The fun thing with the 3D printer is the ability to just download STL models off websites, scale them down to fit the print area, and just hit the print button. I find this particularly suitable for SG homes where space and time are usually the constraint. It is very addictive and I often find myself looking at the machine putting on layers and layers of plastic to form the final shape. Most of all, my girls love what it produces.
While surfing on Thingiverse looking at the model of those owls produced by its members, I came across this wire wrap for headphone in the shape of an owl. It looks rather cute especially with the ear piece forming the eyes of the owl when the wire is wrapped around it. Alicia, who took an interest in everything with owl printed from our recent Bangkok trip, immediately jumped in and told me that she would like to have one for her iPhone headphone. The STL was downloaded and I printed 2 at one go.
While surfing on Thingiverse looking at the model of those owls produced by its members, I came across this wire wrap for headphone in the shape of an owl. It looks rather cute especially with the ear piece forming the eyes of the owl when the wire is wrapped around it. Alicia, who took an interest in everything with owl printed from our recent Bangkok trip, immediately jumped in and told me that she would like to have one for her iPhone headphone. The STL was downloaded and I printed 2 at one go.
It turned out that the STL for the headphone I downloaded isn't meant for iPhone's. The 2 holes for the ear piece are too small to fit.
This forced me to do up the CAD from scratch following as closely as I can with the general shape of the STL from Thingiverse. A few good hours was spent playing with Solidworks and BobCad to get the shape right.
This forced me to do up the CAD from scratch following as closely as I can with the general shape of the STL from Thingiverse. A few good hours was spent playing with Solidworks and BobCad to get the shape right.
And this is what I get after that few hours. It works really well. Due to it being a "fatter" owl, I'm not able to print 2 at one go. My bed is too small. So I spent another 30 mins printing one at a time. Alicia, as usual, jumped in and took the first piece as her prize...
This is how it looks with the wire wrapped around. Isn't it cute?!
Starting on 2nd piece for Ruth, I ran into some problem with the print. Look at the left side of the job just below the eye. I can't explain what happened with my little experience and knowledge. So a reprint is in order as Ruth is still waiting though it was passed her bed time.
Just look at how proud she was when she finally got hers.
While having fun printing, I'm constantly thinking of how to improve the stability and accuracy of the printer. I'm toying with the idea of changing out to better quality bears, using lead screws instead of thread rods for the z axis, etc etc etc. I've some ideas in mind but don't know if they will work right. Since this is just a hobby, I'll just give them a shot to see how they turn out.
Will keep you folks posted on the progress like usual.
Will keep you folks posted on the progress like usual.
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