Category: 3D Printing

3D Printed Glowing Flower

Create a fun light-up flower using 3D printing and Tinkercad! Optionally add some needle felting to diffuse the light from the LED at the center of the flower. The special Glow circuit assembly in Tinkercad makes it easy to put an LED and battery circuit into your 3D prints.

If you’d like to make the exact flower shown, you can download the attached STL files and get printing. You can modify the base model by clicking the “edit in 3D” button on the embedded Tinkercad model above (free Tinkercad account/login required). Or model your own unique flower in a new Tinkercad workplane using the tips in this tutorial.

flower-base-and-pedals.zip

Gather Supplies

You’ll need a 3D printer and filament to build this project. If you’re new to 3D printing, check out Jonathan Odom’s excellent free Instructables Easy 3D Printing Class to get you up to speed.

Supplies and tools list:

To keep up with what I’m working on, follow me on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and subscribe to my newsletter. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases you make using my affiliate links.

IMPORTANT: Coin cell batteries can cause serious injury if swallowed. Keep coin cell batteries out of reach of small children!

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LED Mason Jar Lanterns

In this easy 3D printing project, we’ll build glowing mason jar lanterns containing a simple LED and battery circuit. Download my file or build your own custom lid using the Glow Circuit Assembly in Tinkercad, which is designed to hold the battery and LED together perfectly. I’ll show you four different ways to style your lanterns using materials you probably already have around.

This is a beginner project that’s great for students/educators. Let’s begin!

For this project, you will need:

  • Mason jar(s) in size(s) of your choice (quart, pint, 4oz)
  • 10mm LED(s) in color(s) of your choice
  • CR2032 batteries
  • Wire cutters/snips
  • 3D printed lid with embedded Glow Holder in size(s) to match your jar(s)
  • Paper & scissors, glitter glue, translucent beads, etc. for decorating your jar
  • Calipers or a ruler (optional, for designing your own lid)

Make a copy of my Tinkercad file (free account/login required). The two sizes match the common mason jar lid sizes. Export the one(s) that match your jar(s) and send them to your 3D printer. I used Autodesk Print Studio to prepare the printer file and set it to 20% infill with no raft or supports. If you prefer to design your own lid, skip ahead to the design step.

To keep up with what I’m working on, follow me on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and subscribe to my newsletter. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases you make using my affiliate links.

Mason-Jar-LED-Lantern-Lids.zipDownload
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3D Printer Filament Dry Box

This tutorial describes how I made a dry box for my 3D printing filament. It protects the PLA from absorbing moisture from the air, which can lead to failed prints and nozzle clogs. The dry box dispenses the filament to the 3D printer too, providing convenient storage.

This box fits four standard rolls of filament. This is an easy project that takes less than an afternoon to complete, and then you’ll reap the filament-preserving benefits for countless days to come!

You’ll need a gasketed plastic container that’s at least as tall and deep as a roll of filament, and as long as you want to accommodate your shelf space or filament collection.

Besides the box, you’ll need a piece of PVC pipe or closet rod to match the length of your box (I cut mine with a hand saw), some teflon tubing to feed your filament to the printer, some silica gel packets to absorb moisture from the air inside the box, a step drill and screw gun, some O-rings and screws (with appropriate drivers), and some 3D printed parts I found on Thingiverse.

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Talking Dog Collar with Bluetooth Control

Make a bluetooth-activated talking dog collar for Halloween or just to show off at the park! This intermediate electronics project was inspired by Dug from the movie Up– his talking collar translates his thoughts for communicating with humans. Using the Audio FX board and Bluefruit Micro, this project enables you to trigger sound samples through the Bluefruit LE Connect app for iOS and Android. The sounds are played through a mono amp connected to a mini metal speaker.

The collar itself is made from a leather belt, with 3D printed “greebles” to make it look like the collar from the movie.

It’s easy to adapt this circuit for any phone-triggered audio project by swapping out the sound samples!

Before you begin, familiarize yourself with the following prerequisite guides:

For this project you will need:

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases you make using my affiliate links.

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Unicorn Horn with 3D Printing & NeoPixel LEDs

Searching for a simple costume project to bring your Unikitty or Lady Rainicorn to the next level? 3D print a flexible unicorn horn and illuminate it from within with NeoPixels and a GEMMA M0, GEMMA v1 or GEMMA v2 based microcontroller. Or forget the electronics and use glow in the dark NinjaFlex filament for a green glow with no batteries required.

This is a pretty quick soldering project that is suitable for attentive beginners! Prerequisite guides:

For this project you will need:

Unicorn glamour shots by Andrew Tingle.

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EEG Costume Cap

Make this ambitious costume project for Halloween or cosplay event! Before you begin this ambitious and time-consuming project, complete the following prerequisite guides:

To make this project, you will need:

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Cyber Tank Girl Costume

I’ve admired the comic character Tank Girl for ages, and this year I wanted to update her post apocalyptic Outback look for the 21st century. This guide covers the different elements I used to make this costume.

Bandolier of Light

This fun and flexible light-up accessory is made using 3D printing, DIY electronics, and a little bit of sewing.

You can easily wear it as a belt instead of a shoulder sash, and the modular design lets you customize the length that’s just right for you.

Before you begin, take a look at these prerequisite guides:

For this project you will need:

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Cyberpunk Spikes – 3D Printed Electronic Fashion

Before you get started, follow the Gemma M0 guide or the Classic Introducing GEMMA guide 

Make your own flexible, spiky, glowing accessory using NeoPixel strip diffused by NinjaFlex flexible 3D printing filament! Magnets let you attach the spikes to anything in your wardrobe. The soft flexible enclosure holds GEMMA, the tiny microcontroller that animates the LEDs, and a rechargeable lipoly battery.

For this project you will need:

Portraits by Andrew Tingle.

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NeoPixel Tiara for Birthday or Prom

You can make a crown of light for prom or your birthday this year! A few free-wired NeoPixels make you the cyber-pageant queen.

For this project you will need:

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