How would you print this?

Hi folks,

I posted here a while back asking for help with overhangs & things on this character & I got some pretty good results and am happy with it now on it’s own, so the time has come for something more ambitious.

I’m now trying to make a model where he’s holding a die & I want the die to be able to spin, so i’ve got a hole cut through the die & two rods with a slightly smaller diameter coming out of the wings where I want him to hold the die.

My initial thought was I could probably pry the wings apart slightly once printed & put the die printed separately onto the rods, but checking on the flexibility of some of my older prints, this PLA is not for bending, at least at normal temperatures. So I see all of these multi-part articulated prints that print in place & seem more complex than this idea, but I am clueless as to how to approach it. Does anyone have any tips?

Thanks in advance :slightly_smiling_face:

You can print the axis with support (between axis and axes holder), but I would recommend support material in this case, best the support material which can be washed away.

If you make a hole through 1 of the wings, you can just slide it through…no need to pry them apart.

Sorry I don’t really understand :thinking: I would use supports for the whole model, but ones that wash away?

Do you mean to print all in one go?

Yes, I thought that was your question: How to print it in one piece. However, I agree with lion7718, I would split it up and assembly it after printing.

Ah that sounds like an option, I wouldn’t be massively keen on the hole as I don’t usually paint the body as I like the look of the bare material with fuzzy skin, but maybe I could make it fairly invisible :thinking:

The only other issue I could see is it would be a very small hole, I wonder if everything would actually go together? I can only try I guess :+1:

It was really, ideally I would like to print it in one go, but it sounds a bit technical for me :rofl:

I’ll try the multi part method & hope it all fits together in the end :crossed_fingers:

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Another option would be to add your pegs as planned, but split the dice in half. Then you can glue it while inserting them into the wings.

Ah that sounds perfect, why couldn’t I think of that :rofl: then the only thing I need to make sure of is that the hole through the die is big enough to allow it to swivel :slightly_smiling_face: shouldn’t be too hard :crossed_fingers:

Don’t suppose you’d recommend any particular type of glue for PLA would you?

You will get a lot of support including the dice in the model and print in place. I agree with above advise or you can go one step further and have moveable arms, you cut the arms at the shoulder and you also use a peg so they can rotate, you print arms and cube separately.

Hope your model is not for little kids because making the cube spins (or the arms) and only held with a peg can get it (them) detach which can then be swallowed by the kid.

Thanks :+1: no definitely not for kids.

I did think about rotatable arms but I know I won’t be happy with the join between them & the body

Gloop

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