Spheres and other round objects cause problems for many 3D printing users as they cannot be printed without support structures. YouTuber DaveMakesStuff now demonstrates a trick that allows spherical models to be realized without support.
His concept is based on printing the sphere not in one piece, but in two half-shell-shaped segments. The cavities make it possible to produce the parts in vase or spiral mode: This involves building the model through a single, uninterrupted filament path.
According to Dave, this process is ideal for decorative objects such as Christmas tree baubles. It requires hardly any filament and the two halves of the ball can simply be plugged together after printing – without any disruptive support structures.
In a video, the maker demonstrates his process on an oversized Christmas bauble with a diameter of 40 centimetres. In principle, however, the technique can be applied to all kinds of spherical models, says Dave. A simple adaptation of the 3D models is sufficient.
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