New Tutorial Published on Instructables

Just published a tutorial on how to design chain-mail. Well, actually it's more about using parameter-driven design in Fusion 360 to create an easy-to-change base design for 3d printable chain mail. But that's a mouthful.

It's also my first attempt at a video tutorial in years - like since it was actually on "video tape," not digital. It was trickier than I remembered, but digital editing is a lot more forgiving than editing on a tape deck.

So check it out and let me know what you think of the tutorial - especially the video. I know it's kind of a specialized subject, but if you have any interest in modern 3d design and printing, the video might have some useful tips and tricks.










I was honestly really impressed with how useful parameters are for doing design iterations. Setting everything up for the first time can be time-consuming. But so is designing any object from scratch. The payoff, and it's a huge payoff, is that once you have the parameters set, you can make hundreds of design changes really quickly and with almost no effort.

Small tweaks that could have taken hours now take seconds. So if you are hesitating on taking the plunge into the new world of "parameter driven design" - well I strongly encourage you to jump right in. The rewards are tremendous for anyone who does complex design work.

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All Colors, Shapes and Sizes - 3D is Going Mainstream

Sure thing... you can print in any color you want. You can also resize it, change the shapes or mix and match to form a unique texture. And most printers can handle a variety of material types. With some, you can even print in multiple colors on the same object.

I think I've confused people because I always print the first experimental run in the cheapest black PLA I can find. It's also one of the easiest, fastest and most reliable materials to work with - perfect for prototyping.








But the 3d filament market is becoming like the interior paint market. It's not just black and white anymore. Now you have ecru and cream and frost and fog and cool vs warm whites. Or midnight and coal and dark-heart. Let's not even talk about the reds and blues and greens and all shades in between.

Some filament brands are shiny, some are matte. The black I am currently using is so shiny and reflective that it can be difficult to photograph. The white is so chalky and matte that you think you will get a powdery residue on your hands if you touch it (you don't).

And every filament manufacturer is different, and each is constantly changing their formulas and color palette. They are all trying to find the new "it color" for this season. I am just now beginning to know enough to have favorites.

Each manufacturer also has a different formula for the material. So you might like the look of their red, but not like the way it prints, or how brittle it is. And as far as I know, there is no "master palette" or overall brand look like there is with paints. Every color is sort of unique, not necessarily part of a family meant to work together.

That is changing however, as the 3D printing world moves from the purely techno-geek world into the wider, more fashion and design oriented world. Martha Stewart had her own 3d filament line, so the big paint manufacturers can't be far behind.

One last thing to add to the confusion, there are also translucent and transparent materials. There are super flexible and semi-flexible materials. There are copper and bronze and iron filaments that you can polish and even pre-rust for the authentic look. Let's not forget wood and bamboo filaments, or the glow-in-the-dark, the heat sensitive, UV sensitive and color changing filaments.

It's a fun time to get into 3d printing, and your possible color selections just keep getting better.

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Printing at Home vs SLS Services for Chainmail

Recently posted about some chainmail that I printed on my Monoprice Select v2. A friend asked how this chainmail differed from a version that I had printed from Shapeways.com - so here's a quick comparison.

COST

Materials: The home printer version (black) cost me pennies on the dollar compared to Shapeways. I can't state the exact costs because they are different sizes and materials, but it's something like $0.80 vs $80 for the same sized sheet. Let's just say the home-based machine has already paid for itself in material costs.

Labor and Time: Well Shapeways is super convenient, just submit the file and wait one to two weeks to get it back. With the home printer I had to convert and slice the project (15 mins) load the printer and wait for it to heat up (another 15 mins) and monitor the project over four hours. Also, I had some filament break, so I lost another two hours. Basically, Shapeways is more convenient and quicker.

Development Time: Here, the home printer definitely wins - no question. I can try small-batch experiments in minutes (the one shown here is probably about a 12 min print). I can try different sizes and shapes and heights quickly. This ability to run rapid iterations is, for me, the real reason to own your own printer.

But what about quality and strength and appearance? Well you can see from the above photo that the black PLA print is considerably more chunky, about 30% larger than the white version from Shapeways.



That's because Shapeways uses a thin laser to print the object while the home printer squeezes melted plastic out of a nozzle. That nozzle is 0.4 mm wide, so if you want two layers on each side you will get a 1.6 thick object. Both of these prints use the smallest, thinnest dimensions recommended by their manufacturers.

Strength and Appearance

I would say the black PLA print is stronger, but if the white Nylon were printed at the same size, then it would be stronger. Part of that is the material properties. Nylon is simply stronger than PLA, and PLA is kind of brittle.

However, the home printer can print other materials like modified PLAs, PETG and even some types of nylon. So with those materials, the home-printed version might be as strong, or even stronger, than the Nylon from Shapeways.

Shapeways' lasers also bond all the layers together very well which assures a consistent, dependably strong part. Home printers can also print dependably, but it's good to note that you will need to know how to set up your printer to achieve those results.

As noted, the home printed version is thicker, less delicate. The white version from Shapeways almost begins to feel like a fabric while the black PLA version, though flexible, still feels like traditional chainmail. It's flexible and comfortable and smooth to the touch - definitely wearable - but nothing like a fabric.

Conclusion

Get a home 3D printer. They still can't produce as delicate a print as the SLS from a service provider. But you can experiment quickly and to your heart's content for pennies a day. And with the huge varieties of filaments of all colors (including glow in the dark, color-changing and transparent) you can print out several different versions for the price of one experiment printed from a service provider.

Chain Mail 3D Print - First Try

3D printed some simple Chain Mail recently. Just small sheets to begin with - about 6"x"6" inches. But I am really happy with how flexible and sturdy the result turned out.

I used some basic black PLA from Hatchbox with a layer height of 0.2 mm on the Monoprice Maker Select v2. I was worried about the huge number of bridges, but the printer worked like a champ. I slowed the print speed by 30% on the first two layers of the bridging and got a solid print with no stringing. No supports were required.







The sheets bend well in one dimension and in two dimensions. They wrap around cylinders and even drape well over sharp edged shapes. There are some oddities in that behavior that depend on the orientation and spacing of the links. Nothing to keep me from experimenting, but it is something I need to understand more before I create any real projects.

I also experimented with varying the link-size and spacing between the links to see if I could add some visual interest or patterning to the sheets. It oriented fine, but the differences didn't show up as well as I had hoped. This might be because the chain mail was all black - maybe another color or surface finish would show the variations more effectively.

I also added a few through-holes along the edges of the small sheet so that I could tie several sheets together to form a larger sheet. It kind of defeats the concept of "pure 3D design," but it's a simple solution that I can use right now.

Overall, this is a successful experiment for me. I'm already working on a more finished piece with some extra goodies and techniques thrown in. Hopefully, I will have a small piece ready to wear soon.

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3D Printed Mesh on Green Clutch

Printed out some large chainmail mesh. Liked the design - not enough to print an entire garment from it, but I still wanted to experiment with it some more. So I headed to the thrift store to look for colorful backgrounds to work with. Here's the first try...

Liked the simple, graphic design of this bag. Thought it could hold up visually to the huge links in the 3d printed mesh. And the bright green showed up well through the mesh.

Yes, these links are almost an inch wide - and vey flexible.

I even picked up a nice retro dress that  mimicked the colors and shapes from the modified bag - pretty cool haul.

The 3d printed mesh was created with circles interlinked with a rod-and-knob joining hub. The links are big enough that there is lots of play between the links. It isn't "fabric like," but it is pretty flexible for a PLA print.

Got some more ideas for this design, including a red clutch and polka-dot dress. And I want to add some bling to the knobbies.