Flexible or Stiff? Exploring Different Skeletons with 3D Printing.

What happens when you print a jointed figure with a flexible skeleton or frame? You think it'd be a hot mess and fall down, that would make sense. Let’s try and find out though. This version of the jointed figures from Soozafone are really cute and I'm going against my usual functional only print videos just to see what would happen with a TPU based frame and hard armour.
► Links
The models on Printables.com
Dummy 13 www.printables.com/model/5931...
Previous versions
Lucky 13 www.printables.com/model/1483...
Mini 13 www.printables.com/model/4223...
Easy 13 www.printables.com/model/5551...
My Printables collection of all models in this weekly series
www.printables.com/@3dprintsm...
► Equipment list
Ender 5 (amzn.to/3QdTVQP)
Raspberry Pi (running Octoprint) (amzn.to/3qznwud)
Octoprint timelapse camera: Raspberry Pi V2-8(amzn.to/3Mlj6xg)
Overhead camera Canon 1300D not available any more but the rough equivalent now (amzn.to/3FBXz0J)
► Parts List
Overture PLA (white) filament (amzn.to/44kFQF9)
Esun PLA (Fire Engine Red) (amzn.to/3rra6Rf)
Esun TPU flexible (Grey) (amzn.to/49fpH77)
► Print settings
Sliced using PrusaSlicer2.5.2
Hot End - PLA 208C TPU 230C
Bed - 40C
Support -none
Speed - 20mm/s first layer, 50mm/s
Layer height - 0.16
Infill - 5%
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:19 Print them
0:41 Assembly of PLA
3:20 Flexible skeleton
4:16 Conclusion

[@3DPrintSmith]

After playing with the model for a couple of days now you can see the PLA joints are starting to wear out a bit. I'd definitely recommend ASA or ABS for the frame as Soozafone suggest in the model description. . . . really have to stick to those recommendations 🙂

[@andrewgipson2851]

Who would have thought

[@3DPrintSmith]

I know. 🙂 I like to show these things to people so they don' waste their time and filament and might have the same curiosity on what would happen and if what you expect happens, happen. Until I tried I didn't think the limbs would fly off so well if just the main shoulder and leg joints were TPU. They'd be great if someone needs a crash test dummy for RC cars !

[@crystalclearchaos5387]

I see tik tok and yt short channels and amazon sellers all claiming this figure is theirs and to buy it from their shop this entire time its was a file i could get and print myself?

[@3DPrintSmith]

Some people sell their model files and license them so people can do that though. Its the wild west out there in terms of stealing models but I think people need to think of it differently. I know if I create something and release the files on printables or thingiverse, I set it free knowing some people might make money off it. What outweighs me not making money on something is that someone that might not have the skills to make a model, might find it useful and also, someone that does have design skills might take something of mine and improve it for the benefit of everyone. Al I can say is call people out if you see them selling things with no attribution to the original creator, and always search for models of things before you buy them !!!

[@crystalclearchaos5387]

@@3DPrintSmith its the same thing tho they didn't alter it just called it titan 13 instead of dummy 13

[@3DPrintSmith]

yeah people don’t try to hide it most of the time. it’s not a great situation and I don’t have an answer on what can be done. Even if someone copyrights something in all countries, some countries it’s not worth it as people ignore it and it can’t be upheld. It’s why if I create a video on a model now I highlight the author and use that persons model link in the description so they get the downloads and recognition.

[@sweetp285]

Yea it's sad that people do that ​@@3DPrintSmith

[@Squatch307]

Yup I had the same reaction

[@user-ux2zd3yp6q]

Thank you for giving credit to soozafone most people don’t

[@3DPrintSmith]

Essential I think to try and keep the sellers on sites like temu, etsy even amazon etc in line.

[@321_let_rip]

I credit him I’m 3d printing one right now

[@Lilly_VX]

Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:19 Print them 0:41 Assembly of PLA 3:20 Flexible skeleton 4:16 Conclusion

[@3DPrintSmith]

thanks for the comment but were the chapters not showing for you already?

[@CGreciful]

I did PC for the bones and PETG for the armor and it’s great.

[@Quazacherry08]

Yea petg seems to work great for me

[@3DPrintSmith]

That would be one strong little action figure

[@CGreciful]

@@3DPrintSmith the PC has a little more surface friction, it holds positions pretty well without being too tight. I dunno, experiments!

[@3DPrintSmith]

@@CGreciful 100% ! exactly why i tried TPU to see if the experiment resulted in what we would think. Sometimes we get saurprised 🙂

[@userBdude]

You are good at making skeletons❤😊❤😊❤😊❤😊❤😊❤

[@3DPrintSmith]

Maybe I should have tried medical school

[@whyareyousubbing]

​@@3DPrintSmithdad joke moment

[@cindyosife5906]

I sped up the building process and I imagined it with the lego game building sound😂😂😂

[@3DPrintSmith]

wish I had of thought of that editing that video !

[@JermaineReid_aka_phntmspazz]

You should do stickybones figures

[@3DPrintSmith]

just found the model on Printables and I’ll give it a go :-)

[@kurtcrean]

Good stuff man! Love the comparison, I wonder if modified files to make the sockets smaller would be a nice way of making something a bit more indestructible. Obviously a lot more work and might not even be possible but appreciate the video.

[@3DPrintSmith]

good idea ! Potentially I think you could do it in Prusaslicer using the XY compensation without too much work but you're right, I think the actual socket might need more adjustment to make sure the ball really stays in. I might add it to the end of year wrap up video.

[@kurtcrean]

@@3DPrintSmith Looking forward to it! You're criminally underrated in the 3D printing space, I'm sure if you keep it up the views will come though.

[@3DPrintSmith]

Thanks! I really appreciate that, more than you probably think. I don’t get a lot of comments and it’s been slow to get going but almost at 1000 subscribers so must be doing something right :-). thanks again

[@kurtcrean]

@@3DPrintSmith I totally understand, I had a channel for a while and it started off kind of hot but felt stagnant for a while which was crushing. I try to comment on smaller channels who make great content to help motivate them to stick with it 😁

[@Betruet]

Hey guys, I'm currently working on a remix replacement skeleton for Dummy 13. It will be designed for TPU and you can add a paperclip wire in the cavity for poses if you want. My kids are rough and the 13's are a bit to fragile so my remix will be designed to have "locking" flexible parts. Hoping to have it up this week if I have the time

[@ElaraArale]

i did my own project in a way very similar, but different articulations

[@3DPrintSmith]

if you’ve posted it to any sites let everyone know the link

[@Zontar82]

I printed the inner frame in abs and the arnor in pla and have no issues

[@3DPrintSmith]

like a real body, skeleton being the strongest and most rigid part of the body.

[@JaidenMatos]

How much does a 3d printer cost and how much did the figures cost to print😅

[@3DPrintSmith]

That's a big can of worms to open ! if you like to tinker, gradually upgrade or get into how the printer works, you can go for something cheap, around $300 maybe less on sale. Most people starting as a hobby start there. You get to know your printer, all the parts, what changing specific things does to your prints, how to fix basic issues. Something like an Ender 3 or Prusa MK3S. If you want to just start printing straight away then around $1000 would get you a Creality K1 or Bambu P1S that work, "straight out of the box". you can start downloading or creating your own models, slice them and print. There's still the occasional tinkering with something like that though but it's a great hobby to get into :-). For these figures from memory they cost about $1 in filament but that depends a lot on what material you want to print in.

[@JaidenMatos]

So around 300$ for a 3d printer😅

[@JaidenMatos]

And also does school 3d printer work too?😅

[@3DPrintSmith]

@@JaidenMatos For home you'd get one for around $300 as long as you are willing to learn a lot and get into configuring and tuning when things go wrong. it can be frustrating at times. if you've got one at school then for sure. I'm guessing you're going to need permission though. 🙂

[@JaidenMatos]

Ok thanks for the info love you ( not in a sus way😅)

[@imthedentist]

I bet making the armor out of tpu might be interesting. I had absolutel crap tolerances on my 3d printer, and i ended up just sanding everything to fit

[@3DPrintSmith]

I think the fit is the problem most people had with this one, looking through the males and comments. tuning for tolerance is still a some kind of scientific endeavour/voodoo on some printers and can get out of whack after only a few prints. I’ve been pretty lucky with my ender 5 that I printed these out on and hardly have to make adjustments on it at all.

[@rubenverster250]

bro... literally me right now... How can I give myself better fit??? Can I scale the Skeleton down by like 3%? I'm printing the whole Dummy at 150% scale :P And it's still hella tight. Been sanding the whole day :') I'm printing everything in PLA, it's all I have :P

[@imthedentist]

​@@rubenverster250I printed mine at 150% too.I think the idea of scaling down the skeleton(or scaling up the armor, idk) should work. Lemme know how it went if you try it!

[@rubenverster250]

@@imthedentist worst is, I finished building one yesterday, and printed the skeleton to finish the other one... But forgot to scale it down. SO now I am literally sitting and sanding again XD

[@imthedentist]

@rubenverster250 ouch, that happens to me all the time. you Might have to Invest in an electric sander at this point

[@fnafuniverse546]

The parts look like a red vs blue base

[@3DPrintSmith]

I hadn’t thought of that and love it !

[@melonglitch6566]

I saw in tiktok that t13 Always comparing with stickbots and the t13 fans always say blinded by nostalgia to stickbots fans like.. Can they stop comparing them with stickbots... I,m sick of them.

[@3DPrintSmith]

I think I vaguely remember stick boys and I guess they are kind of similar but they had a flexible cord holding them together. There’d be a heap of other toys similar but I haven’t seen the TikToks but each to their own I guess.

[@JAGANNATHNAYAK-vp6hz]

How to buying this 😢🎉❤

[@3DPrintSmith]

If you don't have a 3d Printer I found it on Amazon here amzn.to/3WuOCzW