Magnetic Lithophane Holder by andrew620

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

Swappable Magnetic Lithophane Holder
1) Materials needed
2) Tutorial to assemble stand
3) Lithophane tutorial
4) Notes
1) MATERIALS NEEDED:
1/4 x 1/16 inch magnets (100 for $7, I used 8 for each lithophane and 8 in stand)
USB LED keychain (10 for $5 | There are smaller packs but these were a good value)
USB extension cable (4 for $5 | Same as above, good value)
Under 50g filament for stand (about $1)
About 20g filament for each additional lithophane (about $0.50)
-Total cost with what I bought: $20 + tax
-Bare minimum if purchasing only what's necessary for one: About $7-8
If you order exactly what I bought, you can make the stand and about 11 lithophanes with 9 extra USB LED keychains and 3 extra cables that can be used for lighting other projects.
(8 magnets for stand + 8 for each lithophane makes 11 lithophanes / 96 magnets)
Links to the listings I got mine from:
Magnets: https://www.ebay.com/itm/163328071279?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
USB LEDs: https://www.ebay.com/itm/152806606249?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
USB Extension Cable: https://www.ebay.com/itm/302502564362?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
2) BUILD TUTORIAL
a. Print all of the pieces included. There is a trapezoidal section on the base and top half that stick together because it's easier to print the pieces separately. You won't see where they join when it's done. Note that depending on the bridging capabilities of your printer, you may have some sagging along the top where the lithophane attaches if you don't print using support. I haven't found this as an issue and I generally just sand or shave it down. It's barely noticeable and when there's a lithophane attached you don't see it at all--worth the saved filament in my opinion.
b. Put two magnets in each hole in the top half of the stand for a total of eight. Polarity doesn't matter, but keep it consistent among the four holes. They fit tightly, but hot glue helps to keep them in the holes and the magnets themselves attached to each other. If the holes are too small based on your printer clearances, you can try to sand or shave down the inside of the hole.
c. Put the USB extension cable and USB LED keychain inside of the top half. It isn't a snug fit, but you can hot glue it in there. Route the cable along the channel on the back. Again, not a tight fit in order to keep the cable from getting damaged, but hot glue keeps it down nicely.
d. The cap file allows you to cover up the top where the cable comes out. You don't really see it regardless, but it's a nice touch to make it more finished.
Note: adding mounting tape to the bottom of the stand helps to keep it stuck to a surface.
3) PRINTING THE LITHOPHANE
a. Head to https://lithophanemaker.com/Framed%20Lithophane.html
b. Upload your image, making sure it is 8x10 aspect ratio.
c. You'll want to make sure you're printing it with "No Border" as we'll add one after we create the STL.
d. I used 0.2mm resolution, 56mm x 70mm width and height, respectively, and left everything else as default. It works great for me, but you can toy around with these if you'd like to find out what gives you the best results.
e. I used Fusion360 to add the border around the lithophane. Open the "Frame STL" and insert your lithophane STL from lithophanemaker.com
f. Merge the bodies together. The frame is thicker than the lithophane, so you can position it wherever you want depth-wise, but length and width should fit perfectly.
g. Print the lithophane in your slicer software. For my Ender 3 Pro, I have found 4 walls, 0.1 layer height, print speeds about 35-40 mm/s, and no support works fine. I don't use any infill to save a bit of filament, but if you do a higher infill it may make it so that you don't see the silhouette of the magnets (see photos). You may also have issues depending on how great of bed adhesion you have because the surface area is very small, but I'm able to print just fine. Make sure the lithophane is oriented vertically (not down flat on the bed) and the long end going along the y axis. In other words, position it so that the bed is moving the most and not the nozzle so that you get the best quality.
h. After it's done, it is the same process as the stand. Put the magnets in the back (hot glue works great!) and most importantly MAKE SURE THE POLARITY IS CORRECT! Line up the magnets with the stand like they would be with the lithophane, and keep that orientation. They're a pain to get out and it's not going to work if they repel each other.
4) NOTES
a. The LED keychain can be powered via any USB power source, like a port on a computer, a phone charger wall adapter, a USB power bank, or anything else.
b. Making an image black and white before you upload it to Lithophane Maker helps you to see what it will look like when it prints. If the colors are too similar, there won't be enough contrast in the thickness. Not usually an issue, but it's good to double check.
c. I haven't made a specific design for one yet, but it's a nice touch to have something to store extra lithophanes on. Any magnetic surface will do as well.