Adafruit 3D Printed Chess Set

Nov 2, 2026

Adafruit 3D Printed Chess Set provides a complete build guide for creating a fully 3D printed chess set with Circuit Playground themed players. It covers selecting metal filament (copperFill/bronzeFill), key 3D-printing and slicing parameters, and the modular chess board design using snap-fit puzzle connectors. The workflow includes tumbling with steel and brass screws for distinct tones, health and safety precautions, and step-by-step assembly, storage, and play considerations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryTechnology

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Overview

Circuit Playground Chess

Modular Chess Board

Prerequisite Guide

Parts and Materials

3D Printing

Metal Filament

Extruder Types

Slice Setting

Download Files

Characters

Chess Board

Processing

Prepping Parts

Rotary Tumbler

Tumbling Medium

New Screws

Health & Safety

Tumbling Tips

Assembly

Adhesives

Assembling Players

Assembling Board

Play

Game On!

Storage

Adafruit 3D Printed Chess Set Created by Ruiz Brothers [https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-3d-printed-chess-set](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-3d-printed-chess-set) Last updated on 2024-06-03 01:45:30 PM EDT ©Adafruit Industries Page 1 of 13 Table of Contents Overview 3 | • Circuit Playground Chess
• Modular Chess Board
• Prerequisite Guide
• Parts and Materials
3D Printing | 5 | | --- | --- | | • Metal Filament
• Slice Setting
• Characters
• Chess Board
Processing | 8 | | • Prepping Parts
• Rotary Tumbler
• Tumbling Medium
• New Screws
• Health & Safety
• Tumbling Tips
Assembly | 10 | | • Adhesives
• Assembling Players
• Assembling Board
Play | 12 | • Game On! • Storage • Build it and show it! ©Adafruit Industries Page 2 of 13 Overview Circuit Playground Chess Get ready to play with the Adafruit Chess set! It’s entirely 3D printed and features players from Circuit Playground. In this project we’re using metal filament to 3D print the chess pieces. This filament contains actual metal particles. In this guide we’ll take a look at how to get this shimmer and shine so it doesn't even look 3D printed. ©Adafruit Industries Page 3 of 13 Modular Chess Board The chess board is a modular design that can be printed in regular PLA. The board pieces use puzzle like connectors that snap fit together. Assembly is like a puzzle game that doesn’t take too long. Simply snap them together. Prerequisite Guide Check out these guide below for more details on using metal filament and polishing techniques. • Polishing Techniques with copper/bronzeFill ([https://adafru.it/CfV](https://adafru.it/CfV)) Parts and Materials You'll need access to a 3D printer and filament (optional metal) . For processing, we recommend using a rotary tumbler. • 3D Printer • copperFill • bronzeFill • Rotary Tumbler • Brass screws • Steel screws • Flush snips • Breathing Mask • Gloves ©Adafruit Industries Page 4 of 13 3D Printing Metal Filament In this project we used copperFill and bronzeFill filament from ColorFabb. It's a special blend of PLA with actual metal particles that's 3x times heavier than regular PLA! Extruder Types Works with most direct drive and bowden systems. Operating extruder temperatures 210-230C Build Platform Use Blue Painters Tape Heated bed use 60C Slice Setting 20% Infill .15mm layer height 30mm/s Print Speed 2 Shells 230C Extruder 4 Bottom / 8 Top Layers No Retraction ©Adafruit Industries Page 5 of 13 Download Files [https://adafru.it/fBd](https://adafru.it/fBd) Characters The characters are separated into pieces. The parts are optimized to print with no support material. The parts can be printed in PLA or metal filament. To prepare the parts for slicing, we oriented the parts to be in the center of the printers build plate. Name Lady Ada Mosfet Adabot Connie Parts ladyada.stl cat-top.stl cat-btm.stl adabot-knight-bot.stl adabot-knight-top.stl connie-top.stl connie-btm.stl connie-legs.stl Character Queen King Knight Bishop ©Adafruit Industries Page 6 of 13 Cappy Bully, Gus, Ruby cappy-top.stl cappy-legs.stl cappy-base.stl led-base.stl led-skirt.stl led-legs.stl led-top.stl Rook Pawns Chess Board The chess board is a modular design that can be printed in regular PLA. Pieces that make up the board are separated into 3 different parts. You can choose any two colors as your alternating squares. The board pieces use puzzle like connectors that snap fit together. |
Quantity | File name | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | 4 | chess-center.stl | Connects to corners and sides. | | 4 | chess-corner.stl | Connects to the side pieces | ©Adafruit Industries Page 7 of 13 8 chess-side. stl Connects to corners and center pieces 32 chess-square-solid.stl Filled square holds more weight Optional square. Shelled to save on 32 chess-sq

FAQs

What materials and optional metal filament are used for printing the chess pieces?

The guide recommends metal filament such as copperFill and bronzeFill, which are PLA blends containing actual metal particles. It also specifies using regular PLA for the modular board.

Nov 2, 2026

Uploaded by Danger Angel