Holiday Candy Dish - 3 Varieties

Happy Holidays Everyone

I was very excited when I got my 3D Printer awhile back and even more once I got to be apart of this community and repository of creativity. This year I knew the Holiday Decorations content would come around and I felt this was it! I was going to enter.

UPDATE - Dec. 20, 2023

• Forgot to add my print settings for the leafless tree. Added now.

UPDATE - Dec. 19, 2023

• Added a leafless tree for a center piece to feed the fairy lights through to decorate the branches. 
• Spelling corrections to description.
• Added filament used for the leafless tree.
• Updated the Center Piece models 3mf and gcode for an adjustment on the double rabbit ear clip to be 4.8mm (existing 5mm) in height to reduce chances of breaking when pushing into the center piece models. 

Holiday Candy Dish

The model I created was inspired by a platter I had seen while at a friends get together.

For the model with the battery pack compartment I can create modified versions if needed. I just went off what I had on hand and what I saw online at Adafruit (https://www.adafruit.com/product/4193).

Prusaslicer Settings

Using the default Prusament Filament PLA and PETG profiles I also set the following:

• Print Settings Tab → Quality - Extra Perimeters if needed
• Print Settings Tab → Advanced - External perimeters first

Base Files

Base (without ice deboss or LED channels):

• Solid Layers set to Bottom 4 / Top 5 with 3 Perimeters
• 5% Infill with Gyroid
• Top Fill set to Concentric for a nice finish
• Bottom Fill set to Monotonic

Base with Ice:

• Solid Layers set to Bottom 4 / Top 5 with 3 Perimeters
• 5% Infill with Rectilinear
• Top Fill set to Archimedean Chords for a nice finish
• Bottom Fill set to Monotonic

Base with Ice and LED channel:

• Solid Layers set to Bottom 4 / Top 5 with 3 Perimeters
• 5% Infill with Rectilinear
• Top Fill set to Archimedean Chords for a nice finish
• Bottom Fill set to Monotonic
• Custom supports for Battery Pack compartment. Create a support box and have it go the length of the space for the battery compartment. Set the style to Snug. 
  Print Settings Tab → Support Materials - Options for support material and raft - Style
• Battery Pack Compartment fits a Fairy Light Battery Pack (AA) 80mm x 38mm x 20mm with its cables leading up to the fine wires with LED.

Ice:

The ice should be 0.4mm smaller then the deboss section of the base files.

• Solid Layers set to Bottom 3 / Top 3 with 3 Perimeters
• 15% Infill
• Lightning fill pattern to create an ice look when illuminated from beneath.
• Archimedean Chords for both Top and Bottom Fill patterns

Prusaslicer Editor Adjustments for best outcome:

• Support blockers for felt pad or foam cushions to give that deboss impression some texture for the sticky backing to adhere to. 
• Adaptive Layer Height (Optional) [Won't be able to with supports on LED model.]
• Custom Seam Painting to ensure ¾ unobstructed view of base without visible seam
  • Position model in viewport so that you can see inside, snow mound (middle) and outside face. Paint seam along those faces going down

Center Pieces

Each center piece comes with a double sided rabbit ear clip*. You may need to sand the flat surface a bit to fit. It may be snug at first. I had to use pliers to pull them gently out a couple times. The clips are also created to allow you to get the fine wires from the fairy lights up through them (be careful) to have them come out of the stocking. 

* I made sure to create 4 helper ears on the clips for better bed adhesion. Remove these when printed.

Coniferous Tree:

• Solid Layers set to Bottom 4 / Top 5 with 2 Perimeters
• 10% Infill with Gyroid
• Top Fill set to Concentric for a nice finish
• Bottom Fill set to Monotonic
• No Supports
• Custom Seam to ensure its on one side. I made sure to align the snow mound rabbit ear slot with the trees.

Snowman:

• Solid Layers set to Bottom 4 / Top 5 with 2 Perimeters
• 10% Infill with Gyroid
• Top Fill set to Concentric for a nice finish
• Bottom Fill set to Monotonic
• No Supports
• Custom Seam to ensure its on one side. I made sure to align the snow mound rabbit ear slot with the snowman.

Stocking:

• Solid Layers set to Bottom 4 / Top 5 with 3 Perimeters
• 10% Infill with Gyroid
• Top Fill set to Concentric for a nice finish
• Bottom Fill set to Monotonic
• Add 5mm brim to keep stocking on the plate.
• Painted support for inside lip. Look from below to see overhang (slice to see highlighted dark blue overhang).
• Custom Seam along front of stocking just above the top of the curve to the top of the stocking.
• Custom colour change at layer 25.20 (if you are slicing at 0.2 resolution)

Leafless Tree:

• Solid Layers set to Bottom 4 / Top 5 with 3 Perimeters
• 15% Infill with Gyroid
• Top Fill set to Concentric for a nice finish
• Bottom Fill set to Monotonic
• No Supports
• Seam was adequately interpreted by the slicer. 
• Adaptive Layer Height applied then manually increased for all of the branches to ensure a better speed for the quick prints as they get smaller. Had to dial down the temperature on the nozzle for my Copper Penny PLA (215 → 210) as it was stringing. 

Assembly

Plain Base

If you are just printing the plain base its just a matter of printing whichever center piece and attaching the double rabbit ears to the piece and the base

Base with Ice 

You will need to rotate the ice to align with the base like a puzzle. 

Base with Ice and LED

Feed your LED line through the first hole on the outer most spiral ring. You will want to us your one hand to guide while the other supports the placed wire so it doesn't jump out. I had to use tape to just help with the wire as it likes to jump out sometimes. Depending on the length of your LED line you may need to double back. 

Like the base with just ice you will need to align and have it fall in place.

If you are feeding the fairy lights through the middle to come up into the stocking you will want a bamboo skewer to help guide the light up (Hole is 5mm).

Filament Used:

White PLA - Canadian Filament (https://canadianfilaments.ca)

Canadian Flag Red PLA - Canadian Filament

Spruce Tree Green PLA - Canadian Filament

Copper Penny PLA - Canadian Filament

Transparent Blue PETG - Matter3D Inc.

If you enjoyed this piece and would like to buy me a coffee:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/bdock