This project is built around 3D printing little trinkets that go in gumball machine containers, this a really fun because by printing an “impossible” object, I was able to gain a strong appreciation for how much we’re able to accomplish thanks to modern technology.

This project was relatively simple but there are always obstacles that must be overcome. My first step was choosing an impossible object from thingiverse. There were many exciting ideas like a flexi humpback whale and many more, and flexi dragon but I decided to go with this little shark clip because it’s not only cute, but also useful for holding paper together.

I downloaded the STL file, and opened it on PrusaSlicer. Then, I scaled down the largest dimension to be 40 mm long because then it would comfortably fit in the gumball container, I placed the file on the print bed and made 4 copies of the same file so I would have 5 PLA sharkz. I made sure the printer was set to Prusa 13 Mk3s+ and the material was set to PLA. Then I loaded the SD card into my computer, exported the g-code into the SD card, put the SD card into a printer, and started the print. One mistake I made was not paying enough attention to what the printer was loaded with. I accidentally loaded my PLA file onto a printer with Nylon, and due to incorrect heat settings, the print failed.

here are the sharkz on the prusa slicer!

here are the sharkz printing

here are the 5 sharkz

here is a shark biting the tail of our cat chess piece

My next process was testing out another method of 3D printing so I went to SLA with the fancy SLA printer. There was a long queue for the SLA printer so I set a timer and stayed at the OEDK until the print before mine was done. I set up the print on shapeform and it looked interesting because it was printed upside down.

here’s the print with generated supports. I realized later that I should have printed a lot more because the time would be the same since the printer works by dipping each layer.

The grey pro resin used was cool because it was sort of squishy but the object didn’t work as intended because the jaws were stuck together so the mouth couldn’t open. Due to the error, I included a working PLA shark in the same capsule as the SLA one so that whoever receives the object is satisfied.

Cost analysis:

• Grey Pro Resin – $199.99 x 0.02 (2% of it) = $3.99
• PLA – $29.99 x 0.02 = $0.59
• Worker – $10.00 x 1 hour = $10.00
• Total: $14.57

I choose to neglect the cost of the 3D printers because those are provided and are one-time purchases.