3D Printed Guiro

For this project I decided to make a simple percussion instrument called a guiro. It is an Puerta Rican instrument that is made out of a "gourd" with ridges and a stick. The instrument is played with a stick which is rubbed against the ridges to make any rhythm you want. I decided to make my own version of this instrument as a frog with the help of Tinkercad and my 3D printer. You can use this idea to with any animal or thing you want!

Things I used for this project:

• Tinkercad
• 3D printer
• 3D slicing software
• Filament (PLA)

For this project I began by opening a new project on Tinkercad. While exploring the diverse array of creatures and characters available, I found the perfect candidate for my guiro project – the frog. In the design phase, I created two planes and incorporated a triangular shape to form the ridges responsible for producing the characteristic sound of the guiro. Moving on to the "stick" component, I initiated a separate project in Tinkercad to fashion it out of a palm tree. However, I only required the trunk and not the leaves. To achieve this, I crafted a box that eliminated the top part of the tree. After a bit of thinking I came up with practical storage solution for the stick within the frog design. To do this, I added a cylinder to the frog in the location of its vocal sac, creating the illusion of fullness. I then used a smaller cylinder to carve out a designated spot within the frog where the stick neatly fits. This thoughtful design element adds both functionality and aesthetic appeal to the guiro frog. Finally, I saved each project as an STL file.

The slicing software I used is Ultimaker Cura but any 3D slicing software will work. My 3D printer is a Creality Ender 3 Pro. I used a 15% infill for this project and used the standard quality default settings in the slicing software. I uploaded the file onto a micro SD card and was ready to print.

The next step is bringing our creation to life through 3D printing. This process took a bit over 8 hours for my print to complete. Keep in mind that the overall size of the printed frog is approximately 3 inches in length and 2 inches in height. However, feel free to customize the size according to your preferences or add specific holes to achieve the desired sound for your guiro. For this particular print, I used black filament, the color readily available to me. While the black gives a sleek appearance, you can enhance the visual appeal by painting the frog. Painting allows for personalization and creativity, transforming your guiro into a unique piece of art. Happy playing!