Multicolor Desktop Stands (for single extruder)

cults3d

Looking for a small but useful multicolor print? These little desktop stands are perfect for holding your favorite picture or business cards, and they will look amazing on your desk. You only need one extruder and no paint to create them. I designed them specifically for small amounts of filament, like leftover samples that are too small for a regular print. The multicolor effect is created by swapping filaments, which means you pause the print at a certain height, change the filament, and then resume printing. This can be done in different ways, but for a quick overview, watch this video: https://youtu.be/i9IEojl87tI. I'm currently working on tutorials for this method, so stay tuned for more videos to come. To make one of these stands, you'll need the following parts: 1 x "Backside.stl" 2 x "Triangle_2x.stl" 1 x "Hearts.stl" or "Rainbow.stl" You'll also need different colors of filament (I used eSUN PLA) in your choice of colors. Make sure they're all from the same type and have similar melting temperatures. Finally, you'll need a few drops of super glue for assembly. The "Backside.stl" and "Triangle_2x.stl" files are printed in one color each. Slice them as usual and print the parts. The "Triangle_2x.stl" file is designed to hold only one picture, but if you want to use it for business cards, you can adjust the Z-height of the file in your slicer. If you're new to color changes during a print, start with the Hearts Stand. For this stand, you'll need to do just one color swap. Slice it with a layer height of 0.2 mm and pause the print manually after layer 20 is finished or layer 21 has just begun. Now remove the filament and insert another color. Resume your print and wait until it's finished. Voila! You've created a dual-color print with only one extruder. Next, all you need to do is glue the parts together. Simply put a drop of super glue in each triangular hole (both backside and hearts), insert the triangles into the holes on the backside, and push the holes behind the hearts over them. Let it dry, and that's it! The Rainbow works just like the Hearts, but you'll need to do more color changes - seven, to be exact. For the rainbow, use the colors violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, white, and black in exactly this order. Slice the Rainbow with a 0.2 mm layer height and start your print with violet filament loaded. Perform the filament changes exactly as described for the Hearts, but at different heights. Watch the video above for more information. Here are the layers/heights where you need to change the filament: Layer 4 (0.8 mm) - change to blue Layer 7 (1.4 mm) - change to green Layer 10 (2.0 mm) - change to yellow Layer 13 (2.6 mm) - change to orange Layer 16 (3.2 mm) - change to red Layer 19 (3.8 mm) - change to white Layer 23 (4.6 mm) - change to black That's it! You did it! Now you can place a full-color rainbow on your desk. Congratulations! Assembly is the same as for the Hearts, so no worries there. Enjoy your new multicolor print!