Ultimate Modular Food-Toy for Cats (and others?)

Introduction

This is an updated remake of my other model. This one consists of 3 different parts that can be combined in different ways. If you prefer to have an one-part-solid-print instead, consider checking out the other model!

The idea here is to have different parts that are interchangeable. For example

You can use one “bottom” with a string attached to hang it somewhere and another bottom without a string to be played with on the ground. You can put weights (e.g. coins) in the screw-lid to give the bottom of the ball more weight (makes deployement of snacks more difficult), you can fill it with something rattling for auditory pleasure or you can fill it with baldrian or catnip for olfactory pleasure or you can just use it as a spare snack compartement. You can use different balls with different snack-hole sizes depending on what you want to put inside and all of these parts are interchangeable so you can combine them however you like. As byproduct it also gives the opportunity to use different colors very easily.

This is an ongoing project and I will update it with new mods as they come to my mind (e.g. screw lid with small holes for better smellability of the catnip or baldrian). If you have any ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments :)

Print advice

First: Consider using foodsafe material!

Prints without supports. Strong first layer adhesion recommended!

I highly recommend checking out the “Full set with settings.3mf” file in the “3D-Models with Slicer settings” folder. To view all the settings you need to open this file as a project (File → open Project → “Full set with settings”) - just importing this file as a model will not provide you with any of the premade settings or modifiers. I optimized all the settings for perimeters, orientation, variable layerheight, fuzzyskin and so on so you will end up with a perfect result - just change the printer and filament settings to your needs! The same goes for the individual .3mf files for the individual parts, all important and proven settings are included in the file itself (remember to open them as a project - not importing as model)!

In the .3mf files you will also find an “hole modifier” added to the ball model. This negative-volume-cylinder can be used to modify the hole size for your needs (e.g. for different types of snacks). Just change the x- and y-dimensions to your desired hole diameter. The hole is 10mm in diameter as a default and can be scaled up to 16mm.

I personally like the texture of fuzzyskin (thickness: 0.1mm and point distance: 0.15mm) but you should make sure that a) fuzzyskin is enabled only for outside walls, b) no fuzzyskin for the thread of the screw lid (disable with height range modifier) and c) no fuzzyskin for the teeth of the ball (also disable with height range modifier). As mentioned these settings are already been done in the .3mf files.

Happy printing!

Design and description by JH , licensed CC0.