From 2d to 3d - How to Make Slapon Pictures

This is a simple instructable that will show you how to make slapons pictures.

It is a part of a series of instructables that aim to help explain how you can use beads to prepare kids for learning how to work with 3d-printing.

Slapons are small 3D printed picture that you can glue or tape on to things. In that way they work a lot like stickers and it can be a good idea to think of them a 3D printed stickers.

Because they are small and thin they can be printed fairly quickly. The ones on the picture here takes 10-15 min to print on medium quality with my CR6 SE printer. A printer often found in schools here in Denmark.

That means that students can often design slapon, print, redesign and print again during a single lesson. Making it a good activity for students the first time they have to use a 3D-printer.

Supplies

Tools:

Computer

3D printer

Drawing program

Slicing program

Tinkercad

Supplies:

Filament for the printer

Glue or double sided tape

Step 1: Draw the Picture

First thing is to draw the picture you want to make into a slapon. You can use any drawing program that you like.

Remember that the drawing should not have to many small details, since we are going to print it rather small.

Then save it as a svg file. If your program can't save as svg, then just save it as a jpg or another format. There is plenty of online converters that can change different picture files into svg.

Step 2: Tinkercad

Now import your svg file to Tinkercad. Reduce the figure to the size you want it to be. Most often you want them to be pretty small. Like 5x5 cm or 2x2 inch. Then reduce the height of the figure. You only want it to be 3 layers, which for my printer is 0.6 mm.

Then export the file. Here I usually go with .stl