Vase-Mode Pokeball (Opens like a plastic Easter egg)

thingiverse

This is a pokeball body printed in vase mode that prints quickly, assembles easily, and lets you put things inside it. I've seen many awesome pokeball designs with hinges and working buttons, but I've tried several and my children have destroyed the hinge in minutes. So, I decided to try making a vase mode version without a hinge. Those plastic Easter eggs are incredibly durable despite my kids' rough play, so I'm using that approach to create quick-printing, reasonably durable, and decent-looking pokeballs. Print the top and bottom in vase/spiral mode at 200% scale with a flat spot on the bed. I used 0.8mm line width on a 0.4mm nozzle, but other scales might work too - I just haven't tried them yet. Use 0.2mm layer height. Print the button in normal (non-vase) mode using your usual settings. Once you've printed everything, paint the center line with black acrylic paint and leave a clean spot for the button on the top part of the body. Superglue the button into place, and it's ready to go! If your printer is different from mine, you might need to make some size adjustments so the top and bottom fit together perfectly. If it's too tight, use a cutting tool to remove a tiny bit from the edge of the top. If it's too loose, apply a small amount of superglue along the edge of the top and let it dry. Repeat until you get the perfect fit! I hope you and your kids have lots of fun with this design. Please post 'makes' if you print one - or 20 like me!