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Expanding Rings & Spheres
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Rings & Spheres that use a scissor mechanism to expand and contract. Can be used to make a Hoberman Sphere.
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Updated at source:
Model information
- Source
- Printables
- Category
- Math
- License
- Creative Commons — Attribution — Noncommercial
I was inspired by @BCE_Gatien's awesome Hoberman Sphere, but wanted smaller pieces and a different attachment mechanism. The parts here can be combined to make multiple sizes and versions of expanding rings, spheres, etc. I recommend starting with a 12gon ring, which can be easily adapted into a sphere.
Printing
- PETG
- Brim: for hubs only
- Infill: gyroid/15%
- Supports: none
Assembly
Rings
12gon ring
- 12 copies of 12gon_A
- 12 copies of 12gon_B
- 36 copies of lock (recommended)
- attach the middle of one 12gon_A to the middle of one 12gon_B (optional: lock). This makes one scissor mechanism
- attach the 12 scissors together to form a ring, ensuring that each scissor's orientation and spacing is the same as the others (optional: lock)
Other rings
- Repeat instructions above after a global replace of 12 with the gon you're using (ex; print 5 copies each of 5gon_A&B, 5*3 = 15 copies of lock)
Spheres
General
Spheres are multiple rings held together with hubs.
- Create strings of scissors as you did for creating rings, but create only partial circles (arcs)
- At the end of each arc, replace the final A piece with an L or and R piece, such that each side of the end has a peg facing inward
- Attach each end of the arc to a hub - each arc will be connected to 4 hubs, each hub will connect to 4 arcs
- Attach further arcs to the hubs
Sphere Types
- Simple - 3 x 12gon rings at 90 degrees to each other
- 12 x 12gon_A
- 36 x 12gon_B
- 12 x 12gon_L
- 12 x 12gon_R
- 12 x 90_hubs
- Icosadodecahedron - the traditional Hoberman sphere, 6 x 10gon rings
- This doesn't work yet! I need some help with math :)
- 60 x 10gon_B
- 60 x 10gon_C
- 60 x 60_hubs
- For this model I'm attaching all scissors directly to hubs (so no A parts) - for more expansion we could try a 20gon or 30gon
- Plenty of other shapes to try!
Naming
- Strut files are named
Ngon_XNis the number of sides of the regular polygon formed by the strutXdefines the type of part:- A - 3 holes
- B - 3 pegs
- C - 1 peg, 1 hole, 1 peg
- L - 1 peg, 2 holes
- R - 2 holes, 1 peg (mirror of L)
- Hub files are named hub_
NNis the internal angle in degrees
- Lock
- A simple lock, which snaps in place on pegs and holds pieces together
Please ask me for additional sizes and shapes!