HiSekai: A CRT-themed "Hello World" For 3D Printing

HiSekai

Hi, Sekai! Sekai is romaji for “world," which rhymes nicely with “hi.” If it's not obvious, this print aims to be a new “hello world” print for ensuring your printer is working correctly. Another famous boat-themed print has long been the standard for ensuring printers are working as expected, but as someone pointed out, it's perhaps become a bit too easy as a benchmark. As entry-level printers have become more capable, it's clear something more challenging is needed in order actually to find room for improvement. While HiSekai is not a perfect substitute or full-on successor, it does offer challenging overhangs and 11 other test metrics to aid in calibration.

HiSekai was inspired by my love for retrocomputing and open-source 3D printing. This design is licensed into the public domain and includes the complete FreeCAD project files.

Information

HiSekai offers the following test metrics for evaluating printer performance:

Faceplate:

1. Layer Adhesion Test - When the faceplate is printed standing on end, as intended, snapping off the “Hi!” speech bubble can offer insight into how well the layers have bonded. An especially easy snap may indicate problems with extrusion or temperature. For instance, PLA should have a bit of resistance before it firmly breaks free.
2. Stringing Test - The faceplate demands many travel moves between the face details, which should expose any stringing issues if they are present.
3. Bed Adhesion Test - Good bed adhesion is required to complete the print with the faceplate standing up.
4. Tolerance Test - A hallmark of the two-part design, HiSekai offers a 0.2mm tolerance test when the faceplate is inserted into the main body.
5. Small Detail Test - While HiSekai does not offer any super tiny details, the 1.5mm line weight of the “Hi!” lettering should offer some insight into how one's printer handles details on the smaller side.

Main CRT Body:

1. Circular Dimension Test - The circular base should offer functionality similar to round elements on other test prints. If the diameter isn't consistent on this part of the print, there may be an issue with belt tension.
2. Standard Dimension Test - The boxy sides of the model offer similar functionality to a traditional XYZ cube.
3. Layer Consistency Test - The flat sides of the print are a useful way to see how consistent the layer lines are. If they are wildly inconsistent, it may indicate a problem with extrusion. If there is a repeating artifact, it may indicate something like a bent lead screw, for instance.
4. Overhang Test - Perhaps the hallmark of this test print, the underside of the monitor offers 12mm of steep angle overhang that puts your part cooling to the test.
5. First Layer Test - A classic inclusion in test prints, the generic Secchi disk design on the bottom allows one to evaluate whether the first layer is too high or too low.
6. Pressure Advance Test - The sharp corners of the print allow for the evaluation of pressure advance settings. 
7. Bridging Tests - The entire design of HiSekai is rife with bridging and overhangs, which should offer ample opportunity to evaluate part cooling performance.

Reference Dimensions:

Rear of Main Body: 30mm wide

Base of Main Body: 20mm diameter

Faceplate Test: 0.2mm tolerance

More in-depth dimensions can be sourced from the included .STEP and .FCStd files.