Toothbrush Stand "The Snout" cnc

cults3d

Why on earth create such an object? As a father of three, I can tell you firsthand that getting kids to do things like clean up their room or even put away their used toothbrush is a daunting task. This project was my attempt at making chores more enjoyable for them... with fun! Plus, I had the itch to create my first "real" 3D object. Using a CNC to cut a 3D relief has been popular, but due to limitations of my machine, previous attempts were underwhelming. This time, I was determined to see it through. Starting from scratch, I used Sculptris to paint a pig's snout. After a few minutes, I had a usable result. Next, I simplified the resulting STL in MeshLab (reducing triangle count) before moving on to Fusion360 to create the final stand shape. I scaled the part, cut off the top, and extruded the foot. The result was two versions: one with the relief on top and the stand extruded, and another that had only the top containing the relief. This decision was made due to my limited material thickness of 20 mm. The G-code was generated using Estlcam. Parameters were clear-cut, so I created two smaller test cuts – first on styrofoam, then on MDF. The final result was cut from oak, with a second layer giving the object its final thickness. Estlcam allowed me to extrude the contour of an STL quickly. Apart from prolonged machine time, 3D reliefs presented some issues with my desktop CNC by Stepcraft. Unstable z-heights left streaks on the surface, despite a smooth cutting process. I used a 3 mm upcut endmill specifically designed for wood to remove most material and a 3 mm ball nose end mill to achieve a smooth finish. Even sanding couldn't completely remove the streaks, but applying mineral oil revealed the wood structure, making the object ready for use in the bathroom. Visit https://www.zenziwerken.de/en/ for more interesting designs. I haven't tried printing the STL yet, but I suppose it should work on an FDM printer.