Tessellating flower coaster

thingiverse

Initially, I wanted a side project to enhance my skills for a larger undertaking. I got inspired by tessellation designs I made previously and decided to turn them into 3D models after discovering 3D printing. The flower design, fitting for spring in the UK, was ideal for coasters, which I needed for my study. I've included three files: a single flower with petal detail, a flower coaster, and a single flower without petal detail. For delicate surfaces, an additional base may be required, and it's advisable to test the heat resistance of your chosen filament before using it for hot drinks. The single flowers can also function as toys or trinkets when printed in multiple colors and attached with magnets. To print models with multiple colors, I recommend slicing the model first and identifying color change layers within the gcode. Pause the print at the designated layer height, raise the extruder head on the Z-axis, switch filaments (possibly adjusting temperature), and resume printing. Using a gcode editor with graphical capabilities can be helpful in this process. I encountered an issue when attempting to print a coaster using heat-reactive ABS for petals and black PLA for the rest. Despite reading that ABS could be printed on top of PLA, I experienced detachment issues due to insufficient adhesion between layers. To overcome this, I sliced the coaster twice: 66% infill for the base and 100% infill for the petals, then joined the gcode files. Here's a basic printing process for models with different filaments: 1. Heat PLA to a 'first layer' temperature, then maintain a lower temperature for the rest of the PLA layers on a cold bed. 2. Two layers before filament swapping, turn on the bed to the ABS-friendly temperature. 3. Switch out the filament, heat it to a 'first layer' temperature, and print with the bed switched on. 4. Adjust the extruder temperature as needed and monitor the filament for overheating. If necessary, decrease the bed temperature. 5. Allow the model to cool completely before removing it from the bed. I welcome all feedback on this process!