Completed 3D Printed Mini Wine Glass

Printer Used : Prusa Printer 5 at Nolop SEC

Design Process

Initial CAD design for 3D Printing

Initial Idea: For my roommate’s birthday, I had planned to 3D print a mini mug that I designed in SolidWorks with a custom design. However, I overlooked the fact that the 3D printers might not be capable of printing all the necessary colors. To make matters worse, I failed to realize that the printers wouldn’t be able to engrave the text since I had wrapped the text around as an image instead of using actual text in the design.

Even though my first attempt didn’t work out, I tried tweaking my CAD design once more to see if I could engrave the text on the cup. Sadly, I still ran into issues and got the same error message. It is likely that the holes in the cup’s edge caused by the handles were the reason for this issue.

Image depicting error message when using wrap feature

Mini Mug Print Attempt: I got a bit discouraged but figured a 3D-printed cup would still make a decent present, so I went ahead with the print. Unfortunately, the print didn’t turn out well due to a layer shift, which could’ve been my design’s fault, but it was more likely due to the printer. Also, I wasn’t happy with the cup’s size because I forgot to adjust the dimensions. Feeling like I needed a fresh start, I came up with the idea to create a mini wine glass in CAD, which fit better with my overall theme.

  • Failed Print due to Layer Shift
  • Revised CAD design : Mini wine glass

Mini Wine Glass Print Attempt 1 : During my first print attempt, I went back to check on the print, thinking it was almost done, only to find out that the printer was only “spraying” a few nozzles of the printing material. I approached one of the NOLOP staff and found out that there was a clogged nozzle causing this issue.

Mini Wine Glass Print Attempt 2: For my second print attempt, everything went well, and the mini wine glass was successfully printed. However, while removing the support from the print, the bottom of the glass broke. Thankfully, I was able to fix it with some glue that I got from NOLOP. I left it to dry overnight.

Broken print reassembled with super glue in NOLOP

Mini Wine Glass Print Attempt 3 : I managed to print the wine glass successfully on the third attempt. This time, I took more care when removing the support to avoid any breakage. However, I realized that the wine glass would have been less delicate if I had designed it with a less narrow bridge.

Final Mini Wine Glass CAD Design
Printing in Progress

3D printing experience: Even though it was my first time 3D printing, I had to reprint several times which actually helped me become more familiar with the process. So, now I feel quite at ease with 3D printing.

Objects that are difficult to fabricate using more traditional technology:   Jewelry and fashion accessories often feature intricate designs and complex shapes that are difficult to create using traditional manufacturing methods. 3D printing can be used to create unique and personalized pieces with intricate designs and details.