blove 9
blove
@blove_45981
published a new model January 13, 2024 at 1:14 PM
January 13, 2024 at 1:14 PM

Really good model, thanks for that (edited)

Squirrel patiently waiting for a strawberry 😆

@4lan9He stole almost the entire harvest 🤣

A few comments on opportunities for further design improvement/enhancement:

1) FITMENT: The quarter-turn interlocks have a little "slop" in them (they are not what I would call tight-fitting). In other words, when you put the tower together, stacking multiple modular pieces together, with the quarter-turn interlocks engaged, the net result is the top of the tower can lean/wobble a bit with a very small amount of lateral force. I would like to see the profiles on the quarter-turn surfaces to be enlarged very slightly to close the gaps, to engage more firmly and ensure a more stable fit.

2) PUMP WATER FLOW RATE AND SPLASHING: When using the 24-Watt, 800 GPH Vivosun brand water pump, the flow rate is way too high. This results in a "water fountain" coming up under the lid (as alluded to in the YouTube video above). If you open the lid to inspect or to add anything (water, additives...) it results in water spillage/mess. The spray deflector model included in this file kit is not adequate. It directs the flow radially, and the water hits the sidewalls of the modular section, still pushing up the walls and spilling out. The deflector has to be hot-welded on, using a soldering iron, or glued. If you glue it on, you could be introducing undesirable chemicals into the fluid solution (and plants). It would be better to have a screw-on design for a water flow deflector. I added the deflector using a hot-weld method, and added a 120-mm spacer section on top of the "shower cap" and before the top lid. There is still a little bit of water splatter when the lid is removed, but it is tolerable.

3) INFILL PERCENTAGE: If you print the slotted planting pots at 5% infill as the original poster suggests, the slats between openings will be very delicate. While cleaning pots after removing them from the print bed, the slats fractured in my hand with very little force. I bumped up the infill to something like 20% and the part feels much more substantial and resistant to breakage. I am using PETG. All the other parts were printed at 5% and this seems perfectly fine as a balance between economic usage ot time, energy, materials, and strength. (edited)

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blove 9
blove
@blove_45981
published a new model December 12, 2022 at 4:09 PM
December 12, 2022 at 4:09 PM

Scaled to 200mm top opening. Printed in eSun silk, blue/green and copper. 0.16mm standard profile, finished in less than 3 hours. I really like this design and will be printing more.

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