3D Printed Giant Spirit Chain

Oversized chains have become a popular fan accessory, especially at sporting events, concerts, and cosplay gatherings. Their bold, eye-catching design makes them ideal for showing team spirit, personal style, or themed support for a performer or character. Originally popularized by hip-hop culture and sports mascots, these chains have evolved into fun, lightweight, and fully customizable statement pieces. Fans wear them to stand out in a crowd, support their favorite teams, or create viral social media moments.

Thanks to the powers of 3D printing, I wanted to develop a way to create my own modular, oversized version of these popular accessories. By designing each link to be easily printable and interchangeable, the chain becomes fully customizable—whether to showcase team colors, logos, or personal flair. This modular approach also makes it easy to scale, repair, or remix the chain for different events, offering a fun and flexible way to express yourself!

My original take on this project began a few years ago. Now, with more time on my hands and oversized chains still going strong, I’m excited to revisit and share my modular 3D-printed version—customizable, wearable, and built to stand out!

All you need is a 3D printer and the plastic of your choice. I used basic PLA, but you might choose a different material depending on your needs. Since each chain link is printed separately, any 3D printer will work—though a larger print bed will let you produce more links at once.

Unlike traditional manufacturing, 3D printing gives us the ability to create some truly unique and imaginative shapes. Create a sketch of any design you'd like to bring to life—the possibilities are virtually limitless. For my version, I wanted to first start with a generic chain link shape.

Next, using my sketches as a guide, I translated my design into Fusion 360. For this, I was able to mimic the intended design language and sketch out a similar shape for me to extrude. For more complex shapes, I would usually import a scanned image of my sketch directly into Fusion 360 and use it as a tracing template—this would make it easier to match curves and proportions accurately.

It’s important to design a simple and secure way for the links to connect. I added a small slit with a chamfer on one end of each chain link, allowing two links to snap together with minimal bending. Because the slot only appears on one side of each link, once assembled, no two slots ever need to align directly. This helps prevent weak points and reduces the risk of the chain pulling apart under tension.

Another one of my design choices involved print orientation. I knew I wanted each chain link to lay flat on the print bed. To avoid creating large overhangs, I added one large main fillet on the top of the chain and a smaller fillet on the bottom. This allowed the link to print cleanly without supports while still keeping the rounded look I was going for. Once thew chain is being worn, this difference will be hardly noticeable.

For me, the hardest part for me was determining the right size for each chain link. It took some trial and error to find a scale that felt oversized enough to make a statement while still being practical enough to quickly print.

Given the size of my build plate, I was able to print 24 chain links at a time. I found that this amount made for a nicely sized chain right out of the printer. Since I enjoy mixing and matching colors, two quick print runs gave me plenty of flexibility to customize the color, pattern, and size.

There are so many exciting styles and combinations to try!

Cheer on your team, show off your favorite color, or just have fun with bold designs. Whether you use my design or create your own, I can’t wait to see what you come up with!