Introduction: Flexible 3D Print Masks

Learn how to make lightweight, flexible 3D printed masquerade masks! These are great masks as they brand it look similar the blueprint is tattoed on your face or floating on your confront. Because they are made out of tulle and plastic they, honestly, aren't the nearly comfortable masks, just they look good :)

This projection utilizes the 3D printing on tulle cloth technique I posted about previously. I came upwardly with this mask idea non long after posting that Instructable but didn't really delve into it until recently.

Etsy

Check out my shop on Etsy! Y'all tin can purchase any of these masks in whatever color in my Etsy store. If you don't see a mask (I'm non going to renew the posts if it isn't around Halloween season) just let me know and I can get it upwardly for you :)

Instructable 280

Step one: Supplies

The necessary supplies are virtually the aforementioned as my previous Instructable. A 3D printer, tulle, and tape are the basics and from in that location it'due south upwardly to yous!

Supplies:

  • 3D Printer - I'm using a Prusa MK3, only most printers should piece of work as long as the bed is big enough and filament in colors of choice, hither are the ones I used:
    • Copper
    • Marble
    • Bronze
    • Silvery
    • Blue - you can run into the blue with the Leaf Masks
  • Slicer - I use Simplify3D but there are many out at that place, y'all just demand to exist able to break the print and move the head out of the manner so y'all tin put downward the tulle
  • Tulle - Y'all are going to want it to blend in with your skin tone so it looks like your mask is merely floating on you. I'm using a six" coil in Ivory.
  • Painters Tape - folder clips might also work well for holding the string tight and so it doesn't shift
  • Scissors and/or Exacto - I observe each is helpful for a different task when cutting out the masks
  • Ribbon - I'm using 100% polyester ane/8" wide ribbon
  • & E6000 Glue - if you gum the ribbon on
  • Double Sided Record - this is optional and is helpful when wearing the mask so it conforms to your face better. I use a little piece on each side of my nose to concur the mask down.

Step ii: Designing a Mask

I'm going to provide a couple designs for you to employ, only they have been fit to my confront and may need slight altering to fit yous right. Otherwise, here are some directions for creating your own mask design. All of my masks were created using Tinkercad which I notice really easy to use. Simply saying :)

Before you start, you should figure out the possible dimensions of the mask. For this, mensurate the widest you would desire the mask to be, how far autonomously the inside corner of your eyes are from each other, and lastly how wide you would want the eye holes to be. Create a faux mask outline to design your mask within. The mask doesn't conform to your face, so you tin can get pretty bones measurements, information technology doesn't have to be exact. I would say the most important measurement is how far apart your eyes are as you don't desire the design to interfere with your vision.

When designing your mask, think about the thickness. You want information technology thick enough to have substance, merely non too thick that it gets bulky or heavy on your confront. It is meant to exist light. For reference, here is the thickness of my masks:

  • Foliage: .035" (this came out to 4 layers when I sliced it)
  • Dash: .035"
  • Stars and Moon: up to .09"
  • Dominicus: upward to 0.122"

The stars and moon mask and lord's day mask both had more than depth to them so they were thicker in parts. Whereas the leaf and dashed mask were solid parts, so I made them adequately thin.

Something to go on in mind when designing your mask is how y'all volition adhere the ribbon if y'all are adding 1. For the Sun, Stars & Moon, and Nuance masks I added a special part to the design specifically made to attach the ribbon. Since the Leaf mask had holes in it already, I just fastened my ribbon to the foliage.

Consider the size of your printer bed when designing your mask. It needs to fit and you need to be able to put the tulle on with the design, meaning you'll probably demand room for tape around the edges.

Pace iii: Slicing and Printing the Mask

Time to slice your design and prepare to print information technology. Since y'all probably won't be using a lot of filament I recommend using 100% infill . Just to requite the mask some substance, though, this is non necessary.

And similar my previous 3D printing projects, you demand to add a break to the slicer so you can add the tulle. If you lot have the ability to add script (like you tin can with Simplify3D) you tin can utilise the following:

{Supplant "; layer ii," "G28 Y0 X0\nM0\n; layer two,"}

Now, with these masks, I highly recommend pausing after the first layer and putting the tulle downwardly then. This is partly because the design isn't that thick anyway, and so you don't want the tulle to evidence through the top layers, and also, if yous have a design that has dimension (like my Sun or my Stars and Moon masks) you want to make sure you nicely sandwich the tulle so it is amend to do this earlier the design gets smaller.

On to the brim of the print. I recommend using 1 every bit information technology helps agree the tulle in place. So I call back you should brand it and so information technology goes i layer higher than your pause. Since I pause after the 1st layer, I had my skirt be 2 layers alpine. When it comes to offsetting information technology from your mask, yous take 2 options. I is you lot offset a few mm abroad from your pattern (like I did for the Leaves and Nuance mask). Make certain it is far enough abroad and so you can safely cutting the mask out but non too far that you don't accept room to tape the tulle downwards on the printer bed. Your other option is to create a border in your design that kind of acts as a skirt. I did this for my Stars & Moon and the Sun mask because they weren't uniform and since they were kind of cluttered in pattern, the skirt kept getting in the way of how I wanted to cut the blueprint out. So, instead, I created my own brim. I also used a skirt that was commencement by 0 so that I could guarantee the skirt was printed first when the printer started upward with the 2nd layer.

Some other reason the skirt is helpful is that your filament may ooze out of your printer head while it is paused, if that happens y'all'll have a glob that needs to go somewhere. The brim volition hopefully catch the glob so it doesn't interfere with your design. I fabricated my skirt three outlines but just 2 is fine. I would practice more than one to requite information technology some substance. And so, again here is a breakup of the skirts I used:

  • Leaf and Dash masks Brim:
    • 2 Layers
    • iii Outlines
    • Kickoff 5mm
  • Stars & Moon and Sun masks Skirt:
    • 2 Layers
    • 3 Outlines
    • Offset 0mm

I besides increased the Outline Overlap because the leaves were modest but not filling in enough. Mine is automatically ready to 20% and I increased it to 35% for the Leaf mask and xxx% for the others.

Step 4: Press and Adding Tulle

Time to print!

Get your printer going every bit normal and if you lot added in the intermission, it should terminate and motility the head out of the way after finishing the outset layer.

Advisedly add the tape but brand sure it won't interfere with the print. I found information technology easiest to beginning by putting down a long piece forth the meridian and then calculation a long piece on the bottom while pulling the tulle slightly taut. And so I added a long piece to each side. To end it off, I added tape to anywhere left and then the head wouldn't grab on it.

Look at it from the side and brand sure it doesn't chimera up anywhere or it could take hold of and ruin your print.

Now first your printer support and let information technology end. You don't HAVE to stick around but I usually stay at to the lowest degree for a little bit to brand sure information technology doesn't catch. It should continue past printing the skirt kickoff then as long equally that doesn't catch, it should be able to finish every bit normal. Sometimes the caput will crash-land the tape, simply that'due south fine every bit long as it doesn't stick to information technology. If you need to, you lot can carefully remove pieces of tape later on the skirt has printed on top of it to become it out of the manner.

Footstep 5: Finished Print

Yay! At present your mask should exist all printed.

Fourth dimension to take it off the bed. Be careful equally the tulle tin tear fairly easily. My husband has this paint scraper and I utilize information technology to carefully button at the print underneath the tulle and dislodge the pieces. Don't go too apace. It isn't worth vehement the tulle because if you tear information technology in the wrong place you can completely ruin the mask.

Pace half-dozen: Cutting Out Mask and Add Ribbon

Like with removing information technology from the bed, be conscientious when you cutting as yous tin can't uncut it. My recommendation when cutting out your mask is remove every bit much of the tulle as you tin can without compromising the mask. If the design gets too close, and your sections are cut too shut to each other information technology could end up tearing and ruining your mask. The best example I tin think of is well-nigh the nose and eye for my leaf mask. It gets a little thin and I try to not cutting it besides close so it won't tear.

The dash mask seen in a higher place is pretty straightforward to cut out but ones such equally the Stars and Moon ane can be difficult because the pattern is chaotic and bits of it are sticking out everywhere.

Don't forget to cut out within wherever you lot are adding your ribbon.

At present, one fashion to wear a 3d printed mask is to use double sided tape and tape information technology right to your face. It won't be that comfortable but it will wait fitted to your face really well.

As that isn't completely realistic, I've added areas to add a ribbon.

You can tie your ribbon on or attach it any way you desire. I folded it over and glued it to make information technology every bit unnoticeable equally possible.

Footstep 7: Tape

Like I mentioned previously, you tin just tape the mask to your face if you want. If you do this, I recommend adding record right to the mask and put it against 3d printed parts of information technology so it has something to stick to. It won't stick simply to the tulle very well.

As well, if you are going to tape it, make sure you tape of import areas (which are near everywhere) including: in a higher place and below the heart, each end of the mask, and on either side of the nose. Really, you need to tape the mask to your confront and see if whatsoever areas of the mask are flopping away from your face.

In the concluding two images, you can run across an early on version of the Moon and Stars mask and how information technology is completely taped to my face, no ribbon.

Stride eight: Final Masks

Here you tin see how the design for the Leaf and Dash masks are one acme, while the Sunday and Moon and Stars masks have some dimension to them.

To requite y'all an thought of mask sizes here are mine:

  • Nuance - 7 3/4" wide and 3" tall
  • Star and Moon - 8 i/2" wide and iii" tall
  • Leaf - eight 1/iv" wide and 3" tall
  • Lord's day - seven iii/4" broad and 3 i/ii" tall

Footstep nine: Foliage Mask

I also printed this one in blue :D

Step 10: Nuance Mask

Step 11: Moon and Stars Mask

This is my very first design that has evolved over fourth dimension. I accept spent the most time on it and would say information technology is the most uncomfortable to article of clothing.

Step 12: Lord's day Mask

I liked this mask merely didn't beloved it so I've simply printed information technology in bronze so far.

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