Whilst analysing many current board games, I noticed a recurrence of counters/tokens and etc. For my board game rules, it includes 3D shapes to build a word on a card. Therefore, I have made some trial shapes for my game board, these include: cube, pyramid, rectangular cuboid and of course to symbolise the players counters.
For the first type of blocks, I started with the cubes which were 20mm x 20mm. I made the 3D shape on the computer, by using a program called 'Sketchup'. Once I have measured the correct size, I save it into a certificate file. This file will enable me to change how: long, wide, position, temperature, hallow or un-hollow and so on when it is printing it out on the 3D printer machine. This is then generated to a gcode that the 3D printing is able to transfer the information to the desire shape I wish it to form. Then simply saving this file into a SD card and slotting it the machine. I then select the file that I want it to build for me and then it begins building.
The cube only takes 10 minutes to make, due to the size and hallow structure. Everything printed out well, however when the printing finishes at the end. The hot plastic leaves a sharp edge, this is when I need to sand the edges for health and safety reasons.
Below is images of the printer and the final product of the cube. I made 25 of these shapes for each player, these goes for the same for the other 3D shapes.
For the second round of 3D printing, I experimented with a pyramid. The pyramid was the most challenging and difficult 3D shape to make out of a 3D printer. The first printing was not correct due to it's size, it was too tiny to even see. Therefore in the gcode I edited the pyramid size. The correct size pyramid printed well, however when the printer reaches for the tip of the pyramid the heat is to much for the plastic that it makes it squashed. This is when I have to change the gcode yet again to adjust the temperature (originally it was 120 - down to 110). Then I printed it out again, unfortunately like the other 3D shapes, when the shape is finishing at the end. The plastic is to hot at the end and makes that squashed effect. Then I go back to the gcode yet again and changed the angle that it will print on. Once I have generated the gcode, the 3D pyramid printed correctly, again the 3D printer leaves a plastic share edge. I will need to sand off the edges for this again, overall the pyramid took 20 - 30 minutes which is the most time consuming. But the pyramid did go well to the correct size and shape. Below are the images of the trial and final.
Next for the third shape, was the rectangular cuboid. This shape was easy as it was very similar to the cube. The approximate time for the 3D printer to create the shape was 10 - 15 minutes. Below are the results below.
Final prints out of cube, cuboid and pyramid
After the 3D shapes have finished printing, the tip of the 3D printer leaves a bit of an edge. This creates a sharp edge, which could be a danger hazard for some younger children. Therefore, I had to trim or cut the sharp edges. I used sandpaper first, but the process took to long and even damaged the long edges of the shape. Then I used a craft knife to cut the sharp edge off, this was more convince and quicker.
Below are the final prints of all 25 cubes, 25 cuboids & 25 pyramids.
Trial & Error of 3D printing Pyramid Mock ups
To repeat the 3D pyramids were the hardest to print out. This was either because the tip at the top of the 3D printer's temperature was to hot, making the tip squashed. This was resolved by angling the pyramid on its side and lowering the temperature. Some where the wrong size that I had to edit by a program. And the last is stopping the printing process and seeing the way the 3D printer prints out the base, with lines of layers.
For the counters, it took awhile for me to build the counters as I had to watch many tutorials. The reasoning of this is that the counter shape is quite a complex shape to draw on the sketchup program. Below are the results...
After printing all the pieces I needed the board game, I decide to spray paint the other 3D shapes. So 5 colours for 5 pieces (Blue, Red, Yellow, Green, Purple). Here are the results below of the spray painting.
Before I permanently spray the colours on the actual pieces of the board game. I decided to do a test if the spray paint did paint the mock up shapes smoothly. There are the results:
I sprayed each shape with one colour. Just to test that all colours worked effectively on the 3D shapes. I was quite afraid that this would not work as the plastic that I constructed the 3D objects were in a dark blue. Nevertheless the colours come out very well against the blue colour.
After this was tested, I started to spray paint the actually pieces for the game. I started with yellow colour first. There are the results below:
Most of the spray paint colours needed about 2-3 coats of colour. As the colour would drip due to the plastic. It did take a while for each colour to dry for each coat, but overall the colour came out well.
I first did the yellow spray paint shapes in a cardboard box. So there no paint will go onto any of the other surrounding objects. However, there was a slight errors, due to no protection on the bottom of the shapes when spray painting. The paint would stick to the cardboard. Meaning I had to repaint that side, which took a lot of time to repaint.
For a solution to this, I placed a sheet of foil underneath the 3D shapes which protected the bottom from not sticking and gathering unwanted bits.
Overall, the spray painting went very well. It did take a considerate amount of time, which I wish I would of started earlier. But in the end I was able to get all the shape painted into each other their colours.
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