3D Printing Key Chain

For this project, I decided to design and produce a small and detailed object. After considering among door locks, pen holders, ear phone covers and key chains, I finally decided to make a key chain. Now the problem comes to what to be the decoration on the chain.

As a gamer and also a huge fan for the game series “Monster Hunters”, I choose the decoration to be a small 3D printed model of a weapon called “charging blade”. Thus I opened the game and tried to get a closer view of the weapon. I took screen shots of the game and started to model the object. However, I soon found out that if I finally made a tiny key chain decoration with so many details, it will easily broke because a 3D printed part can not stand strong impacts, let along the one with small scales.

So I changed my plan. Instead of making a detailed, specified “charging blade”, I decided to make a simplified, abstract one. This time I picked a pixel styled icon as my target. Since this is not my first time to build a 3D project, my efficiency was pretty high at first until I met the obstacles. Because my reference was only a 2 dimensioned picture but not an object, I got no direct data from it. This meant I need to first design an object by myself before modeling. One week later I managed to convert the image into a 3D model with the same artistic language.

Now the last step is to print this model into practice. When the model is done, I connected this model onto my key ring and define the state of this program to be finished. However, I still met several unexpected problems. About 5 days after the completion, the key chain broke into two parts. I carefully examined the remnants and found out that it is because the handle part of the model is so thin that the printing material can’t stand the pressure when I move the key chains frequently. So I opened the modeling software again and changed several parameters for the model. Now the cross-section of the model is twice big as the previous one.

Unluckily, the new version broke again, but in a different place. I closely examined the part and found out that the reason is the metal connecting part torn out the printing material and finally lead to the structure’s broke. After recognizing the reasons, I changed the metal ring between the key chains and decorations into a thin rope. This time the key chain is much more durable compare to two previous versions.