DragonCon Badge Holder
These badge holders are specifically designed for the dimensions of a DragonCon badge. DragonCon is a large, geeky convention held in Atlanta, Georgia, USA every year during Labor Day weekend. If you lose your badge at the Con, you have to buy a new one which is both expensive and time-consuming. I wanted a tough holder that would help make sure my badge didn't get lost or stolen. The pictured clear holder was printed with Overture 95A TPU. The red one is printed with SainSmart 95A TPU.
- Print the ‘badge shim’ in PLA first. Any PLA will do. It's used as a support spacer when printing the actual badge holder in TPU.
- Add a manual pause in the print between layers 11 and 12.
- Print the badge holder in TPU with no supports. The slicer will complain about floating cantilevers but our shim will fix that so you can ignore the warning. I use glue stick on the PEI build plate as a release agent.
- When the TPU print pauses, place the PLA shim into the print, seating it into the cavity where a badge would go. The shim will support the TPU that overhangs the badge.
- After the print finishes, use a dull blade to separate the top of the badge holder from the shim that it was printed on. On the back side, use a small blade to make sure the plug that goes through the badge hold is separated from the back of the badge.
- When inserting your badge, be careful not to mangle the edges. I find it easiest to bend the badge a little lengthwise and slip the two top corners into the sides first, then push the badge towards the top and under the ‘plug’. Once the top is in, you just have to get the bottom two corners into their respective sides and flex the edges a bit to get the badge all the way in. To take it out, push on the badge through the slot in the back.
SigSegV
