3D printed lampshade for a MAT238

Supplies

Rhino, Grasshopper, Ultimaker S5

Step 1: Design in Rhino

I started with control point curves from the top to make a ring that was approximately the diameter I wanted. I then copied that ring vertically 5 times. I rotated each curve slightly in alternating directions and manipulated control points to my liking. Since the loft operation uses the indices to determine connection, there is a limit on how much rotation can occur between each layer before the lofted geometry starts to invert and explode. I found the best looking rotation for this pieces to be around 30 degrees between layers.

Then I needed a spot for the light fixture to fit onto so I made a small circle just above the plane. Then I moved the control point curves up so that the angle of the loft between them was printable. I also needed to flip the circle so the winding direction was correct and then rotate the circle to match the rotation of the control point curve to avoid the geometry exploding as discussed previously.

After this the two breps are joined and then moved to the center of the printer's build volume, baked, and exported as an STL

Step 2: Slice in Cura

I brought the STL into Cura to slice for the Ultimaker S5. I checked Spiralized Outer Contour and Smooth Spiralized Contours and sliced. The loft between the circle and the bottom curve seemed solid

Step 3: Print

I uploaded my gcode to a thumb drive and printed. This took 1 hour and 40 minutes. It did put a solid base on the bottom that I had to remove with a utility knife

Step 4: Install Light and Enjoy

It was a little tricky getting the locking nut on the light fixture. I had to turn it with the rounded edge down to get it to grab. The light shines through nicely.