Overview
I’ve been printing Christmas related items for the past 5-6 weeks but I wanted something else quick, giftable and cheerful to print but that would not use too much filament. I found these Christmas trees while looking through MakerWorld and I thought they’d work well as a table decoration. They are printed in vase mode which makes them fast, lightweight and ideal for giving away!
I’d been looking for a reason to try out this new rainbow PLA filament and this project seemed a good fit.
Model information
Model Name: Christmas Tree Vase Mode V2
Designer: MBRS
Source: MakerWorld listing
This is a clean, clever design optimised for single wall printing. Vase mode dramatically reduces print time while producing a surprisingly strong spiral wall.
Filament used
Brand: Creality CR-PLA Filament
Type: PLA
Colour: Rainbow!
Link: Amazon product page
This PLA gives the tree a glossy (not quite silk) look which suits the decoration perfectly. Despite being an unusual material, this filament behaved well at normal PLA temperatures and delivered a glossy ribbon-like finish in vase mode.
Printer and settings
- Printer: Bambu Lab A1
- Nozzle: 0.4 mm
- Plate: Textured PEI
- Process preset: 0.20 mm Standard
- Mode: Vase mode (Spiralize outer wall)
- Supports: Not required
- Infill: None (vase mode)
The model is designed specifically for vase mode, so minimal adjustments are required. A slow first layer helps lock down adhesion, especially with silk filament.
Slicing notes
- Orientation: Printed upright exactly as downloaded but scaled to the full height of A1 build volume!
- Wall loop: Spiral single-wall. No top layers.
- Line width: 0.42 mm (default for 0.4 mm nozzle)
- Flow: Default profile worked ok but my first print failed right at the top; I needed to adjust the speed for the top portion down to 10mm/s.
- Cooling: 100 percent from layer two.
Vase mode produces a continuous toolpath, so prints are fast and extremely smooth. For this model, the strongest factor was the colour and material choice.
Note the image below which was printed with standard settings from the file. The top failed due to the print speed being too high and unsufficient cooling with vase mode. Slowing down the top portion to 10mm/s solved this issue!
Print time and material usage
Using the A1 on standard vase mode settings:
- Print time: approximately 3 hours
- Material usage: around 80 grams
- Estimated cost per tree: roughly £1.10–£1.20 depending on filament price (I purchaed mine on sale!)
Results
This filament produces a shimmering metallic ribbon effect that works perfectly for a decorative print. Vase mode produced a flawless exterior with no layer seams. The model is lightweight but sturdy enough to stand upright without extra support.
As a Christmas gift, these print quickly enough to batch produce for friends, colleagues or events. I’ll be putting a pair of these on our dinner table this Christmas!
What I would change next time
- Try a larger version using a 0.6 mm nozzle for thicker, bolder walls.
- Going to try different single-colour silk filament.
- Add opening at the bottom to allow adding of a battery powered light to illuminate from the inside!
- I’m going to look for a set of tiny string lights to wrap around the outside.
Gallery
