Tiny 3D Printer

thingiverse

I introduced my kids (aged 5 and 2) to our 3D printer's capabilities and they excitedly asked if I could print them mini 3D printers. After six months, I finally completed a design inspired by a well-known printer but with smaller adjustments for easier printing. When I gave it to my son, he amazed me an hour later by announcing that he had 3D printed a sock. The model is 5cm tall, but works down to 3cm; refer to the Instructions tab for detailed printing information. Designed in Autodesk Fusion 360, the file includes an editable F3D archive and a version with meshmixer support. I have successfully printed it at 5cm and 3cm heights on a Replicator 2 using medium defaults (0.2mm / 2 shells / 10% infill), taking approximately 2.5 hours for 5cm and an hour for 3cm. I printed it vertically with meshmixer support, making manual tweaks to the support structure. Using needle-nose pliers, a dental pick, and a razor knife, I removed support structures and trimmed excess material. However, it has occurred to me that printing it on its back might eliminate the need for most support structures.