Head Visor (Flat print-in-place!)

A head visor that, due to the way of printing and assembling, can be printed flat on the bed without any form of support, while still creating the ideal, well-known double curves of a classic Head Visor!

The flat shape makes it easy to provide decorations / texts / engraving and embossing or even placing an extra model on top of the visor! Make small holes for hanging your fishing gear or make a mount for a led light under of above the visor. Much can be done in the slicer software (see also the attached example of the fishermen's Head Visor).

Use color changes or top-layer infills for a beautiful result. If you plan to place a model on top of the visor, keep in mind that a bigger model must be able to bend! Think of the flexible models or make small cuts that allow the model to bend. I would love to see your makes or remixes with custom or crazy prints!

Printing

Print them flat on the bed (see project). Nozzle 0.4 / layer thickness 0.2, no supports and 100% infill!

The model is 220x220. If you rotate it 45° and scale a little down you can print on a 200x200 bed. Rotating makes also room for a skirt around the model.

I have added a cut-out of the functional part as a testfile. So you can test. It's about ⅓ of the normal printing time.

Assembly

Gently bend the visor at an angle of almost 90 degrees to the headband. Check whether the movement over both pivot points is smooth. Now bend the headband in the curve of the visor and press the round button into the hole provided in the visor. The basic clamping is now OK. Note that the visor points slightly upwards, this will change! 

Now make a velcro strap on the two mounting holes of the headband. It is designed for a 20mm band, but a narrower one is no problem either. Alternatively, an elastic band can also be attached. To make the headband rest softly against the forehead I attached felt to the inside of the band. I cut these out of anti-scratch velt selfadhesive pads of 200x150mm. I have supplied a cutting template model for this that you can find in the downloads.

Use

Adjust the velcro strap to the diameter of your head. Clamp the two parts tightly together and notice that the visor will now point downwards, the position we all know! To remove the Head Visor: DO NOT do this with the visor itself, but remove it by grabbing both ends of the headband and lifting it up, or loosen or grab the velcro strap at the back of your head and bring it forward over your head. If the headband is clamped and you try to remove it with the visor, there is a chance of breaking the pivotpoints cause you generate much force then!

The idea.

Contests (for me) have always been an infectious source of inspiration. So was the Velcro Contest on Printables. When thinking about where Velcro is used, I thought of a Head Visor. However, designing a solid Head Visor did not appeal to me and I decided to do something by using the flexibility of thinner printed parts. As many of us know, you can easily make a Head Visor from some cardboard / thicker paper by cleverly cutting and folding. The two parts are glued together and an elastic band ensures clamping around the head. See the many Paper Visor Templates on the internet.

The modeling.

The original idea was to work with fold lines to fold the whole thing together. However, after several attempts, I gave up. It turned out that especially the coupling points at both ends of the visor make a double turn, causing a tearing effect on the folding line. In the end I made 2 loops that interlock, with 1 loop printing at an angle. This allows all necessary movements to be made. It took me a while (understatement) to find the perfect shape/angle and place. All in all I had to print about 8 prototypes until the current model was created. The bends and displacements are impossible to simulate in the 3d modeling software and the current model could only be created on the basis of testing and fine-tuning. The holding together force is absorbed by a flexibly mounted hook that is clamped in the visor. Because everything remains under tension, it will not come loose. After clamping, the visor is slightly tilted upwards, but this is corrected when the headband is clamped around the head. Then the well-known slight curvature downwards arises.

Final words

It's my most laborious designs, sometimes even frustrating, but also one of the most satisfying results (if I may say so). I hope you like it too. Don't forget to like, share, rate and post your make!

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Image of bass which I use for the Fishing Head Visor by : Freepik 

For the exampleproject with the peeking cat I used Peeking Cat Bookmark (3D) and merged the head in the slicer.