Our favorite 3D printing wizard, DaveMakesStuff, is back again with another outstanding print. If you’re looking for a beautiful home for your plants, moss, or even your figurines, Dave’s got you covered with these stylish new teardrop pods. These ornate display pieces may be shaped like tears, but they’re sure to bring a smile to the face of anyone who decides to print them. Let’s take a closer look at these interesting geometric structures and see how Dave crafted them.

List of tools

• Elegoo Saturn 2
• Elegoo Mercury X for curing and cleaning
• BASF Ultracur3D® Resin Cleaner
• Lychee Slicer
• Phrozen Dental Study Resin
• Ntopology

Design Goals

When Dave set out to design these teardrop pods, he had a few different goals in mind. With this project, Dave wanted to design a fairly large piece, but one that wouldn’t require that much resin. He was hoping to create a real “bang for your buck” print that would achieve maximum volume while using minimum material. To achieve this, Dave decided to employ an exceptionally thin, wide-open lattice mesh, interweaving plenty of open space into the layout of the pod. By utilizing this kind of spacious latticework, Dave would be able to make the print larger without sacrificing any structural integrity. The open lattice design also allows the user to see within the confines of the pod, making it all the more attractive as a display piece.

While designing the teardrops, Dave realized that a few of his past projects had been somewhat difficult to set up, especially while placing the supports. This time, he wanted to create a design that was easier to print while ensuring it would still be visually appealing. He also decided to give the pods a small but sturdy bottom, to make the printing process smoother. By concentrating the bulk of the heavy supports on the bottom of the print, Dave would be able to minimize the number of supports needed for the rest of the structure. Minimizing the supports streamlines the printing process, and reduces the amount of resin required for the print.

When it was all said and done, Dave’s finalized teardrop pod design measured over one hundred and thirteen millimeters (113mm) in height and sixty millimeters (60mm) in diameter. The crazy part? Dave was hoping to print the whole thing with only twenty milliliters of resin! Using such a small amount of resin for a print of that size certainly seemed ambitious, but the supports were in place and Dave was confident in his design. Without further ado, Dave exported his STL files to Lychee Slicer and prepared his trusty Elegoo Saturn II for printing.

The Printing Process

So, did it work? Could Dave really pull off a print of that size with only twenty milliliters of resin? Well of course he could! As per usual, Dave’s design ended up printing flawlessly! For this print, Dave went with the Phrozen Dental Study Resin, which provided these gorgeous pods with a pristine, matte white finish.

By using the Elegoo Saturn II’s handy pause function, Dave was able to keep tabs on the pods during printing. If the print had any problems, he would’ve been able to catch them before wasting more of his time or resin. Thankfully for Dave, he didn’t run into any problems, and he realized that the print could have been accomplished with even fewer supports, which is just more resin saved! If Dave’s mission statement were “bang for your buck,” then, I’d say mission accomplished. Once the teardrop pods had finished printing, Dave washed them in BASF Ultracur3D cleaner and placed them in his Elegoo Mercury X for curing.

Reviewing the Project

After the teardrop pods had been completed, Dave took some time to look back on the project. Initially, Dave was concerned that the teardrop pods would be too large for the amount of resin he wanted to print them with. Thankfully, his design ended up proving both economical and structurally sound. On top of the astounding technical achievements, the design is just plain beautiful! Dave managed to create a sleek, elegant design while bringing his signature geometrical complexity to the piece.

Conclusion

All in all, the teardrop pod project was a resounding success. These phenomenal teardrop-shaped displays are easy to hang, allowing you to show off plants, succulents, or anything else your heart may desire. Dave’s attention to detail and innovative use of latticework always result in gorgeous structures, but the real treat here is that these pods require a very minimal amount of resin! Their elegant design and practical functionality prove that sometimes, less really is more. Nice work, Dave—we can’t wait to print a few of these pods for ourselves!

Download the models here