For this project, I decided to 3D print a Plunger Buddy, which is a little plunger with hinged legs that allow it to sit on ledges with its legs dangling. The hinges of the legs make this object impossible.

I found the model on Thingiverse (Direct link) and downloaded the STL file created by joelberryhill31313.

I measured the height of the gumball capsule to ensure the print would fit inside and found that it was around 2 inches tall. I figured that because my impossible object was quite vertical, the height of the capsule would be the most important. I rounded the 2 inches to around 50 mm. I conducted two initial test prints on a Bambu printer to test the fit, scaling the model to 50 mm and 48 mm along the Z-axis. The 50 mm print did not fit in the capsule, however, the 48 mm print fitted perfectly, so I chose 48 mm for the rest of my prints.

Following the test prints, I printed two more Plunger Buddies using FDM on a Bambu printer. I prepared the model in Bambu Studio on one of the OEDK Maker Bar computers, scaling the height to 48 mm. I chose a 0.15 mm layer height and 15% infill density for the print settings. I also enabled support as a precaution in case any sections of the model required additional structure.

With everything prepared, I sliced the file and opted to combine it with a classmate’s print to make more efficient use of the 3D printers. The combined print took around 1.5 hours, and the results were very good.

After finishing the Bambu prints, I printed two more Plunger Buddies with FDM on the Prusa printer. I used the Prusa-specific software on one of the OEDK Maker Lab laptops and adjusted the settings accordingly. I couldn’t find any exact setting for the Prusa slicer, so I just went with the settings for Bambu. Once again, I combined my print with a classmate’s to optimize efficiency. Thankfully, the Prusa printer produced a great result. Learning how to use both printers gave me valuable insight into the differences between them.

Once the prints were complete, I carefully removed the support structures. There were not many supports that I needed to remove to this part when relativity fast. Lastly, I lightly wet-sanded each of the Plunger Buddies and put them into capsules, along with the paper slip with the website and creator credits

I really enjoyed this assignment and am excited to continue exploring 3D printing by learning more about the Bambu and Prusa printers. The process was surprisingly straightforward once I got the hang of the settings. Although waiting for the prints to finish made me a little anxious, seeing the final result was incredibly rewarding. I’m excited to keep exploring and experimenting with 3D printing in future projects.

Photo of cleaned workspace:

Cost:

The material cost for this project was negligible due to the small size of the PLA prints and can be rounded down to $0. 

Labor Cost –  $45, worked for 3 hours at a rate of $15/hour.