After enduring my OpenSCAD solid modeling class, The Might Thor conjured up a solid model of a Thing he wanted and asked if it was buildable. I added a pair of hemispheres to round off the tops, thinned and widened the baseplate for better adhesion, and Fired the M2:
I thought the overhang was aggressive, but, while it’s not perfect, it’s not nearly as awful as I expected. Perhaps tinkering with a slightly lower extrusion temperature would help.
It’s far less blocky than the stuff I build!
The OpenSCAD model is his; you get to figure it out on your own. Hint: linear_extrude a pair of circles with a twist.
The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning 
Comments
2 responses to “Double Helix Thing”
Does the software make sure a layer start occurs in a place where there is no overhang, if possible?
The hot-from-GitHub development version of Slic3r has a checkbox for “Start perimeters at non-overhang points”, but (as of a week or so ago) that version also segfaulted on my models, so I can’t say whether it has any benefit. The released version (9.10b) produced that model.
In any event, I have it set up to lay down the infill and interior perimeters first, in the hope a gummy wall can hold the final exterior thread in place. It works pretty well, at least for non-crazy overhangs.
It’s worth pointing out that I show the failures, not just the successes…