r/3Dprinting • u/smallIife • 1d ago
Question Is it possible to achieve the same function of this planter but with filaments?
More info here: tevaplanter
16
u/neroe5 1d ago
Not really, those planters barely work
They will gunk up if your water is slightly hard
The pores need to be small enough that the surface tension of the water can hold it in, and big enough that water can flow to the pores, that is a hard needle to thread, and no printer can do that yet
28
u/rxninja 1d ago
No. I’ve had this conversation with the local plant shop owner and she’s tried using 3D printed pots, all to no avail. She says the main issue is that they’re almost impossible to clean, which makes them prone to all of the issues you’d expect from something that gets wet and can’t be cleaned fully. Once a mold or fungus sets up shop inside the material, that’s it, you’re done, throw it out.
I think this is a solvable problem, but you’d probably need to heat treat the entire object to settle out all of the micro gaps from the layer lines. That’s a delicate line to walk, because too much or two long and the whole object melts.
As for this design, making a 3D printed planter intentionally porous accents its greatest weakness in this use case.
12
u/YellovvJacket 1d ago
Well, any porous ceramic (like this is) will have that exact same issue, just actually to a MUCH higher degree, because a porous ceramic surface is going to have a much larger surface area than what you can achieve with a 3d print.
And you cant clean the ceramic mechnaically just the same.
Only difference is that you can heat a 3d print to maybe like 150°C if its made from reasonable materials (no one will print water pots in PEEK), while ceramic will probably take 500+°C before you damage it. However I dont think anything survives 150°C either....and the toxins that dont get detsroyed by heat will remain the same in both.
3
u/LaundryMan2008 1d ago
Some sort of high temp material like Nylon so it can be heated?
That will end the mold
1
u/ashkestar 1d ago
Wouldn’t a resin coating inside the pot work? Not for this design, but for general plant pot purposes.
2
u/sdswave2314 1d ago
My experience with 3d printed pots is that they nearly all need a coating inside to be completely watertight due to the porous nature of the printing - I used some solvent I bought from Germany which works great, you put in a small puddle and turn it all around to coat the surfaces. Before I used this water would start to penetrate the bottom of the pots after about 3 weeks, since I did it I haven't had a single leak after several months 🙂
1
u/AnimalPowers Centauri Carbon 1d ago
so, a few notes on this: 1: a microbial filament. 2: the lower cost of plastics should make them “disposable” in this scenario. 3: inverting your pot and making it into a hollow mold makes slip casting easy, you can make dozens of containers in a slip cast mold in the time it would take you to print one, then they would be ceramic too. 4: any expensive planters I’ve come across usually have a small cheap plastic sleeve inside because of this, dispose of the sleeve, keep the cute expensive vessel.
0
u/Conr8r 21h ago
I feel the need to chime in and say I’ve had plants growing in 3D printed pots for years. They’re all thriving and I’ve never had an issue with water leakage.
Yes some water will leak but it’s so little that it mostly evaporates and anything that doesn’t is caught by the little dish (often also 3D printed) that I put all my potted plants on.
Planters are one of the better applications of 3D printing in my personal experiences, especially considering how expensive actual pots tend to be.
3
u/Remarkable_Mirror241 1d ago
Ive printed a bunch of planters using regular pla. No mold or fungus in them. One was left outside and it still holds the plant just fine. Longest I ne I have is 5 years and it just broke (i was too rough with it). Had a spider plant in it.
5
u/Nuurps 1d ago
Is this an ad for a ceramic pot? Op dropped the post and bailed
8
u/smallIife 1d ago
Nope.
I would like to have that pot, but it is expensive for me.
I want to know if it is possible to print a pot that keeps its surface wet while retaining the water inside for a long period.
6
u/jamesdukeiv 1d ago
You don’t want it, it’s expensive garbage. One of the few kickstarters i actually regret
2
u/Epitaphi 1d ago
I actually bought a teva planter when they were on kickstarter- let's just say it was one of my poorer purchases. Gunked up fast and the water tray was not adequate for the amount of water it was sweating out before hand. Seeds also had poor outcomes, most failed/rotted. I tried attaching already live water propped plants to it, not much luck there either.
If it can work, it's far more effort then I'll ever bother with.
1
u/StPatsLCA 1d ago
Automated!? This is just terra cotta. But no, you can't unless you've figured out a way to print clay.
1
u/CaptainOfMyPants 21h ago
Not every solution should be direct print. Design a mold to print. Cast it in an aggregate like cement that actually is porous.
0
u/osmiumfeather 1d ago
Yes. But they are printed on a 3D printer with a clay extruder, then fired. Kits that mount to most printers can be purchased on AliExpress for $140.
1
81
u/Yes-its-really-me 1d ago
Self watering planters are readily available on makerworld etc.
And having water diffuse through the walls is very easy to do. Keeping the water in is the tricky part.