3D Printed Cake Pop Stand (Parametric)

One day my sister wanted to make cake pops, however a cake pop stand usually isn't found in your average local store and usually needs to be bought online (which takes a while). Letting them sit in a cup also isn't particularly ideal. So I quickly whipped up a 3D printable cake pop stand that prints quickly and shows of the cake pops in a cool way. A few uses later I improved the design and made it fully parametric so that you can set the dimensions as you want. Created with 3D printing in mind the print uses minimal material whilst still being easy to assemble, print, and use.

I'm a 9th grade Student at the Maria von Linden Gymnasium

Skip to step 13 if you want to learn how to quickly customize the design and create your very own cake pop stand. Or download the pre-made files here : https://www.printables.com/model/1423144-cake-pop-stand-parametric

Tools:

1. 3D printer
2. Autodesk Fusion

Materials:

1. Any rigid non-toxic 3D printing material (contact with actual food is minimal so most materials can be used, but avoid carbon fiber filaments unless you like little itchy splinters in your skin)

To start off I set a few design goals

1. Minimal material usage for a quick print
2. Only very light assembly
3. Holds at least 10 cake pops

I always find it easier and faster to brainstorm ideas on scratch paper. So this is what I ended up doing next. I though about a block of printed material with holes in it but that (even with a light infill) would still have gobbled up tons of material. In the end I settled on a grid design with two plates, one on the top and one on the bottom. This however would have some printing problems if printed in one piece so I decided to split it into two seperate parts : the bottom part with studs and the top part that just sits on the studs.

1. To start off I drew a square with holes at each of the corners to define the general layout of a single unit
2. Next, to define the interior lattice structure I drew a smaller square within the larger outline square
3. This structure was then used for a rectangular pattern to cover the entire planned area (a 4 by 4 grid)
4. To finish the sketch I sketched a larger square all around the entire structure to enclose it

1. Using two extrudes I created two separate grid plates of the sketch created previously
2. Next I added two thin vertical posts at each corner and some in the center to hold the upper plate on the lower one
3. To help with alignment while glueing I added little protrusions at each corner that interface with the vertical posts at the corner
4. Finally I filleted everything and added some decals

Once the design was done I sent everything to my 3D printer and a short time later I could start assembling. I placed glue onto each of the posts and could test it out. Unfortunately the holes were a bit too small so I temporarily enlarged them with a cutter knife. I held the cake pops well but over time the problems started to show. Most importantly the hot glue used to assemble everything was in constant tension when you tried to pick it up. This and my inability to use a proper adhesive caused the glue to slowly fail and the two layers to fall apart. In addition the cake pops were difficult to put into the stand and thread the small handle though the perfectly sized hole. I also thought I had overachieved the "quick print and minimal material usage" goal as the design was very floppy and everything was as thin as humanly possible. In addition if I were to need a different size version (like 3 x 5) I would have to basically redo everything.

That's why I refined my goals for the second version:

1. Minimal material usage for a quick print but a still sturdy structure
2. Only very light assembly with zero glue
3. Parametric design to hold any number of cake pops from 2 x 2 to a x b
4. Easy usage so that the cake pops can easily be placed into the grid without misalignments

I wanted to parametrize the entire design so for this second version I settled on creating some parameters.

1. I started with how many units by how many units the stand should be (RectWidth and RectLength)
2. Then I specified the individual wall width for the grid (WallThickness)
3. And finally I added a parameter for the spacing between cake pops (PopToPopSpacing)

These parameters would aid in the design and make it super easy for you to customize the entire design.

This time for a parametric design I though it would be easier to seperate the single sketch with a single extrude into two seperate extrudes and sketches.

1. So I created a large plate (defined by the parameters) in which I cut a smaller hole afterwards using another sketch
2. This one cut was patterned in a grid (as per parameters) to yield the entire lattice
3. This figure was then copied for the top plate using an offset extrude

For the holes I used a similar process as in the last step:

1. I started by cutting a hole straight through both plates
2. Next I chamfered the bottom edge for smooth insertion and automatic alignment
3. After that I again used rectangular pattern to pattern these features across the whole plate

In the previous prototype I noticed the fact that your eyes seem to think that the holes at the edge are much closer and not really where they actually are.

1. To fix this I simply added material to all sides using simple extrudes

Then came the question of how to make the assembly as easy as possible while still being easy to print and sturdy. I knew for certain that a glued butt joint (like I had used last time) really wouldn't work. I though about a simple glue in pin for better alignment but the usage of glue just didn't really appeal to me. The next thing I thought of was some sort of compliant mechanism. A buckle latch could technically work but would be way to brittle when printed with the layer lines going across it. I briefly experimented with a small compliant radial spring that pushes outward (see picture) but the scale of everything was so small, my printer had trouble reproducing it and it would break easily and be too stiff. Twist lock mechanisms also wouldn't really work and I really didn't want to have a separate printable piece just to lock each post in place. Then I suddenly realized that the simple dovetail joint could work.

1. For the posts I started off by simply extruding a square and then applying fillets
2. To create the intended dovetail joint I simply created a sketch on the side of one of the posts, cut out and extruded the correct areas and added printing clearance
3. This again was copied using the rectangular pattern tool in fusion

Now the last steps were all done on just the bars of the grid going in one direction along the y axis. So I had to repeat everything for the ones going along the x axis as well (this made patterning everything with parameters possible)

1. For ease of use and to prevent people from sliding on the top plate backwards I added an arrow that would serve as both a sign and a physical barrier if assembled wrong (the top plate arrows would collide with the posts on the bottom plate.

The first design had fewer posts that the default version of the current design. This huge amount of posts (especially on larger prints) is unnecessary and just consumes material. Automating the precise positioning of posts where needed (at least for me) impossible. Instead the user gets to decide where to place posts and where not. This is done though suppression in rectangular patterns 10 and 12. (See image for explanation on how to do it yourself)

To finish the design I filleted the outer edges and added a chamfer on each of the holes using yet again a rectangular pattern

First of all check on the downloads page on printables (https://www.printables.com/model/1423144-cake-pop-stand-parametric) to see if a suitable design already exists. If not:

It's really simple to create your very own cake pop stand and takes under 5 minutes (assuming you have Fusion installed). In the design you can specify the length and width of the lattice that holds the cake pops and to use less material you can customize where you'd like your posts to go.

1. Open the f3d file provided on the printables model and file website in fusion
2. Go to Solid > Modify > Change parameters (img. 1)
3. You will see a small separate tab open labelled Parameters (img. 2)
4. There are two parameters RectWidth and RectLength. Enter your required values into these fields (note that on smaller computers large values will take a while to compute and I don't recommend going much above 15 by 15) You CAN NOT input values smaller than 2 by 2! Features will start breaking!
5. Press ok to see your changes applied
6. In case you want to reduce the amount of posts in your design, you have to edit the features on the timeline and use suppression to enable or disable certain posts. For extra clarity you can use the instructions on img. 3
7. Now for 3D printing got to the very top File > 3D print and select the top plate and export it to the slicer of your choice
8. Do the same with the bottom plate

If you still don't know how or don't have Fusion installed you can always ask me in the comments and I will try to get back as soon as possible.

Now that the design is exported you can 3D print everything using your default settings but make sure that you don't use supports. They are not needed and I try to design everything without the need for support. You do need to flip the (n)x(n)TopPart model around (see picture) for it to print properly without supports.

Download the pre-made files here : https://www.printables.com/model/1423144-cake-pop-stand-parametric

The assembly is pretty self explanatory and does not require glue nor fasteners.

1. Align the top piece with the bottom piece, making sure to not have the top piece rotated 180 degrees. The arrows help you and in case you ever do try to put it on backwards they also physically stop you from doing so. (img.1)
2. Now slide the top plate in. It it is stuck and won't budge, gently nudge one the posts onto the corresponding dovetail a tiny bit (img. 2 and 3) (not fully in or you'll risk breaking something). Go post by post and after doing this with all the posts for 4-5 times the plate should be fully inserted. (img. 3)
3. In case you ever do decide that the fitment is too loose and fragile, you can simply use glue to permanently hold everything in place. I did not have to use it but your printer could have different clearances
4. And finally fill the stand with cake pops

I learnt a ton from this seemingly simple project. I got much better at using parameters in my design and will use them a lot more in the future. In addition to that I also learnt that sometimes the simple option (the dovetail) is the best and it you shouldn't overcomplicate little things like that. I learnt how to use suppression in rectangular or circular patterns in Fusion.