Window Jars (transparent lids and bottoms)

This is a set of small jars.  They can be used to store all kinds of things.  When I was designing them I was thinking about travel sized pill containers.

There are many similar jars out there.  So what sets this model apart from others?

• Transparent window in base and lid.  This allows you to see what's inside without opening or using labels.
• Double-start threads on the lid.  It takes a little less than one revolution to close or open the lid.
• Prints clean in PETG (nothing overhangs shallower than 45°).
• The same lid fits all the sizes.

These jars are great for traveling.  I can easily see what (and how many) are in each jar.  I don't need special lids with different labels on them.  They are best printed with PETG on a smooth build plate, but there is also a print profile for PLA.

Some Important Instructions and Details
 

This project has two different filaments defined.  One filament is for the jar body and is just the regular “Generic PETG/PLA” profile.  You can swap this out or change this filament profile for your specific filament without issues.  The other (marked as pink) is a special “Generic PETG/PLA - Transparent” filament profile that is saved within the project.  This is specific to printing the bottom layers as transparent as possible.  I highly recommend not replacing that filament profile.  You can adjust it as necessary, but it has several  important options set that will make the the layers more “glass like” than without.

Some things I set in the “transparent” profile are.

• Flow ratio of 1.03
• Initial layer temps for Textured and Smooth PEI plates of 75°
• Nozzle temp of 270° for PETG and 230° for PLA (hot on purpose, tweak for your filament)
• Lower volumetric speed (8 mm³/s)
• Fan speed of 0 for the first 12 layers (we will print exactly 12 layers of transparent filament)

In addition to the special profile for the transparent filament, there are also range modifiers for 0.00 to 1.20 mm.  This is the thickness of the transparent filament layers for the jar and the lid.  These range modifiers are what set the filament, but they also have very different settings from the body.  Some of those things are.

• Thin layer height (0.1 mm instead of the jar body's 0.2 mm)
• Sparse infill density of 100%
• Line widths of 0.5 mm
• No top or bottom shell layers.  (we want all lines on these layers to be printed parallel)
• Aligned rectilinear sparse infill.
• Infill/wall overlap 35%.
• Much slower speeds (18 mm/s in most cases)

The main project also has settings specific to the first layers as well as some other important settings.

• Initial layer height of 0.1 to match the layer height used in the special range.
• Initial layer speeds of 18 mm/s to match the range modifier speeds.
• Wall loops of 6.  Using 6 wall loops makes it so you can't see through the transparent layer into any infill.
• Random seam position.  This makes sense on most cylindrical objects.

If you've read this far, you know my thinking.  Tweak as needed.  I stopped tuning the transparent layer when I could easily see what was inside the jar.  You can probably raise the nozzle temperature, slow down the layers even further, and increase the flow ratio until it's perfectly clear, but those settings will very much be specific to whatever transparent filament you have.  

This prints best on a smooth build plate.  A textured plate will still work, it will just look more frosted than clear.

For what it's worth, I was testing using Inland PETG from Micro Center… which very much looks like a Polymaker/Overture spool.  I created the PLA profile using Natural PLA from Micro Center.  Natural PLA isn't as clear as other options, but it's what I had… and worked better than I expected.

Have fun and good luck.  Share your prints!