KEEP MAGNETS AWAY FROM SMALL CHILDREN. Magnets can come loose. If swallowed, magnets can be FATAL.
Not for commercial use. Please see license agreement.
The photos shown used 16 2x1 mm magnets. It was enough, but I thought others might want a stronger hold. So, I updated the design so it has holes for up to 32 2x1 m magnets in one version, 16 3x1 mm magnets in a second version, and 8 3x2 mm magnets in a third. These are the versions I've uploaded.
I find that either the 3x2 mm or 3x1 mm work really well. 2x1 mm works OK, but it requires a lot of them. If you use 3x1 mm, you may not need more than 4 magnets on a side, but I've left the extra holes in case you want to make it really strong.
You will need:
- Eight 3 x 2 mm magnets, or
- Sixteen 3 x 1 mm magnets, or
- Thirty two 2 x 1 mm magnets
RESIZING If you plan to glue the pieces together and use them as a sculpture, you should be able to resize up and down. However, if you plan to use magnets to hold them together, that will change the size of the magnet holes.
PRINT TIME About 10 hours
SAVE TIME I've included my PrusaSlicer 3MF files so those who use PrusaSlicer don't have to work out all the settings.
PRINT SETTINGS A lot of factors will impact exactly how large the holes print. Therefore, I would suggest you do a test print of the first 3mm of one half of the egg. Then, try to insert a magnet. Adjust your print settings or scale the egg up or down from there and try another test until you get it to fit just right. Once you know what works for you, print the whole egg.
If you're not using PrusaSlicer, I recommend 2 perimeters (walls), infill just below unsupported areas using 20% rectilinear (lines) or 15% infill everywhere. I generally used default settings for .15mm high quality settings in PrusaSlicer. I did adjust the temp and retraction slightly for the PLA. I also printed the last few millimeters at 0.1 mm layer height to get better detail.
I used MatterHackers Rainbow PLA and printed both halves of the egg together so the color change would go from the middle out.