Introduction

I was really excited for this project, since I had a good deal of experience with the 3D printers from past projects. With the task of printing an “impossible object,” I first decided on the one shown below, since I liked the abstract shape. However, after the first print, I realized that I would be better off choosing a different object. The supports required to print this object were incredibly difficult to remove. Removing just half of the supports from one object took almost an hour. I didn’t want to repeat that process four more times, so I instead decided to print an articulated octopus.

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Process

When I first printed four octopi on the PLA printer, I scaled them down to what I thought would give me a large enough object that would still fit in the gumball container. While waiting for my PLA print, I began working on the resin print, with the same dimensions. I really enjoyed learning how to use a new printer, and I was shocked to see how quickly my object printed. I washed it and cured it for ten minutes each, and the print came out intact, though much smaller than necessary.

Once my PLA print was complete and I removed it from the printer, I realized that the octopi were way too small, and the material for the joints was too thin, causing it to break apart. So I scaled the objects back up and restarted the print. Yet again, I ran into the same issue. I searched for a different octopus file, scaled up the print, and it worked! While the supports were very difficult to remove, the joints remained intact. This time, the octopus was too large for the container however, so I scaled it down and reprinted… and the joints were too thin again. I realized that there was no happy medium here, and even if there was, I didn’t want to spend another week looking for it. So I picked a new file… again!

I carefully adjusted the size of the knot to fit in the container, and printed four of them. They came out intact and the right size! The supports took a very long time to remove, but at this point, I was just happy to have a working project.

Cost Estimate

PLA and Resin: approx. $10

Labor (6 hours): $60

Total: $70