Kichler Path Light Stake

A replacement for the standard path lighting stake for Kichler outdoor light. Be sure to use filament that is stable outdoors (temperature & UV) and not too brittle. I choose PETG as it had the best overall balance between impact strength, bending strength, heat resistance, and water absorption. The use of PLA is strongly discouraged. I had no issues pounding it into the ground with a rubber mallet. However, nothing you 3D print will be as tough as the injection molded part, so take care. Time will tell how well it will hold up, but I have had other PETG parts outdoors for years without any issues.

Suggested settings:

• 0.3 layer height (if possible; a bit stronger and prints faster)
• 100% infill from 6.3mm to 32.4mm (use a height range modifier)
  Note that use of the 0.6 extruder and 4 shell/wall loops will result in the “fins” being solid. If your settings result in infill appearing in the fins, then make them solid as well. You might consider printing the entire part at 100% infill if you have to place it in hard or rough ground.
• 25% infill outside this height range (gyroid pattern)
• X-Y contour compensation (see below)
• 4 walls
• 4 top & bottom layers
• support required (see below). I used auto tree supports in OrcaSlicer 1.6.3
• no brim

X-Y Contour Compensation

Getting threaded holes just right is difficult due to variances between printers. To help you get this dialed in, I have included a test part with the same hole size and thread pitch as the stake. You can print this first to make sure your settings will work, adjusting as needed. For my X1C I used a +0.8 (makes the hole bigger). Alternatively, I have included the STEP files in case you want or need to directly modify the model instead of using an XY adjustment. You may also benefit from using a smaller layer height in the thread area - higher layers make the threads rougher. Note that the adjustment will vary with the nozzle size, type of material, filament flow rates, print settings, etc.

Note: Previously, I suggested the use of XY hole compensation to adjust the threaded fitting, but it appears that the slicers do not see this as a hole due to the wire slot in the side. You can use X-Y contour compensation instead.

Support

Support is required for the bottom of the hole. The best way to remove it after printing is to first remove the supports near the opening. As you remove enough material, you should be able to get your grasp on enough that you can twist it out using a counter-clockwise rotation. The nature of PETG makes this frustratingly messy.