Customizable Sundial for Children with Your Own Design

☀️ Customizable Sundial for Children with Your Own Design

🌱 The Story Behind It

A colleague brought me a small cardboard sundial some time ago. It was destroyed by the first rain. So he asked me if I could develop a robust version using a 3D printer. This model was born out of that: a weatherproof, stable sundial for children.

It is easy to print and quick to assemble. It is suitable for Gardens, Balconies, and Terraces, as well as a learning project for school and homeschooling.

Optionally, you can customize it with your own design. Instructions can be found below.

🧭 Important: Alignment and Accuracy

For the sundial to display the correct time, please observe the following points:

• Align the Gnomon (shadow-casting rod) to the North.
• Place the sundial in a location with as much all-day sun exposure as possible.
• Ideally, adjust the sundial to your geographical latitude.

Note: A sundial shows the true local time, not the legal time. In summer, an additional hour (daylight saving time) is therefore added, depending on the region. This is a good starting point for discussions with children.

🖨️ Print Profiles

Currently, 6 print profiles are available. The recommended material is PETG due to its weather resistance. The recommended layer height is 0.2 mm. Print time varies by version, from approximately 3 to 5 hours.

• Customizable: customizable with your own design via Make My Sign.
• AMS: Multicolor with pre-made design, ready to print.
• no AMS: single color with pre-made design, ready to print and suitable for painting.
• A1 Mini: a smaller version.
• no AMS with filament change: for two-color printing without AMS.
• A1 Mini with filament change: for two-color printing without AMS.

For the pre-made versions, click on the print template and select "Open in Bambu Studio".

🎨 Instructions: Create Your Own Design

Step 1 – Customize in Make My Sign

1. Click the Customizable print template.
2. Then click on    .

3. Then select the template in the dialog and click Customize again.

    

   

    

4. Now MakeMySign should start with the sundial without a design.

    

   

5. Now import and place your own design via in the toolbar.

    

   

6. Once everything is ready, click Download in the upper right corner.

7. For the download, keep the default settings and download the 3MF file.

    

   

Step 2 – Prepare in Bambu Studio

1. Import the downloaded 3MF file into a new project.

2. Align the object to the center (right-click on the object and select Center).

    

   

    

3. Then add a new print plate with .
4. Import the provided objects JOINT.STL, BALL.STL, and ROD.STL.
5. Then click on   Place .
6. Align objects with .
7. Click BALL and activate support structure.
8. Activate the first print plate.
9. Move JOINT to this print plate.

10. Align JOINT to the center (right-click on the object and select Center).

     

    

     

11. Right-click on the print plate and click Select All.
12. Right-click on the objects and select Merge.
13. Now the filaments (colors) must be assigned to the individual objects.

Ready to slice and print.

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