3D Printed Articulated Dragon


A couple weeks ago I printed the Flexi-Rex and he was so much fun, that I thought I'd give the Flexi-Dragon a print this week.


This prints in three parts. We've had better luck with the prints sticking to our print bed when we print each part separately (that and our print bed is pretty small).


The body printed in about 5 hours. I printed it using the recommending settings (.2 resolution, 5% infil) using digital blue PLA.


Then I printed the wings the next day. Each wing took about 3 hours and was printed with the same settings (.2 resolution, 5% infil) and PLA filament.


All the prints for this project came out very clean. I used a bit of hairspray on the print bed before each print started and had no issues with adhesion.


Each wing has a clip for inserting into the dragon body. On one side of the clip, it's smooth. On the other side, it has a ridge that flairs out to the width of the dragon body.


I laid out all of the pieces after they were printed and then put the two flat sides of the wings together and pressed them into the square opening on the top of the dragon body. They snapped into place with just a bit of force.


I chose to print the more flexible wings and you can see when you stand the dragon up that they really curl. I can't wait to try the less flexible wings and a dragon in a different color in the future.


To check out our other 3D printing projects, click here: 3D Printing.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Plastic Wrap Alcohol Ink on Small Ceramic Bowl

Image
A while back I picked up some small white bowls from Big Lots ( these look similar ) with a nice satin finish. I already inked one bowl using the flame method , but I still have a few bowls left, so I decided to give one the plastic wrap treatment. I got out my craft mat and some alcohol inks . Then I cleaned my bowl with rubbing alcohol on a paper towel and removed the sale sticker from the bottom. I tore a piece of plastic wrap off the roll that was large enough to cover my bowl, and I set it down on my craft mat, being sure not to smooth it out. Then I dripped ink on the plastic wrap until I liked the combination of colors and the plastic was mostly full of color. Then I placed my bowl in the center of the plastic wrap and carefully applied the plastic wrap to the sides without smoothing it out too much (so it keeps the wrinkled pattern). Then I flipped it over to dry. I ended up using 7 colors on the bowl. I wanted something bright and fun so I we
Read more

Splatter Resist Alcohol Ink Tile

Image
I still have some ceramic tiles left from my last run to the hardware store, so when I remembered I had saved the contact paper heart from my Valentine's Day Glass Etching project, I knew exactly what I wanted to try. I grabbed some bright alcohol inks , canned air , a 6 inch ceramic tile , and my contact paper heart. I originally cut it out free hand by folding the contact paper, so it doesn't have to be perfect, but I'm sure if you have a cutting machine you could use that to make whatever shape you'd like in contact paper or vinyl. I peeled back the paper backing and applied the heart to the middle of the tile (as best as I could eyeball it). Then I rubbed down the edges of the contact paper. I squeezed out a drop of alcohol ink near the edge of the heart and used canned air to blow the drop out from the center of the tile. I usually hold the can with my right hand and a plastic lid with my left (I use the lid from the small plastic box I keep
Read more

Alcohol Ink Washer Necklaces

Image
I received a package of alcohol inks for Christmas and then bought a second set with a 50% off coupon at Michael's.  I've used them now to make coasters and to decorate some candle holders .  I was just getting my sea legs with these inks to begin with.  I applied the ink directly onto the surfaces and played around with rubbing alcohol as a blending solution.  But I thought it was high time that I used an applicator to use them the way they were intended.  Of course, the applicator is just a stamp with some velcro on it and it costs 6+ dollars....not to mention buying the pre-cut pieces of felt. So I figured I'd make my own.  I was very much in a use what you've got mentality, so I grabbed a scrap piece of wood and a couple of strips of velcro (hook and loop tape).  I used the hook side and lined two pieces up next to each other.  Luckily they were just the right width. I had the sew-on kind of velcro, so I spread some tacky glue thinly onto the surface
Read more