Halloween Pumpkin Lantern – Print-in-Place Hinge

Want to sell prints of this model? A commercial license is available on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Elizabeth3D Like my free models? Support me on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/elizabeth3d The Halloween Pumpkin Lantern is a chunky jack-o'-lantern night light whose front opens on a print-in-place hinge. Design Concept A chunky, friendly jack-o'-lantern with a carved face and a little black bat perched behind its stem. There is no lid to lose: the front of the pumpkin opens on a print-in-place hinge at the bottom, like a little door. Put an LED tea light inside, close it, and the carved face glows. Purpose A Halloween lantern for a desk, a shelf or a window. The hinged front makes it easy to put the tea light in and take it out: nothing to glue, nothing to lose. How It Works - The pumpkin is split by a vertical cut. The two parts are joined at the bottom by a double-pivot hinge (two small links with cone pins) that comes off the printer already assembled. - The front swings forward and down, up to 180°, until it lies flat on the table. Swing it back up to close the pumpkin. The stem is a screw-on cap: it screws onto a threaded post that is split between the two halves, so screwing it on locks the pumpkin closed. Unscrew it to open the front. - On the floor inside, a low ring holds the tea light in place (41.5 mm across inside). - The light shines out through the carved eyes, nose and mouth. What You Need (bill of materials) - 3 printed parts: the pumpkin (both halves and the hinge in one piece), the stem cap and the bat. - 1 battery LED tea light, standard size (up to 40 mm across). - LED only, never a real candle: PLA softens at around 60 °C. Print Settings - Tested on: Creality SPARKX i7, 0.4 mm nozzle, PLA, 0.20 mm layers. The 3MF has everything set for the Creality SPARKX i8 (system profiles). - It prints on three plates. Plate 1: the pumpkin, both halves and the hinge in one piece, open and face down (both cut faces flat on the bed, the hinge between them, the curved shell upwards). Plate 2: the stem cap. Plate 3: the bat. Supports are already set in the 3MF: tree supports from the build plate only, a few small ones under the face on plate 1, and on the stem cap and the bat. - Walls: about 1 mm thick: the shell is hollow, so the light shines through the face. Brim: automatic, as set in the 3MF. - About 6 h 35 min and 95 g of PLA for the three plates (Creality Print, 0.2 mm layers). - Print at 100%: the hinge is made with 0.35 mm of clearance at this size. Do not scale it down. Assembly Guide The hinge is printed in place; only the bat and the stem go on by hand. 1. Let the plates cool down and lift the pumpkin off in one piece. 2. Open the hinge gently the first time. 3. Press the bat onto its little peg on top of the pumpkin. 4. Open the front, stand the LED tea light inside the ring, switch it on, close the pumpkin and screw the stem on to lock it.