Little Mermaid Lithophane Pendant

thingiverse

Update - I've uploaded a brand new Little Mermaid pendant with significantly improved results! I tweaked it so that lights appear as light tones and darks are accurately represented in their darker hues. Additionally, I personally refined the lithophane's image for greater contrast, allowing the intricate details to shine through as desired. To achieve this enhanced rendition, I iterated multiple times on editing, processing, and printing. Although my camera couldn't capture it adequately, I'm confident that it has turned out great! For optimal print quality, I also decreased the image resolution since there was excessive detail for this scale, making it more manageable to process. Not long after creating this Little Mermaid pendant, my daughter wore it to school and afterwards she expressed her desire for pendants featuring other princesses. When informed that such a possibility existed, she enthusiastically provided me with a handwritten list detailing each girl in her class, including the preferred princess character and color combination they wanted. I found this gesture absolutely delightful. Building upon this new pendant, I have created one for Cinderella, while concurrently working on an elaborate Belle design. Upon printing test models, I observed that the Little Mermaid's details were incorrectly reversed – where lights were depicted as darks, and vice versa – which led me to improve the lithophane-making process by adjusting the image opening first, ensuring more definition in the prints. Expect an updated Little Mermaid model later this week, accompanied by comprehensive instructions for anyone eager to attempt these intricate prints. The genesis of my endeavors began with a personal request from my daughter to craft her a tiny Little Mermaid necklace featuring a lithophane design. To realize this vision, I leveraged MakeALot's lithophane generator found at http://3dp.rocks/lithophane/, importing it into Tinkercad for shaping and detailing purposes. To fashion the final result, I utilized an entirely transparent circle with added custom support for keeping it upright during printing. Refer to the enclosed instructions for insightful tips on how to tackle this print optimally. A notable adjustment in my workflow came from recognizing that opaque materials yield far superior outcomes than transparent ones; anything too dense results in requiring more light exposure. By virtue of positioning it vertically, a higher resolution was obtained than possible with traditional flat printing methods. To ensure optimal performance in printers where at least one axis moves during the print, always align the lithophane model along that particular axis. Printing a raft helps maintain stability on thinner models and avoids any tipping incidents while being printed. A low-speed print of 40mm/sec paired with an exceedingly thin layer height of 0.15mm was the optimal combination in my scenario; eight perimeters proved crucial for creating accurate, solid-looking edges since infill tends to disrupt precision at higher speeds in very narrow prints like these. When correctly implemented, minimal cleaning effort is necessary to detach and separate any leftover support structures once finished printing