Propagation Station/Planter for Mini

Introduction

This is remix of Mikolas Zuzas propagation station. I though the design was beautiful, but I couldn't print it since it didn't fit on the Mini print bed.

Mikolas kindly provided the Fusion file in his upload. I redesigned the station from scratch, but the original design was handy to have for measuring. I have tried to keep compatibility with Mikolas design, where it was possible.

I have redesigned this from scratch, in order to fit the Mini. I also had some ideas for upgrades and have implemented them.

Printing

Everything, except the cups and the light plate should print nicely in any material. I have used PLA and PETG. Print cups in somethings a bit flexible, like PETG and the light plate in something that can take the heat from your light source.

Below are all the parts with a rendering of the part. I hope it makes it easy to figure out what parts you need to print for your combination. My settings for the Mini are in the 3mf files.

What light to use?

Simqplicious asked a great question in the comments. What electronics for lighting? I use pieces of a 5050-led strip. It's probably a bit weak to use for propagation in winter. The more I read about grow lights, the more confused I become. If you can shed some light on this (pun intended), please do so in the comments.

Propagation station with lights

The main feature of this design. A propagation station with a light.

Assembly

Pretty self explanatory. Just stack the parts on top of each other :)

	Base with lights Print one. Support on build plate. Only 5% infill needed. Use "support cubic" infill for max filament savings.
	Top Print one. PLA.
	Spacer Print one. Re-scale it in Z-direction when your plants grow larger. PLA.
	Leg 70mm Print two. Rescale in Z-direction when your plants grow larger. PLA.
	Basin Print one. Support on build plate. I use 1.05 for extrusion multiplier and +5 degrees for watertightness. PLA.
	Half basin Pretty much the same as standard basin, but half the size. Print one. Support on build plate. I use 1.05 for extrusion multiplier and +5 degrees for watertightness. PLA.
	Rockwool cup This is not my design. It's Mikolas original design. But it made sense to put here. Print as many as you need. A full station takes six. PETG or something else with a bit of flex.
	Soil cup Print as many as you need. A full station takes six. PETG or something else with a bit of flex.
	Cup bottom Print as many as you have printed cups. It's the same bottom for the rockwool cup, soil cup and the self watering cup. PETG/PLA.
	Cup tray Only needed if you want to use cups. Print one. PLA.
	Half tray Same as above, but for the half basin. PLA.
	Self watering tray Use this if you want to add self watering to your basin. It goes on the lower extrusions in the basin. Print one. PLA.
	Self watering spout Print one. Goes on the self water tray. PLA.
	Self watering cup Print two for each self water tray. This cup is shorter than the rockwool/soil cups. PLA.
	End cap Print one in a nice color. It goes on the end of your planter train. PLA.
	5050 light plate This is designed with a few rows of 5050-led strip in mind. Print in something that can take a bit of heat.
	Blank light plate Use this one if you have some other light source that doesn't match the 5050-plate. Print in something that can take a bit of heat.

Matching vase and base

If you want to have a matching set of vases when your plant is out of propagation, this is what you need. If you print enough of them, you kind of get a planter train :)

Assembly

Same as the propagation station.

	Base without lights Print one. Support on build plate. Only 5% infill needed. Use "support cubic" infill for max filament savings. PLA.
	Base connection Print one for each connection between bases. Used for linking two bases together. Works with both types bases. PLA.
	Leg 20 mm Print four for each base connection. PLA.
	Basin Print one. Support on build plate. I use 1.05 for extrusion multiplier and +5 degrees for watertightness. Same as in the station. PLA.
	End cap Print one if needed. Same as in the station. PLA.

Plastic wrap holder

This plastic wrap holder can be used if you want to make a tiny greenhouse for the early stages of propagation.

Assembly

Mount the inner frame and legs together on a table. Cover the legs with plastic wrap. Mount the outer frame. Cut away any excess plastic wrap. It finally goes on top of your basin.

	Plastic wrap legs Print one. Print slow if you want a nice finish on the legs. Or print quick and do a tiny bit of sanding after. PLA.
	Plastic wrap inne frame   Print one. There is ridge on the side that goes up. PLA.
	Plastic wrap outer frame Print one. PLA.

One last note

There is a bug in the current version of Prusaslicer. The slicer doesn't create a slice for objects that are exactly 180mm wide or long. There is an issue open on Github. The current workaround is to scale the model to 179.99 mm in the longest direction. It won't affect the fit of the parts.

Regarding electrical safety. This print is intended to use with a low voltage (0-24v) DC light source. Use an off the shelf power brick. Where I live, it's illegal to build something that plugs straight into your 230v AC wall socket. Power bricks are ok though. Make sure you know what you are doing and that your light source is safe.

I really hope that you will enjoy this design. Please go ahead and remix it. I will post a Fusion  360 file, as soon as I have cleaned it up a little bit.

If you print it, please post a picture. I'm looking forward to seeing new color combinations!