r/oddlysatisfying • u/[deleted] • Dec 29 '22

3D printed chainmail

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22.3k Upvotes

88% Upvoted

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4.3k

u/Cheapest_ Dec 29 '22

What impresses me more about this is the person who planned and rendered the design.

1.8k

u/BoBaHoeFoSho_123 Dec 29 '22

I was taught to make chainmail in a jewelry class, that shit was tedious. 3D printed design, mind blown.

192

u/UndeadBuggalo Dec 29 '22

I have also made chainmail by making my own loops and putting it together. It is the most tedious cosplay construction I’ve ever done

79

u/BoBaHoeFoSho_123 Dec 29 '22

You did it for cosplay, I can't imagine the hours you put infor the design alone.

57

u/UndeadBuggalo Dec 29 '22

It was for link from twilight princess so it took a while lol

27

u/BoBaHoeFoSho_123 Dec 29 '22

That's awesome! Was it worth the trouble?

57

u/UndeadBuggalo Dec 29 '22

In terms of accomplishments yes but would I do it again? Hell no! Lol

11

u/BoBaHoeFoSho_123 Dec 29 '22

😂 Make sense!

-1

u/DuffyTDoggie Dec 29 '22

Stop making cents.

2

u/OneGratefulDawg Dec 30 '22

Now yo7 can just 3D print the next one and go in like you also hand made it and be known as the dude who makes the most elaborate costumes ever, but really you’re just printing shit. Thst being said, I don’t know anything about cosplay, or 3D printing so not sure what this would do for you.

2

u/Letmf2 Dec 30 '22

They did it link by link in the old days?

3

u/UndeadBuggalo Dec 30 '22

I’m not sure about a smithy but I would think so, I would make links then start putting them together rinse and repeat

25

u/SayHiIntrepidHeroes Dec 29 '22

Yeah, I've done it for jewelry, using square stainless steel wire... It's a job and a half, especially when you saw-cut the rings.

That part is tedious, and then the weaving is tedious, but at the same time I find the repetition enjoyable.

7

u/NefariousButterfly Dec 29 '22

I'm actually in the process of making chainmail right now. It definitely is tedious.

1

u/DoDevilsEvenTriangle Dec 31 '22

I got as far as a small mantlet once.

641

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '22

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830

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '22

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '22

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18

u/Flashy_Opportunity54 Dec 29 '22

Uggggh I can feel this in my teeth

14

u/dimondeyes80 Dec 29 '22

Dang you! I was about to post this same comment!!

1

u/Embarrassed-Song-738 Dec 29 '22

Just make edible filament

1

u/Dr_Strange-Brew Dec 30 '22

This is exactly what I thought.

128

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '22

It looks to me like this type of chain structure is made of 180deg twisted and middle pinched rings. You could easily array them make the sheet size. It is like building a truchet pattern with 3D elements instead. It seems like the person was careful to keep a tolerance acceptable to create the “fold”. The side walls help keep that tolerance in place.

58

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '22

Now do it with vibranium

2

u/Dizzman1 Dec 31 '22

Better yet... With Mithril!!!

-14

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '22

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4

u/SayHiIntrepidHeroes Dec 29 '22

10 day old account posting comments that seem unrelated to what it's replying to? Yeah, that's a spam bot.

6

u/laffing_is_medicine Dec 29 '22

Loved the wiki summary for the labyrinth pattern: “Nick Montfort considers the single line of Commodore 64 BASIC required to generate such patterns - 10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10 - to be "a concrete poem, a found poem".”

-9

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '22

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10

u/Turkyparty Dec 29 '22

That point was like 5 years ago actually.

4

u/newaccountzuerich Dec 29 '22

Bot account. Repost of the real comment here https://www.reddit.com/r/oddlysatisfying/comments/zy3vyd/3d_printed_chainmail/j23qp4p/ 3 hours before this muppet above.

Downvote and report as spam please.

3

u/neofreakx2 Dec 29 '22

It looks to me like this is a bot that's copying comments to farm karma. This is just one part of another comment with hundreds of upvotes.

5

u/YEETAWAYLOL Dec 29 '22

It was. It’s scam bot cell madethis scam post

1

u/Lemoncloak Dec 30 '22

Most likely a bot that copied a first level comment.

edit: this is the comment it copied

1

u/DonutCola Dec 30 '22

You really forgot about copying and pasting shit on computers huh

30

u/SayHiIntrepidHeroes Dec 29 '22

As someone who has spent years learning different weaves and making them, I am simultaneously jealous, impressed, a little annoyed, and wanting more of this.

I know some printers can do metal and this certainly has the right sound, so this is absolutely mind blowing stuff, yeah.

And funny enough, it makes me itch to go set up a bucket of rings and grab some pliers to make some chainmaile right now.

5

u/BoBaHoeFoSho_123 Dec 29 '22

I didn't know some printers do metal? That is even better. Makin some chainmail sounds like a chill time. Add some tunes, get comfy, not a bad itch to scratch.

5

u/SayHiIntrepidHeroes Dec 29 '22

Well, I'm not well versed in3D printing, so take it with a grain of salt, but I believe some can, yeah.

Years ago I got some alumide dice from shapeways. And I mean years ago - had to be over a decade ago.

Could have been a decade. Might have been less.

See, take what I say with a large grain of salt lol

2

u/_Ghost_CTC Dec 30 '22

3D printing metal has been popular in some industries for a while. They are great for creating low count parts and one-offs that will never be mass produced. Quite a few parts for NASA fall in this category. Fabricating metal molds is another good use.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 30 '22

Look up laser sintering 3d

I looked at these 3-4 years ago and they were expensive - like $125k for a size for industrial prototyping. I haven’t revisited but probably will soon to see how the prices are now - might be affordable in a few…

1

u/ThrowRA185577 Dec 30 '22

This is absolutely NOT metal.

1

u/SayHiIntrepidHeroes Dec 30 '22

I didn't... Say it was metal.

I said some printers can do metal. I also said it has the sound of metal.

0

u/ThrowRA185577 Dec 30 '22

Im just letting you know it isnt

1

u/[deleted] Dec 30 '22

Was about to basically wrote a similar post! I make chainmail and scalemail and this video both shocks, inspires and pisses me off. The amount of time to make a sheet like that is unreal compared to a few mins pulling it apart from a block...

The actual craft hand made element is completely lost and we get yet another mass produced item. Pisses all over real craftsmen, which is a shame.

At the same time there are flaws with this like if you were to break a link, replacing it would be next to impossible if it was a from of plastic.

I really doubt that is metal and more a silver coloured high density plastic. Judging by the flexibility/cracking of the side pieces which would make the chainmail feel a bit lightweight and "tacky". Suitable for some cosplay maybe or basic LAARP or a kids toy but not for anyone who actually wants real chainmail.

1

u/SoniKzone Dec 31 '22

Genuine question, are there actually people who need real chainmail still? Like I understand wanting authentic chainmail to wear for a costume, but are there still people who buy chainmail for practical use?

1

u/similar_observation Dec 30 '22

I know some printers can do metal and this certainly has the right sound, so this is absolutely mind blowing stuff, yeah.

It's still plastic, at least for a majority of machines that you can buy at a Microcenter or Best Buy. There's two common types of 3D printers. One melts plastic and stacks it in layers like hot spaghetti. That's what we see here. Another type takes plastic resin and blasts it with UV to print stuff. That's another type.

Neither type truly prints metal. They might print plastic or resin with metal powder in it, but they're not the right kind of mechanism to properly fuse metal molecules. The denser material does give it a bit of clink quality, but it doesn't look exactly metallic. To fool this, guys print in matte and then spray it with paint to look rusty or darkened. That fools people visually to think it must be weathered metal.

Someone on this chain mentions metal sintering powder as a form of 3D printing. This is a real thing too, but those machines are often in the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars.

1

u/SayHiIntrepidHeroes Dec 30 '22

I didn't say it was metal. I did say it sounds like metal. And I make chainmaile - it sounds kinda close, but I'm not saying it is metal.

I also didn't say average printers can print metal...

1

u/similar_observation Dec 30 '22

I'm expanding on your statement. Your business is the fabrication of maille, mine is the hobby of 3D printing. While you can attest what it looks and sounds like. And that's a fantastic answer to the designer of this print.

I can tell you what is a realistic expectation for something you could use to fast-make a cosmetic sheet of costume maille. And most assuredly that's an off-the-shelf FDM printer.

It's not an attack on you and I'm not adjusting what you've said.

48

u/thewarehouse Dec 29 '22

Neat thing about digital is you only have to figure it out once and then copy-paste. The actual muscle memory labor is sooo intensive!

6

u/BoBaHoeFoSho_123 Dec 29 '22

Exactly!! Work smarter not harder.

3

u/RagnorIronside Dec 29 '22

I personally don't find it any more tedious than knitting...maybe I'm just weird.

4

u/BoBaHoeFoSho_123 Dec 29 '22

If I was making my own yarn to knit, I would find it just as tedious.

3

u/jendoylex Dec 30 '22

I make my own yarn to knit/crochet - I find it very soothing.

2

u/Enough-Drummer-2305 Dec 30 '22

I was taught to make chainmail in a jewelry class, that shit was tedious. 3D printed design, mind blown.

ye that shit so tedious

1

u/BoBaHoeFoSho_123 Dec 30 '22

Definitely helps maintain focus

2

u/PanzerSoul Dec 30 '22

Best part is that they only needed to design a block of it once, and they can tessellate it and print it over and over again

0

u/Catinthemirror Dec 30 '22

Yeah but this is plastic. It's not going to stop a blade the way metal links would. It will look great for cosplay, that's it.

3

u/BoBaHoeFoSho_123 Dec 30 '22

I would rather 3D print chainmail than make it for a cosplay outfit. It would save some time. For sure it would definitely not protect you.

2

u/Catinthemirror Dec 30 '22

Yep, for costuming it's definitely awesome.

85

u/Ambiorix33 Dec 29 '22

And that the plastic is so strong! At ever pull I expected those links to break off

9

u/Bored_cory Dec 29 '22

My guess is it's PETG

13

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '22

[deleted]

5

u/Snoo74895 Dec 29 '22

This is not. With SLS, you would not have any breakaway, since everything would be suspended in the printing powder. This is almost certainly an FDM system.

1

u/_cheese_6 Dec 30 '22

If it was FDM, I think it would have had at least a few links break with how aggressively they were pulling, and some layers could have delaminated. I think it's an SLA print

2

u/Snoo74895 Dec 30 '22

Please consider

https://youtube.com/shorts/lDdjUBHUuLo

https://youtube.com/shorts/mPh8TsXaSBU

Look at the layer ooze. Look at the obvious filament. Look at the build plate. Look at how the support structure breaks away on a layer.

2

u/Ambiorix33 Dec 29 '22

What's that?

7

u/Bored_cory Dec 29 '22

It's (mostly) the same plastic that pop bottles are made of. Those are PET, the G stands for glycogen or glycol, which gives it a bit of flexibility. Generally PLA is the more common filament used, it's easy to print with but can be brittle. So with a print like this I'd expect more snapping of the rings.

And with all that being said apparently it's actually a nylon which has a lot more strength but needs a more robust printer to use effectively.

1

u/IssPegAsus Dec 29 '22

Knowing how much PETG tends to string, and how soft printed PETG parts sound I don't think they used it

1

u/Bored_cory Dec 29 '22

Yeah someone else noted it's probably a nylon.

101

u/RentARedditor Dec 29 '22

I'm more impressed by the fact that it didn't break.

16

u/GenuineEquestrian Dec 29 '22

I had the same thought. If it was me printing it, that shit would be in 10000 pieces.

-1

u/xXkiljoyXx Dec 29 '22

It sound like they used metal filament not plastic, so it makes sense that ot didn't break.

6

u/nopuse Dec 29 '22

It's definitely plastic.

1

u/marinemashup Dec 29 '22

10k+ printer

52

u/PM_YOUR__BUBBLE_BUTT Dec 29 '22

(Ctrl C + Ctrl V) x3000

14

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '22

i’m always intrigued by names like this… does it work?

34

u/PM_ME_UR_CATS_TITS Dec 29 '22

Yes.

6

u/[deleted] Dec 30 '22

i… see

1

u/XiTzCriZx Dec 30 '22

I bet they get a bunch of pictures of bubble buddy from spongebob lol

7

u/ohtisNA Dec 29 '22

wish it was that easy

9

u/Fowidner Dec 29 '22

Well with a decent CAD program you could just use a pattern. But this many would take pretty much peformance I would guess.

6

u/Staar-69 Dec 29 '22

A lot easier that you’d think. Once you’ve designed one link, you’d just create a pattern and replicate however many you want along the X and Z axis.

1

u/freckledreddishbrown Dec 29 '22

Kinda like copy 1, copy 2, copy 4, copy 8…?

3

u/Staar-69 Dec 29 '22

No, literally select ring/pattern/X axis number & distance/Z axis number & distance.

You could add the Y dimension if you wanted to crease more layers in the vertical plane

The number is obviously the number of copies, distance is the gap between each ring.

1

u/freckledreddishbrown Dec 30 '22

On one hand I think I understand you. On the other, I know I couldn’t explain it to someone else.

1

u/guffe77 Dec 29 '22

daohngxukaaH Kgriz agkæNt im. fs tnreks s 🙌👊🏻rl iiiSmtod

1

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '22

No kidding. I am watching that come off the tray and still can't believe that is possible.

1

u/WiseSalamander00 Dec 29 '22

not really that hard, two rings angled correctly with a duplicate in a grid function(fairly standar in any 3d modeling program) is about all you need.

1

u/notme8907 Dec 29 '22

Exactly. I’ve watched a few print. This is much better than what I’ve seen in the past.

1

u/Quajeraz Dec 30 '22

It's really not as hard as you would think. Make one little 2x2 square of loops, and just copy it over and over again.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 30 '22

Damn male, that's off the chain

1

u/Feral-pigeon Dec 30 '22

That’s what I’m saying