Multicolor Un-Manufacturable Part

thingiverse

This impossible print-in-place screw has two interlocking pieces that twist freely but can't be pried apart! A fantastic example of an object that can be made with layer-by-layer 3D printing, yet cannot be produced using traditional manufacturing methods. Check it out in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jilYzgd4De0 The model is a remix of TheKre8Group's mind-bending Un-Manufacturable Part. We increased the clearance between the two parts, lengthened the interior piece with an additional twist, and added color to the inside twist for printing on full-color 3D printers. We printed ours on the XYZ da Vinci Color printer. The downloadable files also include models to use with dual-extrusion 3D printers and regular single-extrusion printers. Modifying models to print in color has turned out to be incredibly difficult. For the full-color model, we used Meshmixer to "paint" colors onto each vertex with the Sculpt tool. This sounds simple, but it's not easy, especially when the model starts with an overly sparse mesh on the top flat faces, which makes the colors blend poorly and behave strangely when printed. After a lot of trial and error, including attempts at re-meshing with MakePrintable and MeshLab, we finally discovered that using "Make Solid" in Meshmixer gets us a very nice overall homogenous new mesh around the object. Here's a quick overview of our workflow to remix this model: * Thingiverse: Start with TheKre8Group's Un-Manufacturable Part model * Meshmixer: Separate the two pieces into different files * Blender: Use displacement modifier to increase clearance on both pieces * Tinkercad: Cut out the center of the interior piece (so we can color just the top) * Meshmixer: Remesh using Make Solid, paint with Sculpt tool * XYZ: Slice so that the interior piece prints with 50% infill, exterior with 20% * da Vinci Color printer: Print in one piece, with color added to each layer by the printer Twitter: @mathgrrl Hacktastic blog: mathgrrl.com/hacktastic Shapeways geekhaus store: shapeways.com/shops/mathgrrl This design and all associated pictures and files are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license. If you want to use designs, images, or files outside of the terms of this license, please email request@mathgrrl.com.