I had seen a few self-watering planters on different 3D sites but I wanted to make my own design. My aim was to make a sturdy, attractive model that did not use more filament than necessary. It has an elevated bottom that allows the indicator to rise as soon as you start filling water into the planter. For the bottom of the inner shell I have provided two alternatives, one where you can add a wick and one with a cone going down in the water. Use the alternative you like. I dont know which is best, maybe varies with the plant.
I have used PLA so far but PETG should also work
Layer height: 0,2 mm,
Nozzle: 0,4 mm,
no supports,
Brim only on float
Print standing.
To make sure it is leak-proof increase nozzle temp to 225 and extrusion-multiplier to 1,05
Print upside down.
Select the alternative you prefer. Variant B must be printed upside down.
Print with 0,2 mm layer height. Make coulor changes at 1,6 (red), 1,8 (green), and 2,0 (blue) mm. If you print the whole stick in red, you may skip changing at 1,6.
Print standing with brim. Use vase mode.
Glue inner bottom to the ledge on the inside of Inner Wall.
Glue the indicator into the slot on the float. Make sure it is pushed to the bottom end of the slot.
The planter can probably be scaled but I havenĀ“t tried. I would advice against scaling it down more than around 20%, some walls might get too thin. (I was intending to make a smaller model but so far I have not had the time to do it.) Any scaling will probably affect the calibration of the indicator.
2021-05-02: Inner bottom B has been updated for a better fit
The author hasn't provided the model origin yet.