terracotta inspired planter (vase mode)

This planter was inspired by an instagram post by pimnynkeprint, where they had designed a planter to look like a classic terracotta planter. I thought that was such a cool idea, and a very classic look, but I wanted to put my own spin on it.

I wanted to soften up the edges, round everything over, and also figure out how to add an attached drainage saucer with the challenge of printing it all in one piece in vase mode (for context, this was the second planter I designed, before my seedling planters and several other models posted here, which all share the same drainage technique). The corrugation, along with the thick ring at the top, add quite a bit of strength to the print, so much so that it has almost no flex to it.

Print settings

Unlike your typical vase mode prints, these models don't really scale. But then again, these models are really unlike your typical vase mode prints in many ways!

There are 2 models – a 4 inch and a 5inch version. These should be printed at 100% scale. They are designed to be printed with a 0.4mm nozzle, but can work with a nozzle anywhere between 0.4mm and 0.8mm. For best quality, please use the following settings:

• Spiral vase mode / Spiralize outer contour: turn this on, this is how the whole magic works
• Layer Height: 0.3mm (not required, but I like printing fast)
• Line Width: 0.8mm (this is important, and yes, you can do that with a 0.4mm nozzle, just trust me)
• Bottom Thickness / Bottom Layers: 1.5mm or 5 layers at 0.3mm layer height
• Printing Temperature: +10 to +15 degrees your usual temperature (I print PolyTerra at 200, but print these vases at 210 to 215 depending on my mood)
• Flow / Extrusion Multiplier: 110% to 120%, or 1.1 o 1.2 (this will help with making the models more watertight, among other things)
• Wall Speed: 30mm/s (you can play with this... slow it down if you have extruder issues)

Special note for Prusa Slicer: Under Print Settings > Advanced, there is a "Slice gap closing radius" setting. You need to set this to 0. This is very important.

Notes

The prints in the photos are all the 4 inch version. They were printed on an Elegoo Neptune 2 with a 0.4mm nozzle in PolyTerra Pastel Peach PLA, PoyTerra Pastel Mint PLA, and Overture Jean Red PLA. If you have one of the several terracotta colored filaments, you should absolutely use it for this model!