3D PRINTED LITHOPHANE

Most of the 3d printing enthuiasts already know what a lithophane is. For those who don't, Lithophanes are actually etched pieces of artwork, especially pictures, on porcelain which comes to life when suitable backlight is provided. The word Lithophane originated from Greek word ‘Lithos’ meaning ‘rock’ and ‘Phanein’ meaning ‘to appear’. If constructed properly, the image appears out of nowhere from a solid plate and hence the name.

Uses of 3D printed Lithophanes :-

Gift items

Wall mounts

 Night lamp shades

 Lantern covers

 Other customised home-decors

Advantages of 3D printed Lithophanes:-

·                    They are quite budget friendly compared to porcelain ones

·                    Stays undamaged for longer period of time than conventional photos

·                    And let’s admit, it just looks cool!

Now, if you are planning to print them yourself you should keep a dew things in mind. First of all, the picture you are choosing must be of HD resolution and having contrasting features. Secondly, lithophanes are best printed vertically rather than laying on the build plate, also, set the minimum layer height supported by your printer with print speed around 30mm/sec. Finally, use a light and bright coloured filament(not transparent) for best results. Given below is a test print of a photo of Nikola Tesla.

The following pics will demostrate the difference between horizontal and vertical printing of lithophanes

L- Horizontal, R- Vertical

Horizontal Print

Vertical Print

There are some visible differences between the two methods. Although vertical printing gives much better results than horizontal printing, the only thing which you have to be careful about in vertical printing is the over hangs. In an unsuitable picture overhangs can be really messy. hoever it can be overcome through proper slicer settings. The above print was not upto the mark as per previous performances from Ender 3, but slight tweaking in settings will guarantee better results.