Question for CoH 3D printer concept

[Techwright]

Not quite sure what category to file this under, it seems to touch on a few of the forums, so I'm just generalizing it. 

 

Those who know 3D printing well:  Would it be possible to create cookie cutters of our CoH characters?  I mean "cookie cutter" quite literally, like something sturdy enough to cut dough, with a raised outline of a line drawing of a character (and taller edges for cutting).   If this can be done, and is relatively easy and cheap to do:

 

Idea:  Create holiday gingerbread cookies of our favorite characters and show off the results.  Bonus: you'd have the cookie cutters to work with any time for shortbread cookies, sugar cookies, etc.

[biostem]

The problem is that cookie cutters can't really have too much fine detail.  You might be better off with a generic male/female/huge form, then decorating them accordingly with icing.  A better approach might be to try and come up with super-deformed cookie cutters, or maybe just make AT icon cookies... 

[Techwright]

7 minutes ago, biostem said:

super-deformed cookie cutters,

 

I'm not sure I understand the term in context.  Could you clarify?

 

By fine detail, you mean facial features?  I guess I had been thinking more along the lines of helmets and such.

[biostem]

9 minutes ago, Techwright said:

I'm not sure I understand the term in context.  Could you clarify?

"Super-deformed" usually refers to that trope in anime, where a character is depicted in a simpler, cuter style.  For example:

 

12 minutes ago, Techwright said:

By fine detail, you mean facial features?  I guess I had been thinking more along the lines of helmets and such.

Think of a cookie cutter as just an outline.  You would have to add any detail after baking via icing/frosting, or edible ink.  That's why I was suggesting using a fairly generic male/female/huge outline, then adding the details after the fact via the aforementioned toppings.

[Lines]

Printing the cutters directly might be troublesome. The cheapest and easiest 3D printing methods tend not to get on well with food. If you want it thin enough to cut into dough, they can degrade or collapse after a bit of use and washing.  Pick your material carefully: I imagine a thin, detailed PLA wall would quickly snap if there are intricate shapes and I'm fairly sure ABS or HIPS isn't food safe.

 

I would say you're better off printing (or CNC cutting) a full sillouhette of the character and then pressing thin sheet aluminium around it (such as from a cut and flattened drinks can).

Edited November 4, 2023 by Lines

[Snarky]

3 hours ago, biostem said:

The problem is that cookie cutters can't really have too much fine detail.  You might be better off with a generic male/female/huge form, then decorating them accordingly with icing.  A better approach might be to try and come up with super-deformed cookie cutters, or maybe just make AT icon cookies... 

there are a number of CoH/V outlines that would be pretty cool.  Part of the trick is then decorating the cookie to bring the concept to life.  Think Lord Recluses Helmet, Longbow flyer, etc

[Oubliette_Red]

 

[Oubliette_Red]

Oh, you meant more "cookie cutter" and less "3D".   :D

 

Probably take a pic of one of your character in a pose, make a silhouette out of it and shape a cut strip for a heavy pie tin and form it into shape, or save yourself some time and cuts and upload the silhouette to someplace like this:

 

https://custom.cookiecad.com/

 

[Dona Eis Requiem]

I'm not sure how much you've done with 3D printing but it seems like cookie cutters are a thing within the community:

https://3dprinterly.com/how-to-make-3d-printed-cookie-cutters-successfully/

 

 

IF that endeavor doesn't work out you can always do a freeform outline cut for your cookies.

There are food coloring printers that print an image onto a sugar sheet for transfer, or you can do a food coloring outline to the cookie and use piping to outline and flood 

them the "old-fashioned" way.

[srmalloy]

7 hours ago, Lines said:

Pick your material carefully: I imagine a thin, detailed PLA wall would quickly snap if there are intricate shapes and I'm fairly sure ABS or HIPS isn't food safe.

ABS can be food safe, but it's harder to find, and anything but natural color is virtually certain not to be — the dyes aren't. PLA, again with the dye caveat, can be food safe, but you're up against the limitations of PLA — it has a low deformation temperature, so cleaning it with hot water can damage it, and unless smoothed the surface irregularities can trap food particles. Nylon and PETG filament is available in food-compatible varieties, and there is a TPU filament — Copper3D's MD Flex — that was developed for food and medical use, with an anti-microbial nano-copper composite.

 

Equally important is using a nozzle other than the standard brass composition, which can leak lead into the melted filament as it's extruded.