After some further thought about the final project, I decided to utilize 3D printing for it. I am interested in continuing making art toys on my own, and it’s easier to get my hands on a 3D printer than a laser cutter.
That being said, I wanted to use a character I created as the subject of these toys. I already created a model for her in 3D, so this would be a great way for me to continue that world in real space.
To know what to expect, or if this process would even work, I printed a small scale draft of the character.
Things seemed to be going okay until one of the support columns fell over with a crack. The nozzle knocked it over and I was a bit worried.
Rightfully so, what the heck is this?
The figure can stand on it’s own, an upside to that trial.
I then thought I could run a 5″ scale model of her and take a break.
I thought wrong. Somewhere along the process, it seemed the nozzle got tangled in a web of stringyness.
I was getting worried, because I didn’t want to think about splitting up the figure at this phase. I was also worried about the extruder having issues.
Then after some thinking I realized I was overlooking the option of printing it horizontally. That would solve some of the weird breaking, hanging, tangling issues.
One hour later the figure was complete. So minimizing Z motion on this printer seemed to reduce print time.
This print was much better than the previous. However the details are still being lost, and there are some weird artifacts. This seems inherent to the medium. Perhaps my 3D model is too detailed.
As of writing this, I started a 4 hour print job maxing out the size and detail. I want to see what is the best print the Lulzbot got spit out with my model.
I am going to create accessories for my line of toys, so it won’t just be a female figure. However I need to determine how to best finish the models now that I have an idea of their physical characteristics.