be more involved than using the solid Coil tool. After watching two video tutorials, I quickly modeled my first prototype and began testing its printability. I plan to share my design file once I'm satisfied with the model's performance. For now, this is just a first prototype that needs some tweaks. Initially, I attempted to print it horizontally using automatic supports in PrusaSlicer, but the small parts on top of the supports failed to stay intact. Undeterred, I tried printing it vertically with a brim and was pleased to see it work relatively well. However, I did encounter some issues during this process. The print took about 30 minutes, and it started to stick to the nozzle, causing it to wave around towards the end of the print. Despite these challenges, it managed to finish without completely failing. My next step is to add manual support structures around the clip for vertical printing and attempt to print at least four clips at once. This will help me determine if I can improve the print quality using FDM. If you're feeling adventurous and want to try printing this design, please let me know how it turns out! I'm also curious to see whether this clip will withstand real-world use or break easily. With some experimentation and optimal print settings, I believe it could endure at least a hair emergency.