Translucent Bricks - functional walls

🧱 Translucent 3D Printed Bricks – Add light and color to your walls!

Can you imagine a wall that lets light through, that you can customize to your liking, and that you've even assembled yourself?
This is how my 10x10x5 cm / 15x15x5 cm / 20x20x5 cm translucent bricks are born, 3D printed with PET-G to be resistant, safe, and super decorative.

They are perfect for:

• Interior walls with a modern touch.
• Light-filled shower dividers.
• Decorative walls that play with colors and transparencies.
• Structural openings in exterior walls, provided they are contained within a structure that supports the loads (the brick should not be subjected to pressure or tension).

💡 The best part:

• Integrated spacers in the profile for neat joints (full spacer and short spacer).
• They are easily glued with silicone of any color you want, turning the joint into a decorative detail.
• Side perforations to pass LED strips and make the wall literally shine!

📌 Installation Tips

• For large walls: place the bricks with 50% overlap.
• For confined walls or within frames: straight line placement.
• Use PET-G in humid environments or with temperature changes (e.g., in bathrooms).
• Use PLA only in dry interiors without sun exposure or intense heat.

🎨 Post-processing Methods to Achieve the Best Translucent Effect

FDM prints cannot be as completely crystalline as resin due to micro-voids and surface roughness that scatter light, but with these methods, you can achieve a more translucent finish:

1. Wet Sanding
   • Use fine-grit sandpaper (1000 or higher).
   • Gently sand the surface until layer lines are softened.
   • Wash thoroughly to remove any dust residue.
2. Sanding + Varnish or Crystal Lacquer
   • First, do the wet sanding.
   • Apply 2 or more coats of varnish/crystal lacquer, allowing to dry thoroughly between each.
   • Spray from a minimum distance of 25 cm to avoid accumulation and stains.
3. Sanding + Epoxy Resin (the most premium finish)
   • Sand as in step 1.
   • Apply a very thin layer of epoxy resin to the surface.
   • This seals micro-voids and enhances transparency.
4. Print Profile Adjustment (to improve translucency without post-processing)
   • Thick layers.
   • High temperature.
   • Minimum fan speed.

🔧 Technical Details

• Each brick is composed of two pieces + four pegs, facilitating support-free printing and assembly.
• A profile without corner pieces for pegs is also uploaded; in that case, the two parts must be glued.
• Scalable to other sizes (e.g., 20×20×10 cm for large projects).
• Much more economical than a glass brick and with infinite design possibilities.

💬 In summary:
They are resistant, customizable, easy to assemble, and allow for the creation of unique walls and divisions, playing with light and color creatively and economically.