Summer is a time for relaxation, fun with friends, and, of course, copious amounts of 3D printing. Warm weather offers an ideal environment for 3D printing, keeping your rooms hot and the quality of your prints high. But what exactly can you print to take advantage of this season?
There are countless 3D printable models available for free online. You just need to download the files, prepare them in your slicer, and you will be ready to start printing items that will make it easier to get through the hotter months. Let’s take a look at some of the best 3D printing projects to try this summer.
1. Plant Pots
Whether you’re a green-fingered garden enthusiast or simply want to improve your outdoor space, plant pots are a great choice. 3D printers are perfect for making plant pots. Their thin walls and bases mean that you can produce large pots without having to spend days waiting for your prints to finish.
This Cat Plant Pot on Thingiverse is a great example of this. The model can be scaled up or down to meet your requirements, and its simple shape makes it incredibly easy to print. While this will print well with PLA, PETG would be a better choice if you plan to keep your pot outside. PETG is far more chemical and water-resistant than PLA.
You won’t need to print this model with supports or a raft, and you can stick with your regular PLA/PETG profile. Printing with a layer height of 0.3mm and a fill density of 30% will result in a piece that takes around four hours to complete.
2. Outdoor Games
3D printing is a time-consuming hobby, but much of this time is spent waiting. What better way to spend this time than enjoying some outdoor games? This is where our next idea comes in; a 3D printed frisbee.
Like your plant pot, a frisbee will be incredibly easy to print. This simple Frisbee from Thingiverse can be printed without supports or a raft using your regular settings. We had to rotate the frisbee model -90 degrees on the X-axis and reduce its overall scale to 70% to fit our printer.
Printing at the low resolution of 0.3mm, our slicer estimates that this print will take just over six hours. PLA will be fine for this print, but it is likely to last longer if you use a stronger material like PETG or ABS.
3. Water Bottle Rockets
The summer months come with a lot of opportunities. Being able to spend time outside and enjoy some fun science is part of this. This next idea involves building your own water bottle rocket with a complex remote launching system to make use of your 3D printer.
This Water Rocket Launch System project comes with all of the files you need, including a stand-in bottle in case you don’t have one lying around. Seeing as these parts need to be precise, slice this with a layer height of 0.18mm. This results in a print time of just over five hours using the heavy-duty version of the model and your own plastic bottle.
You will also need a bike pump, some string, and some o-rings for this project. Other than that, though, you don’t need anything else to start sending bottles hurtling into the cosmos. Seeing as the bottle will be under high-pressure, adult supervision is recommended when this rocket is being used.
4. 3D Printed Sundials
Sundials have been used as a way to track the passage of time for thousands of years. This next project gives you the power to use the sun to tell the time, only with a shadow that displays numbers like a digital clock.
This “Digital Sundial” offers a unique and interesting way to tell the time, all in a package that is really easy to print. You will need to pick the right gnomon for your hemisphere, but there are only three other pieces to print. This print will not need supports or rafts.
With a layer height of 0.3mm, our slicer estimates that this project will take about 14 hours to print. You will also need an empty jar and some nuts, bolts, and washers to put this project together. All in all, this is an exciting way to take advantage of the summer sunshine in your garden.
5. Folding Fans
Air movement can be a powerful tool when you want to cool down on a hot day. People have known this for a very long time, and traditional folding fans have long been popular in regions like Asia. But can you print something like this for yourself?
You certainly can.
This project will be more challenging than some, as it is designed to be printed as a single piece. It is recommended that you use a raft while printing this design, though you don’t have to worry about supports to get a clean print. With a layer height of 0.18mm, this 3D Printed Chinese Oriental Folding Fan can be printed in as little as 17 hours.
This is a great project for those who are interested in working with print-in-place moving parts. Not only will you need to choose the right settings to make your print look good, but you also have to make sure that it can all move properly when it is complete. A small stand for your fan can also be printed for when it isn’t in use.
6. Water Bottle Clips
This final project isn’t as complicated as the others. Everyone knows that carrying water is especially important during summer, and this handy project makes it easier than ever to keep your bottle with you. It’s a simple Water Bottle Clip.
Designed to fit standard drinks bottles, you can adapt the size of this piece to match the size of the bottle you drink from. Aside from that, though, printing this will be incredibly easy. We sliced this 3D model with a layer height of 0.3mm, and this gave us an estimated print time of just 15 minutes. You can use any material you like for this project.
Using Your 3D Printer This Summer
Finding ways to cool off, have fun, and keep yourself hydrated during summer are all very important. Most people won’t consider their 3D printer as the solution to these areas, but there are countless excellent models to be found online that offer fun projects to try at home. You just need to make sure that you have something to cool yourself down while you print in the summer heat.