Vase Mode Picture Frame

“Okay, but can I make a picture frame that prints in vase mode and still functions?”

This is very much a design that happened because I needed to know if it was possible. And it is!

It holds a photo or other paper item of A6 paper size (105 x 148 mm or 4'1/8" x 5'7/8" in.) and, with the addition of a bit of string or wire, can be hung on a nail on the wall, or other protrusion. 

This frame is designed primarily to hang in portrait orientation, but it can also be hung in landscape. (Instructions below.)

To print:

• PLA (tested so far)
• Spiral vase mode (Spiralize outer contour)
• Solid bed adhesion - the initial footprint isn't very big
• 0.4 line width and nozzle size; 0.2mm line height; I'd be careful with any variations on size and look closely at your slicer results.
• This can probably stand to get a bit bigger—if you enlarge it, I recommend adjusting the X and Z axis equally but leaving Y (from front of frame to back) the same. It probably cannot get much smaller, as some parts of the model are as small as 1mm wide.
• This one takes a while to slice.

Misc.

• It's also flexible. The zigzag shape is for structure, but it's also perfect for flexibility.
• The filament in the photos is Printed Solid Jessie Blue Ice PLA.

How to Hang

Portrait/vertical:

Run a string through both of the vertical hooks on the back and tie it off so it's a loop, and so there's not too much give. A slightly thicker string will stay in place better a la friction fit. Then hang it on a nail or hook! The frame is shaped so that a low profile nail/hook will be recessed within the space of the frame's back. 

Landscape/horizontal:

Take a not-too-long string with a knot on either end and push the knots into the recess between zigzags on either side (or the same side tbh.) Select a recess at the halfway mark or further up, as per your hanging needs. Slide the knots in a bit so that they're even, and pull up the slack in the string. Ta-da! 

New to vase mode or still learning?

• Spiral vase mode takes the outside wall of a solid, continuous model and calculates a continuous single spiraling path to print to the top. (Usually this is after a few standard solid layers at the bottom - PLA is very flexible when thin, and this gives it more stability.)
• In Prusa slicer, this is the “Spiral vase” option you can check off in Print Settings > Layers and Perimeters. It will automatically change several of your settings to be compatible with the mode.
• In Cura slicer: Special Modes > Spiralize Outer Contour
• To get a good vase mode print, you'll want to refine a couple more settings. You want to print slow and steady, and at a lower extrusion rate than normal printing. IMO you should test this for each filament, as well as for different layer heights, to determine a temperature, extrusion %, and speed (if the speed hasn't been slowed down automatically) to get a nice, clean vase mode print with that filament. Too much extrusion will get you tiny bumps around your print; too little can make it too fragile and prone to cracking between layers.