Today I put my CAD and 3D Printing Skills to the test to create 5 little 3D printed spooky pumpkins using 2 different 3D printing methods.

Firstly, I set out to CAD up an “impossible” 3D printed object. I decided to make some spooky pumpkins with internal geometry of eyes. The eyes are what make these spooky pumpkins “impossible” to create with any other methods.

The eyes were supported internally with two cylinders as seen in this sliced view below.

Next, I used the pursa printers to create the PLA version of the pumpkin. I opted out to not include any supports as they would be difficult to remove after the print was finished. However, because of this choice, I had two prints fail.

I noticed that the failure happened both times around where the eyes were beginning to be formed. This lead me to believe that there was not enough support to create the eyes.

I attempted to print out a version of the pumpkin with supports.

And, just like I had expected, the supports were nearly impossible to remove from the internal of the pumpkin. So, I decided to change the geometry of the cylinders to add more support to the eyes.

I printed the pumpkin without supports on the Pursa, this produced a successful print.

I then printed the SLA resin versions of this pumpkin. These were also successful.

Through this project, I learned a lot about how to fix a PLA printed part’s CAD file when it is failing. I learned a little bit more about how the geometry of the part affects its printability.

 

COST BREAKDOWN:

3 printed SLA parts: $40 ABS Resin pint

2 printed PLA parts: $15 PLA filament

6 hours of work: $120

Workshop Membership: $60

 

Total Cost: $235