Rotating Earth Lithophane by MadMax3D

MadMax3D

Generative 3D Model>Hueforge & Lithophane

GIF

Print Profile(2)

All

X1 Carbon

P1S

P1P

X1E

Rotating Light Base

Designer

7.6 h

3 plates

5.0(2)

220mm Earth Lithophane

Designer

13.6 h

1 plate

Boost

Released

Description

Large 220mm Lithophane on a base rotating at .6 RPM. The lithophane was generated at lithophanemaker.com and printed all white. I used a cheap set of watercolors to tint the ocean and land areas. The rotating base uses a small USB-powered, 59 RPM motor with a final gear ratio of 100:1. All stls are provided in the download section.

The base consists of five printed parts and some additional parts that can be purchased from Maker's Supply. See links in the Bill of Materials section below for the parts I used. I used part KA004 White LED Strip, but you could also use part KA001 RGB Strip if you want different color light. Total cost of parts is about $20-$25 depending on which LED strip you choose. Additionally, you will need four M3x10mm and one M3x16mm machine screws.

See my other spherical lithophanes

Printing Instructions

My profiles have all my preferred settings. Make sure to select your printer, plate and filament in Studio or the Handy App. If you prefer to plate them yourself or have a non-Bambu printer, the Earth lithophane is printed at .2mm layer height, 4 walls and 100% rectilinear infill. There are two height range modifiers set from 10-30mm and 214-250m with .1mm layer height. This reduces the chance of holes and gaps in the shallow-angle areas. I also added some small supports in areas with noticeable overhangs. The base and cover are printed at .2mm layer height and 5% infill. The gears should be printed at 25% infill. All parts can be printed in PLA.

Assembly Instructions

Assembly is straightforward. Follow the instructions below:

lithophane

globe

earth

Bill of Materials

Bambu parts

TT Motor (DC5V 59RPM CCW Single Axis) -1PCS - LA001

B-LA001

× 1

M3x23 SHCS Machine Screw (10PCS) -AA003

B-AA003

× 1

6500K White LED Light Strip (1pcs) - KA004 / White

B-KA004

× 1

WS2812B RGB LED Strip Light (1pcs) - KA001 / RGB

B-KA001

× 1

List other parts

4 - M3x10mm Machine Screws 1 - M3x16mm Machine Screw

Purchase from Bambu Store

Comment & Rating (17)

@daniel.fiorica

Boosted

Print Profile

Rotating Light Base

nicely done. I'd like to modify the base for the LED puck.

The designer has replied

@MadMax3D

@daniel.fiorica Looks great. Thanks for the positive review! Modifying it for the puck could be done. You'd need a bigger hole in the 120 tooth gear and remove the spiral post. Would having the Fusion file help you? Question: Is that TT motor loud for you? It's too loud for me to keep it in the same room. I'm working on a version using a quieter motor.

@daniel.fiorica

Boosted

Replying to @MadMax3D :

I'm still on tinkercad like a noob, so I'll first try by grabbing the STLs and see if I can modify with those. and yes the motor is loud and makes a click type sound... I haven't investigated to see if there's added friction anywhere or what the cause is, but it seems like it may be getting stuck somewhere in its rotation.

@MadMax3D

Replying to @daniel.fiorica :

Well, the motor itself is loud. Metal gears I think. The gear train may be a little tight, but I don't think it's adding to the noise. I could upload the .step files if you want.

(Edited)

@user_255719212

I can't seem to get mine to print nicely on the bottom as it starts to go up, as well as the very top. Lots of spaghetti strings and doesn't look nice with light behind it because you see the deficiencies. Seems like the printer can't handle such steep slopes? Any thoughts or suggestions? Printer is P1S. Using your profile settings. I also tried it with a 0.12 layer height instead of the 0.2 in your profile but it doesn't help.

The designer has replied

@MadMax3D

@user_255719212 I'm sorry you are having problems. Can you confirm that the height range modifiers and supports are visible in your slice preview (see pic)? I had similar problems when I printed the entire model at .2mm, so I added height range modifiers with .1mm layer height at the top and bottom of the sphere, which solved the problem for me. I printed mine on a P1P. Pics of the top and bottom below.

(Edited)

@user_255719212

Replying to @MadMax3D :

yes, it does show the few support pieces, but that doesn't help the overhang of the sphere part of course. The bottom part of your overhang as it starts to build the globe looks perfect. Mine had a lot of spaghetti strings attached to it, making it look aweful with a light behind it. The top of your globe looks like it has a cap on it, is that just the way it printed? I think I will try again with maybe a different filament. I'm using Polyterra Cotton White.. What filament are you using in that one?

@MadMax3D

Replying to @user_255719212 :

@user_255719212 I just added supports on the parts of the continents that stuck out too far. I created the globe so the image does not go all the way to the top or bottom so it will have a solid cap up there. Make sure you see the height range modifiers set to .1mm in the object screen of the slicer. I used IIIDMax PLA+ White at 215C. Polyterra is a good brand, but maybe something about the matte finish could be causing problems? If you have another white PLA, give it a try. Worst case would be to add a ring of support all the way around the bottom up to about 20mm or so, although that won't help with the top. Unfortunately, tree supports don't work right with variable layer heights, so you would have to use normal supports.