Swoop 3 Christmas Tree Topper 2024

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**NOT TO BE SOLD**
**I'm sharing my files so that you can make them for yourselves or give them away as gifts. I hope you enjoy them. I do not authorize sale of my work by anyone. Please don't ask me.**

**WHAT IS IT?**
This is a topper for small to medium Christmas trees. It will work well on trees that are anywhere from about 4 feet (1.3 meters) up to 7 feet (2.3 meters) tall.

**CHALLENGING PRINT**
If you just got your first 3D printer and are looking for your first thing to print, this isn't it. Using the settings I recommend below, an experienced maker should be able to get a good print without many failed attempts. However, if you are not intimately familiar with the detailed settings in your slicer, add this to your favorites and come back when you have a little more experience. If it's frustrating, it's no fun.

If you're looking for an even bigger challenge, try my Open Lattice Christmas Tree Topper: https://thangs.com/designer/dazus/3d-model/Open%20Lattice%20Christmas%20Topper-472732?manualModelView=true.

**COMMON PROBLEMS PRINTING**
Assuming you use the print settings I recommended below, here are some common problems and possible fixes:
*Comes off bed:* Increase brim/raft size. Reduce print speed. Add more supports.
*Print looks rough:* Reduce print speed.

**PRINT TIME
With my settings, it will take 12-15 hours depending on the exact support and build plate adhesion settings you use.

**PRINT SETTINGS**
*Thickness*

* Layer thickness: .15mm
* Wall thickness: 0.4mm and choose the “alternate extra wall” option so it alternates between 0.4 and 0.8mm walls with each layer (if you're using Cura – other slicers may not have this option). The alternate extra wall seems to prevent gaps in the print while minimizing the overall weight of the ornament.
* Top/bottom thickness: 0.3mm

*Infill*
This doesn't need any infill. Seriously.

*Speed*
You'll want to use slow printer settings to that the print is accurate and to reduce the pull on the thin arms of the topper.

* Overall: 60mm/s
* Outer wall: 20mm/s
* Inner wall: 40mm/s
* Travel Speed: 65mm/sec

*Build Plate Adhesion*
You'll need to use either a brim or a raft. The base of the ornament is a thin, narrow circle. It just won't stay attached to the bed without a little help. I'd use an 8mm brim 8mm or a 15-20mm raft.

*Supports*
I used the custom support plug-in in Cura, choose the “freeshape” option whose icon looks like an extruded star, then chose “arch-buttress” from the drop-down. I attached overlapping supports to both the middle of the large and medium bulbs on all 4 sides. This results in a single support on each of 4 sides that makes contact with the ornament in 2 places. I used 20% gyro infill and a 1 layer wall. 

After the print was done, I found that the supports only just survived the printing process – and if they failed, the whole print would fail. I would now recommend using the “custom” option from the drop-down instead, making the walls 2 layers thick, scaling the width of each support to 150%, and reducing the infill to 8% gyro. Granted, I haven't tested this exact combo, but I know it'll be a lot stronger. The main difference in the “custom” vs. the “arch-buttress” is that the “custom” option provides good lateral support so sideways forces don't break the support in half. The new settings will add about 90 minutes to the print time. However, when this print fails, it generally does it after 75% or more has printed. Adding 90 minutes to the print may save you from printing for 9 hours only to have to start over.

I've attached screenshots from Cura so you can see both options.

If your slicer doesn't have an option for something similar to custom supports, you might try these settings, but I do not know if they will work:

* Overhang angle: 52 degrees
* Support wall line count: 2
* Support pattern: Gyro
* Support density: 8%
* Support placement: touching buildplate

If you do use them, add a support blocker to the center of the model to prevent supports from being added to the central shaft. There's no need for the supports there. It'll only add time to the print while giving you even more supports to remove when the print is finished.

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##Not to Be Sold
**I'm sharing my files so that you can make them for yourselves or give them away as gifts. I hope you enjoy them. I do not authorize sale of my work by anyone. Please don't ask me.**

##About the Design
This is an elegant abstract sculpture masquerading as a Christmas ornament. It almost seems to change shape as you rotate it in different directions.

This ornament prints well with just a single perimeter. That makes it very light and lets the most light through is you use transparent/translucent filament. In fact, it positively glows. It also looks amazing printed with bichromatic or trichromatic filaments. 

The print shown in clear was printed with Matterhackers Transparent PLA. They were printed on an AnyCubic Mega S and sliced using Cura. I'll be adding pictures soon that show the ornament printed with Matterhackers Quantum Raspberry Gold and Translucent Blue printed on a Prusa MK3S+ sliced using PrusaSlicer.

##Resizing
These should scale up well, but I'm not sure how much smaller you could print them using a consumer FDM printer. Using a resin printer, you could probably print them much smaller.

##Print Time
About 5 hours

##Print Settings
The trickiest parts to print is the top of the stems. Using FDM, if you don't temp, speed, flow, and cooling right, the thin parts of the stem will melt as you print. Thinner walls help. If that's not enough, try increasing the layer height.

*Thickness*

* Layer thickness: .15 mm
* Wall thickness: 0.4 mm.

*Infill*
Using PrusaSlicer, you won't need infill. Just set top and bottom to 1 layer and minimum shell thickness to 0.15 mm. That will keep the ornament light (about 13 grams) and will let the most light through if you use translucent/transparent PLA. 

If you use Cura, I would use support blockers set to 1-3 layers high to add infill just in those areas that are unsupported.

*Speed*
With PrusaSclier, I used the default speed settings for my printer and generic PLA. In cura, I used:
* Outer Wall: 35 mm/sec
* Inner Wall: 40 mm/sec
* Travel Speed: 60 mm/sec

*Build Plate Adhesion*
I used a brim. With the supports, you shouldn't need a raft.

*Supports*
You will probably need supports for both bed adhesion and the overhang on the first few layers. You shouldn't need supports for the loop at the top. Adding them would just increase the chances the supports broke and caused the print to fail. If you get supports inside the ball, just add a support blocker.

* Support Structure: Normal
* Support Placement: Touching Buildplate
* Support Overhang Angle: 60 Degrees (Cura) and 67 (PrusaSlicer)

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