ELEFANTO

I am pleased to introduce my first model. Its name is Elefanto. It is made up of fourteen main parts assembled with fifteen dowels, plus two snap-fit tusks. The assembly requires no screw or glue. It's fun to assemble and disassemble many times to discover all its secrets.

Elefanto is part of a series of 3D puzzles I've created using my building set named PUZLO. I look forward to sharing Elefanto's friends with you in the coming weeks.

I have positioned the parts on two plates:

PLATE 1

The first plate contains all the main parts. They are positioned to ensure smooth curves and avoid a stair-step effect. Only one part is positioned differently, and requires a support structure for the trunk. I don't suggest creating supports for the holes, as the printer can take care of making the bridges easily and you won't have to clean the holes of support remnants.

PLATE 2

The second plate contains the dowels and the snap-fit tusks. Precise clearances have been calculated so that the dowels should slide well into the holes, but without wobbling. However, these clearances cannot be guaranteed due to variations in filament types, printing speeds, and machine performances and must also be adjusted when scaling at larger or lower scales. Therefore, at any scale, it is advisable to run a test with a single dowel before printing the fifteen needed for assembly. For this purpose, I have included a Test Dowel on Plate 2.

Technical Specifications

• Model dimensions (mm at scale 1:1) : W=90; L=189; H= 121.5
• Estimated filament needed (including dowels and tusks): 225 g
• Number of pieces: 31 in total, including 14 main pieces, 15 dowels, and 2 tusks.

Eco-friendly Filaments

• Main Parts (dark grey): PLA MALHELA GRIZO from EFIKECO.
• Tusks (natural white): PHA REGEN from BOSK.

Printing

• Nozzle size: 0.4
• Layer height: 0.2 mm
• Print speed: slow, especially for the parts on the second plate (dowels and tusks).
• Support needed: only for the elephant's trunk.
• Infill percentage: 15% (it can be less for the ears, for better balance).

Post-Processing

• No post-processing required.
• All parts can be printed in the same color for a uniform look, or you can print some parts in different colors to personalize Elefanto and make it uniquely yours.

Scalable The main parts are scalable, while the dowels require careful adjustment. For downscaling, I suggest 75% or 50%, adjusting the dimensions of the dowels by printing the Test Dowel first, as mentioned above and further described in the PNG image attached: 'Elefanto_Printing and Scaling'.

Assembly This puzzle is designed to be fun and thought-provoking without being too difficult. Consult the Assembly Instructions (PDF included) or try assembling Elefanto without help for a challenge.