An elegant, flowing design for the top of the Christmas tree!
This is the last in my series of flare ornaments.
I've provided the topper as both one piece and two. It's too large to print on my printer in one piece, so I created two interlocking pieces to make gluing it easier. There's about a 0.2mm gap between the pieces, so it should work as-is with most printers and filaments. If it's way off, you could try adjusting the XY Size Compensation to increase or decrease the gap by 0.1 – 0.2mm, though I'm not sure how that would impact the overall design. If you try adjusting XY Size Compensation, try printing just a could cm of the two pieces.
At 100% scale, the topper is a good size for a very large tree (2+ meters). I've provided PrusaSlicer project files (and GCODE for a Prusa MK3S+) with the parts scaled to 85%, which works well for trees around 1.5 – 2 meters tall. For smaller trees, I recommend printing at 75%. The design will slice well below 75%, but you may find the openings are too small. You may want to print the first 1-2cm to test the size of the opening.
To glue the pieces together, I recommend using a slow medium CA (super glue). The best way to do it is by placing a roll of filament on an inexpensive Lazy Susan. Then, place the bottom half of the ornament “Right side up” in the center of the Lazy Susan. Align the ornament so it's roughly centered on the Lazy Susan and vertical, place a drop of glue at the joint, and attach the top half of the ornament. Gently turn the Lazy Susan and adjust the alignment of the two pieces of the ornament until you're happy.
For details on all my print settings, check out my Thangs Blog!