3D Cookie Cutters Using the Silhouette Alta
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Last week I shared with you how our Creative Cutters group recently went a little “cookie crazy”. We had so much fun baking and decorating cookies and making cookie boxes to take the cookies home! But I got to have even more fun before the meeting, making 3D cookie cutters using the Silhouette Alta 3D printer. Today I’m going to share with you exactly how I created them!
I’m very new to 3-D printing and found cookie cutters to be a perfect beginner-level project. The design process is fairly simple and they are a great way to get to know your Alta better.
What You’ll Need:
- Silhouette Studio Software (any level will work for basic shapes but I used Flexishapes that are only available in Designer Edition Plus and above.)
- Silhouette 3D Software
- Silhouette Alta 3D Printer
- PLA 1.75mm Filament
This tutorial assumes that you’ve already set up your Alta 3D printer and know the basics of loading and unloading filament as well as how to remove your prints. If you need help getting started, be sure to check out Kelly Wayment’s 3D Printing Basics Class with the Silhouette Alta. It’s free and chock-full of helpful information about the Silhouette 3D software and the Silhouette Alta.
Step 1: Create a Basic (2D) Design in Silhouette Studio
Open a new design page in Silhouette Studio. If you want to see your design in the virtual Alta workspace, select Alta as your machine in the Page Setup Panel. Otherwise, use the Cameo or Portrait workspace.
Use the drawing tools or Flexishapes to draw a basic design. In this example, I’m using the star Flexishape and I increased the points to 7.
Adjust the size of the shape to the size of the cookie cutter you want to create. I’ve chosen to make mine 2.5 inches. (The size can also be adjusted in Silhouette 3D but I found that it’s better to create the correct size from the beginning to keep the width of the 3D printed cutter wall consistent. More about that later!)
Create an offset of 0.05 inch (or 1.2 mm if you’re using the metric system).
Select both the original shape and the offset and make a compound path. Fill with color. This will create the cutter wall.
Select the compound path and create another offset of 0.1 inch (2.5 mm). Fill the offset with a different color than the one you used for the cutter wall. This will create a handle for the cutter.
Group the two parts together and save the design to your Silhouette Library or computer hard drive as a .studio3 file.
Step 2: Create the 3D Cookie Cutter in Silhouette 3D
Open Silhouette 3D and import the .studio3 file as an Extrusion.
Ungroup the two sections. With the aspect ratio unlocked, select the handle (base) and set the height to 0.16 inches (4.0 mm) Level to Bed.
Select the cutter wall and set the height to 0.67 inches (17.0 mm) Level to Bed.
To re-align the two pieces, select each one individually and choose Center Selection on Print Bed. Once they are aligned, select both and group them back together. (Tip: Use CTRL/CMD + A to Select All, then group.)
Make sure your platform is ready for printing and the filament is loaded, then send the file to print. I prefer to print in Standard quality because it results in a more sturdy cookie cutter.
When printing is complete, allow the cutter to cool and carefully remove it from the platform. Your 3D cookie cutter is complete!
Like what you see here? Share the image below to Pinterest!
Once I got started making these cookie cutters, I didn’t want to stop! Besides the star, I made a butterfly, a heart, a flower, and a scalloped-edge square – each of them from a Flexishape. Next I want to try making some personalized ones for my grandkids and a small set to use with play dough. Like I said – now that I’ve started, I don’t want to stop!
Are you an Alta user? If so, what are some of your favorite 3D projects? Drop a comment below or come join me in the Silhouette Crafters by Design Facebook group to share some ideas!
Until next time,
Lycia is a lifelong crafter whose goal is to help others find value, confidence, and joy in whatever they create. She geeks out on using technology to supercharge craft projects with Silhouette Studio, Design Space, Glowforge, sublimation, etc.! Lycia teaches these skills and more through online tutorials and videos as well as in-person classes at both the local and national levels.