Recycled Purge Poop Cat Toy - Rattle Ball

The Purr-fect Way to Recycle Your 3D Printer Waste! ♻️🐈

(Submitted for the @Pi-Guy Filament Recycling Design Contest - Category: Repurposing waste)

The Story Behind the Design:

Every maker with a multi-color setup knows the struggle: the endless mountain of filament "poops" and purge lines. But in my house, these little plastic blobs became a source of feline entertainment. My cat developed an absolute obsession with stealing the poops right out of the purge chute and batting them across the hardwood floor. He loved the unpredictable way they bounced and the clattering noise they made.

While I appreciated his enthusiasm for 3D printing, finding sharp little plastic nuggets under my bare feet at 2 AM was less than ideal. That’s how this model was born. I wanted to capture the rattling sound and colors he loved, keep my floors clean, and find a genuinely functional way to upcycle my printing waste!

How It Works:

This Voronoi-style rattle ball acts as a cage for your filament waste. The organic holes are large enough to let the bright colors of your failed prints and purge lines shine through, and they allow the "rattle" sound to escape beautifully. But they are small enough to safely keep the plastic pieces locked inside away from your pet's mouth.

4 Aesthetic Variants Available:

I’ve designed four different pattern versions for this rattle ball, so you can choose the one that fits your style best! All variants are included in the files. While they all function excellently, my personal favorite remains the original Voronoi design (shown in the main photos)—it just looks so cool with the colorful poops peeking through.

⚠️ IMPORTANT PRINTING INSTRUCTIONS

To get the poops inside the ball, the included print profile uses a very simple trick:

1. Start the print as normal. The profile has a built-in Pause (M0) programmed before the top of the sphere begins to close.
2. When the printer pauses and moves the toolhead aside, simply drop a handful of your colorful filament poops directly into the hollow ball.
3. Do not overfill the ball! Ensure that all the poops sit below the current printed layer edge. If they stick up too high, the nozzle might crash into them when resuming, which could ruin the print or damage your hotend.
4. Resume the print. The printer will bridge over the top, trapping your recycled filament inside forever!

⚠️ Important Safety Tip for the Purge Poops:

Before inserting your filament waste into the ball, I highly recommend using flush cutters to snip off any thin strings, tails, or loose bits of plastic attached to them. You should only put the solid, “dense core” of the purge poop inside. This ensures that no thin, brittle strings can stick out through the holes of the ball, completely preventing your cat from grabbing, pulling, or accidentally swallowing them. Safety first!

Recommended Materials:

• TPU (Flexible): The absolute best choice for a pet toy. It's durable, survives bites, bounces wonderfully, and is quieter on hard floors.
• PLA: Prints the easiest and works fine, but keep in mind it might crack over time if your cat plays rough or if it's dropped from a height.

Stop throwing away your purge waste and make something your furry assistant will love!