3D Printed Skulls from Thingiverse

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Those who have been around TechShopSF in the past three months have started to notice these 3D printed, red SKULLS popping up everywhere.  The reason is: me, and my new found love for experimenting with 3D print settings! I’ve taught the MakerBot class at TechShop since Summer 2015, and usually make sample prints of an elephant to show my students.  But in my spare time, lately I've printed nothing but these awesome SKULLS, which also hold LED tea light candles.  

*Cue in the Misfits song Skulls* 

I originally purchased these LED tea candles for a CNC chandelier that I’m designing, and since I had the candles on hand, I started to tinker with the skull print from Thingiverse.  Since the OP used smaller candles, I first had to find the right size print for my larger candles.  Then I moved on to other tweaks, experimenting with the Quick Settings like layer height, infill, and shells, using MakerWare, MakerBot's splicing software.  

No two skulls have been the same, so far…. But I think that’s about to change, as I’ve finally found the ideal settings for this project!

My version of the 3d Printed Skull Tea Light holds these candles from Amazon, and it prints in about 3 hours 30 mins.  It is strong enough to get a mild beating (because I’m reckless), and prints quick enough that I can run a print every time I’m working at TechShopSF.  So far, I’ve printed about 15 and still have more than 1/2 (large) Spool of Red Translucent filament from MakerBot.

You can still expect to see skulls being printed on the MakerBot whenever I’m at TechShop, but I’ve now moved from “experimenting” to the “final run”.  Happy skull hunting, y’all!

Box Mania! Laser Cut Boxes in Wood and Acrylic

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One of my favorite things about the Laser Cutter is the ability to cut and assemble ANY BOX or container on-the-fly.  

I’ve started using Post-It notes in my planner instead of crossing things out when they get canceled.  I like the ability to move things around but still have a written document rather than a web app.  After struggling to use a pencil case to hold my Post-It’s, I made this small box out of scrap acrylic.  It fits my two sizes of Post-It’s perfectly.

Since teaching the MakerBot 3D printer at TechShop, I've realized a need to to store 3d-printed thingamajigs to show my class.  I whipped up this box during a one hour reservation on the Universal Lasers, using the box generator at MakerCase.com.  I also etched my name and the MakerBot logo onto the box surface.  I love how the project came out.