3D Printed Balance Bird


This week I picked a 3D print project from Thingiverse that I had been eyeing for a while. This adorable balancing bird design was a snap to print.


I followed the instructions on the original post and printed the bird with .2 percent resolution and 10% infil. I selected a purple PLA filament for this print because purple is my favorite color (and because it was already in the printer from last week's print). I started by printed the body of the bird first. I came down to check on the print, and it had already finished. It took about 45 minutes to complete.


I printed the wing section next. This on is bigger so it took a bit longer--about an hour and a half--to print. It came out well aside from a little roughness on the edges of the coin holders.


Lastly, I printed the twig stand. This one printed about as quickly as the body (45 minutes) and came out clean.


Next we had to slide the wings into the body and put coins in the coin holder. We were able to get the bird to balance on the twig with every coin we tried. With the wings slid completely into place, the dimes and pennies made the bird fairly level. The nickels and quarters caused the bird to lean--which added an element of excitement. You can also slide the wings back to make the heavier coins balance on a level line. This print was a lot of fun and I hope to make more--maybe in multiple colors!

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