“A while ago I gave a 3D printer demonstration at a primary school. I used a small Up Plus 2 printer which always works fine. This isn’t the fastest 3D printer, and It took about 40 minutes to print a very small object. And all children watched attentively during the time it took to print the item.
Nowadays 3D printers are available at more and more schools and other locations (like Makerspaces). Partly because these have become more affordable in recent years. For the price of a DIY printer from a few years ago, you can nowadays buy a ready-made large 3D printer.The main drawback of these printers is the time it takes to print something. This is because these printers stack thin (0.1 to 0.2 mm) layers of plastic on each other.
There are different ways to speed up the printing. You can increase the speed at which the print head moves. But it requires a sturdy frame to be able to print at high speeds. You can also increase the layer height. The fewer layers, the earlier the print will be ready. However, the layer height is limited by the nozzle size. The layer height must always be lower than the thickness of the nozzle.
In this instrucable I will speed up the printing process by making relative large objects with as little material as possible. This makes it possible to print an object of about 3 x 4 x 1 inch within one hour. There are some limitations: The entire object is printed hollow, without any support. And it’s therefore mainly a display object.
Most objects in this Instructable are printed with transparent filament. This makes it is possible to place LED lighting inside the object.
I’ve used Doodle3D to create 3D objects easily and quickly. This is an online program that can be uses to create (simple) 3D objects. Letters, drawings and even images can easily be converted into 3D objects. But It is also possible to use another 3D program such as, for example, Fusion 360.”