Print-flat-and-fold mini flower pot

prusaprinters

This flower pot is perfect for sitting on your desk and holding a small cactus or succulent. The ‘body’ of the flower pot is printed flat with 28 tapered segments calculated to form a perfect column when folded up. The initial layer forms a living hinge that holds everything together. The saucer is sized to hold the body together and to allow the soil to drain excess water.Printing flat means the finished product's surface is the bed texture, not the characteristic layer line 3D printing texture. On a PEI sheet or smooth glass bed, the outside surface has an impressive, manufactured feel.FilamentThis prints great in PLA. I'm using IIID Max PLA+ in the example photos.Special printing instructions - bodyThis model is designed for a 0.2 layer height. You can print at a smaller layer height, but you'll need to experiment with some settings to make sure it will fold properly.As designed, only the initial layer will form the living hinge. The initial layer's lines must be perpendicular to the fold (i.e. they will run parallel to the longest dimension). You can achieve this a few ways.1. In Cura, set the “Top/Bottom Line Directions” to [90,180,45,-45]2. If you can't find that setting or use a different slicer, you can rotate the model in your slicer to make sure those lines are running in the correct direction. Note: This diameter will fill the entire Y direction of an Ender 3 bed. The initial layer lines running in the wrong direction might result in a model that doesn't fold or is very weak.Given the width of the body, make sure and check your skirt's distance from the purge line before printing. Printing instructions - saucerNothing special is needed to print the saucer. I printed with a 0.2 layer height and a 0.6 line width on a 0.4 nozzle, but it's likely to work with just about any setting.