Revised chain mail (Hex version)

thingiverse

It's a small sheet of hex-shaped chain mail. it is possible to make larger sheets if you snip out sections of the rings along the edge and fit another sheet onto it. Just seal it up with hot glue when you're done. the smaller you print it, the less flexible it becomes. it doesn't take very much filament, but it takes a looong time to print because while the rings are being formed, the extruder has to move from ring to ring every time it finishes a layer. a 7 inch by 7 inch sheet takes 25 hours to print, with no supports and 40% infill. once downloaded, all you have to do is scale it to fit your bed, and print. it is already in the optimal orientation. it doesn't need rafts or supports, either.