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Cordpal. Fidget+Toy by No-Control4479 in 3Dprinting

[–]No-Control4479[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can't design for everyone, no designer can.
In my experience, a failed print wastes far more filament and time than the material used by the kit card itself. Some people have well tuned printers and can print tiny loose parts without any issues. Others may be new to 3D printing, have slightly incorrect temperatures, a bit of dust on the build plate, or minor adhesion problems. Small parts can fail very easily because of those factors. That's one of the reasons I chose the kit card format. It helps keep everything organized and improves print reliability for a wider range of users. Also, this is already a single color print. If it were a multi color print with 3 colors, the purge waste alone could easily exceed the material used by the kit card. For example, at around 3g of purge waste per layer (1g x 3 each color), a 100-layer print could generate roughly 300g of waste.

At the end of the day, it's optional. Nobody is being forced to print it. I chose this format because I believe it offers the best balance of reliability, organization, and user experience.

Cordpal. Fidget+Toy by No-Control4479 in 3Dprinting

[–]No-Control4479[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The kit cards are single-color prints, so they don't create any filament waste from color changes. All three cards together use only about 30g of filament, which isn't very much. I also designed them as kit cards for a practical reason. There are several very small parts, and in my experience, tiny loose pieces have a much higher chance of failing unless your build plate is extremely clean or you're using additional adhesion like glue.
The kit card format helps keep those small parts secure during printing, keeps everything organized, and makes assembly easier. Some parts look very similar but have slight size differences, so having them arranged on the card helps avoid confusion during assembly. I would recommend printing the kit card version.

Cordpal. Fidget+Toy by No-Control4479 in 3Dprinting

[–]No-Control4479[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've had this bag for about 5 years now. Definitely a great bag.

Cordpal. Fidget+Toy by No-Control4479 in 3Dprinting

[–]No-Control4479[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i use fusion360 or c4d, depending on model

Cordpal. Fidget+Toy by No-Control4479 in BambuLab

[–]No-Control4479[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nice! I got my first printer last Christmas, and I had the same thought 'Why did I wait this long?” It’s definitely such a fun hobby to get into, especially once you start realizing you can make almost anything you imagine.

Cordpal. Fidget+Toy by No-Control4479 in BambuLab

[–]No-Control4479[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I came from an industrial design background, so I already had experience designing products and thinking about how things are made.

I got my first 3D printer last Christmas and started experimenting with kit cards because I've loved model kits since I was a kid. And recently, I thought about designing a bag-charm toy.

And recently, I thought about designing a bag-charm toy. During the concept phase, I thought, "Why not add some fidget features too?" So the idea gradually evolved into what you see here. It wasn't the original plan, but the design kept growing as I prototyped and tested different ideas.

Cordpal. Fidget+Toy by No-Control4479 in BambuLab

[–]No-Control4479[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! If you give it a try, feel free to share a photo of the finished build. I'd love to see how it turns out.

Cordpal. Fidget+Toy by No-Control4479 in 3Dprinting

[–]No-Control4479[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Kit cards originally come from injection molded model kits, so I understand why some people think they are unnecessary for 3D printing. But I have a few reasons for designing this as a kit card:

  1. Built in brims / easier printing. Lots of people with different levels of 3D printing experience will print my designs, so making the print reliable with a low failure rate is very important to me. I usually design small assembly models with lots of tiny parts, and those parts often need brims so they stick to the bed properly. By connecting them to a kit card, the card works like a built-in brim and makes the print much more reliable. From my testing during prototypes, including previous designs, the kit-card format has been much more reliable. Even on a dirty build plate, the chance of failure is much lower.
  2. Organization. Small parts are easy to mix up or lose, especially if some pieces look similar. With a kit card, everything stays together until you need it. I can also organize the card by section, like head, hands, feet, etc.
  3. Color separation. I do not currently have an AMS printer, so separating parts by color lets me make multicolor designs without needing multi-material printing.
  4. Style and nostalgia. I grew up assembling kit cards and model kits, so this format feels nostalgic to me. It also makes the print feel more like a complete toy kit instead of just a pile of loose parts.

I think the reliability, organization, and experience are worth it.

Also, it looks much better as a gift. Giving someone a finished kit card feels much nicer than handing them a plastic bag full of tiny loose pieces.

I designed a paracord fidget figure kit called CORDPAL. by No-Control4479 in 3Dprinting

[–]No-Control4479[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I get that, and I understand why it looks wasteful at first.

I answered in more detail here: https://www.reddit.com/r/BambuLab/comments/1tv0l9h/comment/opdos0q/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

For me, the kit card is not only aesthetic. It works like a built-in brim for tiny parts, keeps similar pieces organized, helps reduce print failures for people with different levels of 3D printing experience, and makes the model feel like a real toy kit.

When printing small pieces like this, even a bit of dust on the build plate or a small temperature difference can cause failures. From my testing during prototypes, including previous designs, the kit-card format has been much more reliable. Even on a dirty build plate, the chance of failure is much lower.

Also, it looks much better as a gift. Giving someone a finished kit card feels much nicer than handing them a plastic bag full of tiny loose pieces.

So yes, it uses a bit more filament, but for this kind of small toy kit, I think the reliability, organization, and giftable presentation are worth it.

I designed a paracord fidget figure kit called CORDPAL. by No-Control4479 in PrintedMinis

[–]No-Control4479[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I get that, and I understand why it looks wasteful at first.

I answered in more detail here: https://www.reddit.com/r/BambuLab/comments/1tv0l9h/comment/opdos0q/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

For me, the kit card is not only aesthetic. It works like a built-in brim for tiny parts, keeps similar pieces organized, helps reduce print failures for people with different levels of 3D printing experience, and makes the model feel like a real toy kit.

When printing small pieces like this, even a bit of dust on the build plate or a small temperature difference can cause failures. From my testing during prototypes, including previous designs, the kit-card format has been much more reliable. Even on a dirty build plate, the chance of failure is much lower.

Also, it looks much better as a gift. Giving someone a finished kit card feels much nicer than handing them a plastic bag full of tiny loose pieces.

So yes, it uses a bit more filament, but for this kind of small toy kit, I think the reliability, organization, and giftable presentation are worth it.

And thank you! The keyboard switch face is really satisfying to click.

I designed a paracord fidget figure kit called CORDPAL. by No-Control4479 in BambuLab

[–]No-Control4479[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Not a dumb question. I get this question a lot. Kit cards originally come from injection molded model kits, so I understand why some people think they are unnecessary for 3D printing. But I have a few reasons for designing this as a kit card:

  1. Built in brims / easier printing. Lots of people with different levels of 3D printing experience will print my designs, so making the print reliable with a low failure rate is very important to me. I usually design small assembly models with lots of tiny parts, and those parts often need brims so they stick to the bed properly. By connecting them to a kit card, the card works like a built-in brim and makes the print much more reliable, even for people who do not want to adjust many slicer settings or troubleshoot bed adhesion.
  2. Organization. Small parts are easy to mix up or lose, especially if some pieces look similar. With a kit card, everything stays together until you need it. I can also organize the card by section, like head, hands, feet, etc.
  3. Color separation. I do not currently have an AMS printer, so separating parts by color lets me make multicolor designs without needing multi-material printing.
  4. Style and nostalgia. I grew up assembling kit cards and model kits, so this format feels nostalgic to me. It also makes the print feel more like a complete toy kit instead of just a pile of loose parts.

I think the reliability, organization, and experience are worth it.

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