Pearl Light Conversion - Christmas Light Covers

Last crawled date: 4 years, 3 months ago

Disclaimer: Do not leave your Christmas tree lights turned on unattended. I do not want to be responsible for your tree burning down! Having said that, I have tested my lights continuously for several hours and the lights remained cool to the touch throughout the test. Also the PLA did not show signs of softening.
Inspiration:
My wife wanted pearl/bubble lights at the store the other day when we were shopping for Christmas lights. Unfortunately, they were several dollars more expensive than the standard incandescent string lights, which we ultimately purchased. So when I was home putting up the lights, the idea came to me that I could just slip a 3D printed part over the lights to get a similar effect.
Design:
I made these covers to friction fit over standard incandescent Christmas lights. My first prototype did not work well because the lights themselves had a variation ranging 0.8 mm. The final version is able to adapt to this variation as I designed some compliance within the hole. These covers should give a nice snug fit.
I uploaded a few versions, each with a different nominal diameter. I know that each printer has their own variation in accuracy and precision. In the case of my printer, it tends to print small holes smaller than I designed. I recommend you print one of each version and test fit them to your lights before you begin mass printing them. The number in front of the file name represents the diameter in millimeters. For example, 500D = 5.0 mm, 520D = 5.2 mm, and so on. I printed my covers in a natural (clear) PLA so the light can shine through better. It makes the lights look like solid ice spheres. You can choose any color you want though as the wall is very thin, and some light should shine through most colors.
I hope you enjoy them and enjoy the holidays.