Make your windows stick out with this decorative 3D printing project! In this post, we'll teach you how to make window clings with a 3D printer!
Recently, Barbara from 3DPrintNY.com has been showcasing her flexible 3D printed window decorations on her Instagram and Twitter feeds. These objects easily cling to glass and are printed with NinjaFlex® by NinjaTek on a LulzBot Mini equipped with the LulzBot Mini Flexystruder Tool Head. This is a great technique for creating custom commercial window displays or as a project to introduce kids to the possibilities of 3D printing with flexible materials.
Start your window cling design in your favorite Free Software 3D modeling program like Blender, FreeCAD, or SolveSpace.
Once printed, peel it off the print surface and wash the bottom to remove any PVA-based glue stick residue. A clean window will provide the best adhesion. Wet your window cling with water and place on the window in the desired location. That's it!
Tips
- Treat your design like a stencil-- make sure that every object within the design touches the rest of the model so the final object prints in one intact piece.
- Alternatively, anything not touching the rest of the model will still be printed, but can be moved around and selectively placed when sticking to the window or glass.
- Design your window cling with a thickness of 1 - 2 mm for quick print times and ideal window adhesion.
- Advanced users can activate the Pause At Z plugin in Cura LulzBot Edition. More information can be found in the LulzBot TAZ or LulzBot Mini User Manual.
Pick up some Flexible NinjaFlex filament and either the LulzBot TAZ Flexystruder Tool Head or the LulzBot Mini Flexystruder Tool Head.
Check out Barbara's Thingiverse collection of window clings for ready-to-print clings perfectly sized for the LulzBot Mini. Download the Octopus Window Cling model from here: Octopus_window_cling.stl.