For my 3D printing project, I wanted to do an impossible object that was cute and articulating. I found this Cute Mini Octopus (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3495390) by McGybeer on Thingiverse.com which fit the bill perfectly. I downloaded the file and uploaded it to Bamboo slicer. I printed it at 100% scale using white PLA on the FDM Bambu printer for the first pass. I had a couple issues with the first layer, which I was able to fix by putting down a layer of glue on the plate before printing. Thanks to Victoria for the helpful tips!

after post processing by removing supports and sanding:

Unfortunately the 100% scale was slightly too big to fit in the gum ball capsules:

I then scaled down the print to 80%, which fit into the capsule. I removed the supports using pliers and sanded using 80 and 200 grit sandpaper:

I printed 4 overnight, but sadly when I returned in the morning only 3 were left 🙁

I printed a 4th one using red ABS on the Bambu printer:

I sanded the head to post process, but even with 400 grit sandpaper there was unsightly marks left from sanding. To fix this, I sprayed a layer of clear gloss top coat to the head.

I then tried SLA printing using the Formlabs resin printer and Clear V4 resin. I scaled down my print to 70% and added a texture to the surface.

After it finished printing, I washed it (20 min) and cured it under UV (2 hours):

(octopus rave)

I then removed the supports using pliers, however, the resin proved to be more unforgiving and brittle than the PLA, and I cracked a couple of joints on the legs. I tried to fix them with superglue. Overall, I think resin is not the optimal material for a piece with many articulating joints because they easily get stuck together and are more difficult to remove supports from without damaging the print. I really liked the texture I got on the head though!

Here is my final army of octopuses:

(100%, 80%, 70% scale for comparison)

   all boxed up 🙂

Overall, I had a lot of fun iterating and trying new 3D printing techniques. I definitely look forward to trying to make my own files one day!

Cost Type	Cost	Price	Source	Quantity	Total
Materials	Filament (PLA)	$19.99/kg	https://us.store.bambulab.com/pages/bambu-filament?variant=40475106640008	0.0683 kg	1.36
	Filament (ABS)	$19.99/kg	https://us.store.bambulab.com/collections/bambu-lab-3d-printer-filament/products/abs-filament?variant=40475105525896	0.02 kg	0.40
	Resin (Clear V4)	$149/L	https://formlabs.com/store/materials/clear-resin-v4/?srsltid=AfmBOormFj3pXdDXJki6C_sdYNCwb1xrIIQXDWP1zl6bmG0Xs0PjbkYp	.01 L	1.49
	Sand Paper	$7.99	https://tinyurl.com/2tjd5hry	1	7.99
	Pliers	$5.99	https://tinyurl.com/yc5pkyc7	1	5.99
	Gloss Clear Coat Spray Paint	$5.98	https://tinyurl.com/ybx2spxn	1	5.98
Labor	Prototyping Engineer (You!)	$18.27/hr	https://graduate.rice.edu/admissions/costofstudy	2	36.54
	3D Printing Operator	$12.50/hr	Indeed.com	6	75
Overhead	Facility Cost (Machine Time)	$2/hr	https://www.ankermake.com/blogs/buying-guides/how-much-do-3d-prints-cost	10	20
Design	Engineering and Development	$38/hr	indeed.com	2	76

Total Cost: $225.75
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