Hey there, wonderful people!
We're back in vase mode land today (that's Spiralize Outer Contour mode for the Cura users out there), and this one's a zig-zaggy snakey bottle that ends up quite rigid as far as vase mode prints go.
This one started in a completely different direction, as another vase that was intended to contrast textur...
2021-08-15 09:23:38 +0000 UTC View Post
Howdy, wonderful people!
Remember the Atom Case, fairly recently? That's one of my favourite practical box designs, and it's been given a bit of an overhaul! We now have:
* A new "long" version that's rectangular rather than square
* Magnet closure option for each box
* A filament-change friendly style change ...
2021-08-15 09:23:16 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi there, wonderful people!
Are you tired of storage options that are devoid of noisy, dynamic features? Then this is the model for you! It's a cup of sorts, but with a lid. A lid that flips open and curls in on itself by way of a tab above the handle.
Enjoy the clattering of hinged components as they flip up over, ...
2021-08-04 12:50:59 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey there, wonderful people!
I love feedback and suggestions! There's always more than I can possibly get to, but I do try to do the things that are practical and/or just cool :) So, here are a couple of updates to recent designs!
Wider Planetary Phone Stand
I'm really blown away by...
2021-08-04 12:49:57 +0000 UTC View Post
Howdy, wonderful people!
Today we're exploring the wonderful world of texture and tactile sensations! No, not fidget toys! Okay, maybe fidget toys! In the never-ending pursuit of interesting visual effects in 3D printing it's easy to overlook the opportunity to work with texture, which is another thing that these for whic...
2021-07-27 15:08:33 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey there, wonderful people!
I really don't put enough handles on things! So, I set out to make a tall container with a hinged lid on top and some interesting handles.
Tall hinged lids are always a tricky thing because the moving parts tend to be so far above the point of rotation, which means they end up moving forward ...
2021-07-27 15:07:47 +0000 UTC View Post
Anyone for doughnuts?! Add some cheerfulness to your day with these sprinkle-topped icing-laden toroidal extravaganzas! It works very nicely with magnets, but pegs are provided as an alternative - more on that below!
So, the technical stuff! This was an exercise in seeing if I could make an easily-printed lid with asymmetric...
Howdy, wonderful people!
Do you need an overly-complicated way to prop your phone up, one that says to everyone around you that you have a 3D printer? Then this is the model for you! The angle of the stand adjusts by pivoting on a set of planetary gears, and is then fixed in place by tightening a sliding bolt form the opp...
2021-07-11 13:15:27 +0000 UTC View Post
Howdy, wonderful people!
Yes, it's a box with a print-in-place hinged lid! It has a threaded-ring closure, a top that flips over from the back, and a snazzy utilitarian sci-fil kind of feel :)
You may have noticed that I like print-in-place hinges, especially boxes and lids! These kinds of models can be characterised by t...
2021-07-03 14:55:27 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey there, wonderful people!
This is where the Catalyst Capsule and Knit Bowl collide!
So, apparently "yarn bowls" are a thing for keeping balls of wool organised during various kinds of activities, and numerous people (including my mother) enthusiastically suggested that maybe the Knit Bowl could be adjusted a little to suit this ve...
2021-06-27 14:19:22 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi, wonderful people!
I have one of these next to each of my printers. This is what I use for all those bits of loose filament, fragments of failed prints, skirts and other various bits that are the inevitable byproducts of printer use. Being vase mode, it's very quick for a container with this kind of volume, and very ec...
2021-06-26 10:22:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Perfect for storing lunar samples and glowing alien artifacts, this twist-top container will look at home in any contemporary space home. The deep lid slots into the top of the container and rotates into a locking position, keeping your important possessions safe from space pirates and other ruffians.
You'll notice that the lid and c...
2021-06-26 01:04:29 +0000 UTC View Post
Howdy, wonderful people!
One thing I really love about design is stripping things back to just the essentials, and working out what aspects are really important to something's identity. Balls of wool turn out to be really iconic things, and it took me a while to finally find an approach to detailing this design in a way that made my ...
2021-06-16 14:07:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi, wonderful people!
Hinged lids are an interesting thing, especially when we're dealing with print-in-place designs! Not only do we need to consider the way the lid fits with the body of a box, but there's the whole consideration of the path of the lid as it rotates, especially if that lid has printed top-down on the bed.
Th...
Howdy, wonderful people!
Another month whizzes by in a blur of empty filament spools and prototypes! And, as usual, there are a few bits and pieces that are worth mentioning lest they disappear forever into the distant past, forgotten and unloved!
Dropbox locations are at the end, so scroll down there for the list. But le...
2021-06-02 13:10:30 +0000 UTC View Post
Howdy, wonderful people!
Yes, it's a pencil box! Well, it could be a box for lots of things, but it's long enough to hold pencils, which turn out to be somewhat longer than most regular pens! Who knew? Okay, that's probably common knowledge, but it's one of those things I'd never really considered until designing this box...
2021-05-30 15:12:34 +0000 UTC View Post
Break out the glue! I don't often work with assemblies that need adhesives, but that's what we have here - and it's vase mode! Yep, twelve vase mode components that get glued together to form a dodecahedron!
Now, the dodecahedron part is familiar ground by this point, and doesn't require a lot of problem solving. However,...
2021-05-30 15:12:18 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey there, wonderful people!
Meet Mister Kettle! He's a print-in-place box thingy who puts his articulated arms up to use his hands as a lid. And he's cheerful, very cheerful! Look at that smirk!
From a technical design point of view there are a couple of things worth noting. The arms hinge out not from the si...
2021-05-18 11:55:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Just to round off the set, here are vase mode versions of the taller round and hex dot jars! As always, the regular-mode versions of the jars will be much more robust, but you can't beat vase mode for quick, clean, fun prints.
All four heights of both the hex and round little dot jars are here, awaiting your vase-mode enthusias...
2021-05-18 11:54:09 +0000 UTC View Post
That's right, now the round little dot jars are not the only tall ones! These are much the same as the original little hex dot jar, but taller. There's also a new rack, and this one lends itself better to wall mounting. Round jars get one, too, just so they don't feel left out.
2021-05-18 11:53:18 +0000 UTC
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I just can't stay away from polyhedral assemblies! This time it's another one based fundamentally on a dodecahedron, though somewhat embellished with hexagons, and hexagons in hexagons.
There are only two parts to this design - the sides and...
2021-05-18 11:52:12 +0000 UTC View Post
Vase mode is just the best! Also, I needed somewhere to store tools next to printers! Well, really this is all an excuse - what I actually wanted to do was play with shimmering zigzags and shiny filament :P
This segmented caddy harks back in part to the video I did a long time ago about vase mode, in which I made similarly segm...
2021-05-07 16:24:48 +0000 UTC View Post
Howdy, wonderful people!
Sometimes you've just can't help but throw your hands up in frustration at clogged printer nozzles, bed adhesion issues, broken filament and the multitude of other frustrations that we just can't avoid sometimes. My reaction to such things seems to be to go design something silly. Like this thing!
Howdy, wonderful people!
I mentioned not being able to leave the little jars alone, and it seems that includes the design side of things as well as the actual prints. There were two obvious things that the little dot jars needed: something to keep them a bit organised, and a wider range of capacities! All the existing ones were...
2021-05-07 16:22:33 +0000 UTC View Post
Howdy, wonderful people!
That's right, it's a trash can! Or a rubbish bin, waste receptacle, or other term depending on which part of this globe you reside. There's a swingtop lid that spins around if you jab it hard enough, and the whole top lid section hinges for easy emptying. As usual, it all prints assembled with no ...
2021-04-29 14:02:16 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey there, wonderful people!
Brighten up even the gloomiest of days with this cheerful fellow! The Sunshine Box is a threaded box with a hinged lid and a threaded collar that holds it closed, and it all prints in place, assembled and ready to go.
This one came from a challenge I set myself: how could I make a threaded closure t...
2021-04-18 15:53:33 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey there, wonderful people! Just a quick note to highlight some happenings!
More Stuff on Dropbox!
Dropbox has turned out to be fairly convenient so far for distributing content, which is probably why numerous people have asked if my free content on MyMiniFactory could be made available through the same means....
2021-04-12 14:57:21 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey there, wonderful people!
There really aren't enough designs out there that are specifically intended for transparent filaments! Plenty of designs do well when printed in transparent materials, but this one really does require it in order to reveal its mysteries!
The outside surface of this vase mode print is a series of smo...
2021-04-11 14:36:25 +0000 UTC View Post
Vase mode! Vase mode is always fun, and so it was not a surprising detour when I found myself adapting the Little Dot Jars for a single-line print. The jar bodies themselves don't really have a huge difference to the solid versions, but the lid, not surprisingly, is completely different.
The thing about vase mode is that the sh...
2021-04-03 03:56:57 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey there, wonderful people!
One day, I just really wanted to make a tiny jar. So I did! It was round, small, roughly like the round jar here. I printed it, and the best thing about it was the lid. Taking the lid off, putting the lid back on. It was fun. This little jar sat on my desk, printed in light b...
2021-04-03 03:56:34 +0000 UTC View Post