Ultimaker

Creating a Snowflake in Tinkercad

/ Sarah Collins / Leave a comment

I created a tutorial in Instructables on how to create a snowflake in Tinkercad. There are a several great tutorials for creating snowflakes:

This tutorial, Creating a Snowflake Using Tinkercad, focuses on using a Star shape to create a snowflake and using other shapes to put holes in the star.

I got the inspiration seeing an office that was decorated with paper snowflakes. Each one was unique because they were created by hand. If you are interested in learning how to create a paper snowflake, check out CYNICALifornia’s Paper Snowflake instructions. The first thing I did was create a paper snowflake.

The next step was creating one in Tinkercad. But I did not stop at one, I created seven snowflakes.

Below is the first one I created. It uses the only the Star shape and the Roof Shape. Even the back looks good.

My tutorial (Creating a Snowflake Using Tinkercad) focuses on how to create a snowflake with heart shaped holes.

This is the link (Snowflakes) to the seven snowflakes I created in Tinkercad. I encourage you to copy the design and deconstruct the snowflakes to see how they were designed. Then create your own snowflake using the tutorial and information you learned by viewing my design.

Paintbrush Holder

/ Sarah Collins / Leave a comment

If you have seen some of my previous posts, you know that I paint little plaster houses. While I was painting a new set of houses, I decided it would be nice if I had a paintbrush holder. Yes, I could have purchased one on Amazon, but what is the fun in that. I decided to design a paintbrush holder that looked like a house. The size was not important as long as I could print the design on my 3D printer. The base is 120 mm or 4.724 inches x 120 mm x 8 mm. It provided the design with enough weight and support to prevent it from tipping over. This is the final version of the design in Tinkercad. It was tweaked several times for printing. Paintbrush Holder – Tinkercad

If I printed the design as shown in the picture, it would require a lot of support. My first attempt to print, I split the design into two pieces; roof and building. The roof I selected the Support Type of Tree. There is a lot that can go wrong with printing something for hours and hours, however the roof printed beautifully, and the supports detached easily.

The next print was the bottom piece. Again, a lot can go wrong when something prints for hours and hours and hours. First, after 12 hours the printer would not allow me to pause the print. Second, when the print finished the build plate did on return to its lower position, so extra filament built up on its final print location. Third, the support around the railing was impossible to remove without damaging the railing, which was 2mm in diameter. I went back to Tinkercad and tweaked the design.

For the second attempt, I made the railing detachable. With detachable railing, I could lay it flat on the print bed and not use any supports. After it was printed, I could assemble the design.

Front and Back Railing – I printed two copies. Note, I went from round to square railing.

Front Railing Printed Two

Side Railing – I printed two copies.

Structure – I printed one copy with Normal Supports.

The STL files for this design are available on Thingiverse: House Shaped Paintbrush Holder

Below is the printed version of my new paintbrush holder. It was printed in two different colors because I ran out of the pink filament. The design was easy to assemble, and gluing was not required.

3D Printing – The Easter Egg

/ Sarah Collins / 4 Comments

Yesterday, I designed an Easter Egg using Tinkercad.  Today, I printed the Easter Egg.  Creating the Egg in Tinkercad is easy.  They have a egg object.  Hollowing out the egg is easy; copy egg, reduce the size, make it a hole, align the solid egg with the hole egg, and group.

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Making the two egg halves with the crack was more complicated than making the chick.  The chick is two circles for the body, two circles for the eyes, two flatten and stretched trapezoid for the wings, the heart shape for the head, and Tinkercad’s  chicken foot object for the feet.

To see how I created the crack in the egg, check it out here.  Note:  I am working on other cool chicks, so the design my change.

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I probably could have made the chicken bigger, maybe I will.

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The egg was printed on Ultimaker 2+ printer.  I read that beta version of the Cura Software allows more control over supports.  Yay!

Tinkercad – the free, online 3D CAD app

Clackers

/ Sarah Collins / Leave a comment

It all started on Facebook and someone saying “Do you remember…”  Yes, I do remember Clackers, they were fun to play with, but dangerous (will at least in today’s world.)  We would get hit with one or both of the glass balls and go ouch or whoops.  However, in today’s world, they are safer than the Tide Pod challenge.

My 3D printer and I were not getting along, so we both took a break from each other.  After the Facebook posting, I decided it was time to put the print back to work.  And, one of the simplest thinks to design and print would be a ball with at hole in the middle.

I used Tinkercad to design it.  5cm ball with a hole in the middle.  I then did the thing I been regretting for a while, I cleaned, oiled and balanced the printer.  The first print failed, the item was not adhering to build plate.  Failure.  I rebalanced the build plate.  Failure.  I removed the build plate and cleaned it with soap and warm water and rebalanced the build plate.  Success, I had one ball for my clackers, so I printed a second one.

The string is only nylon string with a loop tied at the top and a knot at the end of each ball.

My family have official declared me weird.

 

Dominoes

/ Sarah Collins / Leave a comment

My father-in-law has shown very interested in the 3D printing.  Asking questions about how it works and what can it print.  Before Father’s Day, I sat down in from of the computer and said “What can I print for my father-in-law?  He plays dominoes every Friday!  I can do that!”

I looked up the dimensions for Dominoes; design the dominoes; and created the case to look like a domino.

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His own personalized dominoes.  I also printed a set for my dad for Father’s Day with his last name on them.

The .stl files can be downloaded from youmagine.com.

https://www.youmagine.com/designs/dominoes/embed

Tinkercad – the free, online 3D CAD app

3D Print – Caboose

/ Sarah Collins / Leave a comment

Even though it is the last car on a train, it is the 3rd car in my train series, the Caboose.  After looking several train cars, I redesign the wheel attachment.  I named the train the “Midnight Express” because the entire train will be print in black.

I place items inside the car.  Table chairs, stove, sink, bench, barrels, crates, and platforms to look out the top windows to view the entire train.

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The ladders are not fitting together quite right, but these are delicate.

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The next car will be the passenger car.  I believe the train will need a box car and a cattle car.  Do I need a tank car?  Were they in use when trains ran off of coal.  May be a log car and a sleeper car.  There many of choices.

Object Size (W, D, H): 27, 136.43, 62.51 mm

Caboose in Tinkercad

Tinkercad – the free, online 3D CAD app

3d Print – Coal Car

/ Sarah Collins / Leave a comment

This is the 2nd train car I designed in my effort to print a train.  The first car was the engine. Link: Train Engine

The Coal Car was fun to design.  Instead of spending hours on Tinkercad finding the right shape for the coal container (I didn’t want a box),  I duplicated the same shape and just slightly increase the size until I had the height I wanted.

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The joint to connect the Engine with the Coal Car actually worked.  It was tested previously, but to see it function was amazing.

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Object Size (W, D, H): 25, 55.97, 42 mm

 

Tinkercad – the free, online 3D CAD app

Coal Car

3D Print – Two Story House

/ Sarah Collins / Leave a comment

My 3D printed house. It was fun to design and a challenge to print. Instead of printing it in six sections, the next time I believe I will be printing it in four sections and if I want it in multiple colors, I will paint it.. The six sections were; foundation, 1st floor, balcony, 2nd floor, roof, and roof siding.

The roof siding fit into it designed location without much effort.

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The next house I will print on normal print vs. fast print.  Even if the sections take 11 hours each or more to print.  With the details in the house, I believe it is needed.

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I do not know why the corner next to the steps appears to be melted.  Maybe some oils from my fingers were on the build plate that prevented proper adhesion.

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The roof came out great. And, the railing printed nicely.  Whoops, it looks like I didn’t remove some of railing structure before taking the pictures.

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The house was designed using Tinkercad.com; link Two Story House.

Object Size (W, D, H): 161.19, 133.06, 112.14 mm  (approximately)

 

Tinkercad – the free, online 3D CAD app