Every summer we put up a collapsible shade canopy on our back deck. To make it high enough for tall people to walk under, I screwed short pieces of scrap 4x4s onto the legs, like stumpy little stilts. They worked but they were ugly, and had to be roped in place in case the wind ever tried to carry the whole thing away. This meant setup and takedown took time and it all looked sloppy.
So I designed and printed a trim set of stilts on modular joints that twist-lock into fittings permanently screwed onto the deck, tapered and nearly flat so people won’t trip on them. They’re barely noticeable and the whole project is super mundane, but I’m inordinately proud of them because I am a dull man.
edit: as requested, I added an image of one of the “stilts”. Besides what I already mentioned, another reason I did this was that with the 4x4 stumps attached, the frame didn’t fit in its fabric storage cover when taken down every year, and I didn’t want to unscrew and reattach the 4x4s every time. The new stilts attach to the canopy legs with one small screw, and they’ll all fit in a zippered side pocket of the cover. The other reason for doing this, and if I’m honest the main one, is my love of 3d design lol.
PETG may be sufficient and has better UV/environment resistance.
Strength is largely a result of design, wall thickness, and infill.
Biggest issue with PLA is that it will cold-flow over time.
I’ve only had one problem with outdoor things - some pyramidal post caps I made using PETG sagged and turned into pagodas after a few weeks of sun. Nothing else in 8 years of printing. Even some PLA slug traps I made 5 or 6 years ago still look fine. I think there’s a lot of variance by brand, and probably even by color because of the dyes.
I only suggest PETG for the UV resistance. It’s surprising given the higher print temps but that doesnt meant it won’t cold flow as well.
My experience is PLA deforming under constant load. In the days-weeks range. If it’s just supporting itself it’s not likely.
Good info - the leg extensions I made are hinged so they can move back and forth a little in the wind - I was afraid something rigid might break. This means the hinges are carrying the constant weight of the whole canopy, so I’ll keep an eye on how they hold up.