EDUstick® Creators Club
Butterfly with Two Symmetrical Wings
Create a flat 100 × 80 mm butterfly from PLA. Repeat short ribs and choose three pairs of sections to fill. The mirrored arrangement and rhythm create a clear ornament.
Your outcome: Create a clear, original ornament through symmetry and rhythm.
Illustration of the finished construction. Full-size (1:1) templates are supplied on a separate sheet.
Session 1 • stage 1/3
Draw the body and mirrored outlines
On W01 under the transparent mat, use the large schematic to check the sample: bead width and one-layer thickness, 1.2 mm each. Draw the axis, adjacent body beads and head. O01: add the left outline. O02: add the right outline and short antennae from head to tips.
Hot-fuse each outline 3 mm into the body beads at top and bottom, in the same layer; do not stack.
Check: Both wings connect to the body and the antennae to the head. The outer outline measures 100 × 80 mm, including the bead width.
If it does not work: Join an open line on the mat with a short PLA trace, without adding a second layer. Remake a cracked butterfly.
Parts and methods for this stage
1 × Butterfly · PLA
• template W01
One layer on W01 under a transparent mat: first the body and outlines, then the short ribs and three pairs of sections. Bead width 1.2 mm; thickness 1.2 mm. Number of layers: 1. Support: The entire deposited path rests on the transparent, flat mat. Strand direction: Outlines from the body and back; ribs in pairs; fills made with adjacent traces. Cooling: Allow to cool completely while flat before removing by hand. Tip access: From above, without sliding the nozzle under existing elements.
O02: both outlines and antennae.
Complete model — all previously made parts
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session 1 • stage 2/3
Repeat short ribs on both sides
On the flat mat, draw the short ribs according to W01: from the outline to the inner tip of the section and back to the outline. Repeat on the mirrored side. Make four pairs of sections A–D, leaving the centres of the wings open. The nozzle approaches from above; the ends of the ribs fuse into the outline without building up layers.
Once cool, you may pause, leaving the model flat on the mat and switching off the device.
Check: Each rib has two connected ends; sections A–D have mirrored counterparts. Nothing bridges the opening without support from the mat.
If it does not work: Fill a gap at the end of a rib on the mat with a short PLA trace and allow it to cool. Remake a cracked butterfly.
Repeat short ribs on both sides
Complete model — all previously made parts
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session 1 • stage 3/3
Fill three pairs of sections
Choose three of the four pairs A–D. The example shows A, B, and D. O04: start one section with short parallel traces, beginning at its narrow end. O05: complete it and the mirrored sections, six in total. Lay the traces side by side at intervals of approximately 1 mm; both ends reach the frame, and the sides fuse with the previous trace.
Everything lies on the mat, and the nozzle works from above. Leave the remaining sections and the centres of the wings open. Set the pen aside. The butterfly lies flat on the mat supported by the tabletop until completely cool. Visually check the connections without bending the wings.
After tidying the work area, show it without naming it and ask what it represents.
Check: There are three similar pairs of fills; open spaces remain in the other sections. The fill is one layer, with no loose strands. The butterfly is recognizable without a label. Both wings remain attached to the body; three pairs of fills create rhythm and a mirrored arrangement.
If it does not work: Fill a small gap in a selected section on the mat with a short bead. Remake a cracked butterfly.
O05: six filled sections A, B, and D; the remaining open spaces stay open.
Complete model — all previously made parts
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.