This was a project for ME557 - Additive Manufacturing, a graduate-level mechanical engineering class. The prompt was to make an SLA printed object that fits in a 4 cm x 4 cm x 4 cm cube and would be 'difficult if not impossible to make using conventional subtractive processes'.
Cube with cone-shaped void and drainage holes
STL of image generated from STLbuddy
Source image
Completed print
View of model from the drainage hole
My first thought was to create a hollow cube with complex 3D model of myself inside. To ensure that the resin-printed object could be properly drained and washed, and could print without supports on the inside. The file printed fairly well but surface imperfections in the transparent resin made it hard to see inside. I also printed it flat on the build plate and added channels to base to vacuums and sealed pockets of resin but it was very difficult to get off the build plate and led to imperfections that trapped resin.
Double the drainage holes, including one facing the model's face
Completed print
View of the model through the front drainage hole
For the second iteration, I put a large hole in the front and back so the face would be visible and to increase drainage. I also printed at an angle but this led to its own imperfections.
For the third iteration, I tried to create a grid on all non-support faces to create clean drainage, assist in support removal, and increase visibility of the model inside while still being a design that would be difficult to create via subtractive methods.
It printed perfectly but before submitting the assignment, I re-read the prompt and saw a line that said "the design is up to you, but make it breathtaking." I immediately felt self conscious about submitting a model of myself and calling it 'breathtaking'.
In my mind, something takes your breath away when you look at it and think "whoa, that's cool". So I generated a model of the coolest person I could think of: Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli. I also realized that I no longer needed to use transparent resin as it wasn't as see-through as I was expecting. I switched to a gray opaque resin to make the details more visible.
It came out fine, but I was still unhappy with the visibility of the model and whenever I showed it to anyone it just made them chuckle and did not take their breath away. Also, most of my classmates were born in the 21st century so they had no idea who the Fonz was.
The final iteration was so obvious I felt embarrassed for not thinking of it before. Cool and breathtaking? Keanu Reeves! At the 2019 E3 gaming convention, Keanu stood on stage to promote Cyberpunk 2077 and called the game 'breathtaking'. An audience member shouted "you're breathtaking!" back at him, prompting him to point at the guy and respond, "you're breathtaking!" It became a beloved meme so I decided to capture that moment in physical form.
Instead of a grid obscuring most of the view all over, I swapped from strategically cut out patches from each edge to show the prime views, and put the words from the meme on the blank front face of the cube and the back face of the interior behind the model of Keanu. The changes proved effective at eliciting surprise and delight from the viewers, kind of taking their breath away.
The blank walls and the abstract nature of the word, 'You're', served to intrigue viewers. The shadow of the interior obscured the model and preserved the surprise. When viewers got close and looked through the viewport, light from the other walls shine in and illuminate the model (which is pointing right at you through the hole) and the payoff, 'Breathtaking!' Every time I showed it to someone new their faces lit up.