Thing9

cults3d

This tower-like structure is quite impressive. The support feature looks like a leg, almost as if the entire thing is crawling through that hole in the wall. Printing this design was a challenge, particularly in the transition area from the trunk to the top. Even with an overhang of only 45 degrees, I encountered significant drooping issues while printing with PLA. More airflow to cool it is likely what's needed. I expect fewer problems when printing with ABS. In addition to Thing9, I created Thing9Top to experiment with printing that feature. It doesn't look bad on its own, so I'm including it below. Dimensions: Thing9: 59.2mm x 57.6mm x 102.6mm tall Thing9Top: 26.0mm x 26.0mm x 57.1mm tall I learned two valuable lessons about my printer (RapMan 3.0) from multiple attempts at printing this, both of which were pretty obvious in hindsight. Printing Thing9Top produced different results in the same areas as Thing9, solely due to its height above the print plate. When the print head is low, the air from the fan blows down and across the plate, cooling the print well. Conversely, when the head is high, like near the top of Thing9, the RapMan's fan generates much less horizontal airflow. Additionally, since the fan is positioned on one side of the extruder, cooling is significantly greater on that side. The spokes on that side turned out perfectly, while those on the opposite side drooped. I observed a similar effect while printing a dodecahedron previously but didn't understand why at the time. These effects are irrelevant if you don't use a fan while printing, but I thought it would be worth mentioning them for the few who do. It's also easier to blame my printer than the 3D model.