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Making a spiral chain for 3d printing
marc_andré_mercier804
Member Posts: 4 ✭
I would like to print a chain in spiral on my 3D printer. I have been able to make th chain link but when i try to make a pilote repetition for more link, as the spiral gets bigger, the chain links start touching each other and that will be a problem whe printing and getting the chain off the printhing bed. Whould there be a solution so that the spacing and the angle between each link follow the spiral eaven if the spiral get's bigger or smaller or if i change the number of links in the chain. I hope that my explanation of the situation are good. Here the link to the onshape file.
Comments
Image of the spiral
Beginning af the chain
End of the chain two links are touching and if i add more links, they touch even more.
Your link did not come through. please try again. or just post the text of the link so that others can copy paste it.
Tricky challenge! First, I don't really know why the Curve Pattern feature doesn't keep that alignment. It seems like it ought to. I did my own test and found the same thing.
Next I tried a feature pattern using my 3D Points custom feature that can create mate connectors on curves, and that result looks like I'd want. The last links don't end up skewed. Lot's more math required for this approach than feels like should be needed though.
btw, I think you can push your links a bit closer together to fit a lot more on the plate!
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/7fb6c8c0c1c8d914734a96af/w/46b7c8e8c04fd80414736fbf/e/42c56070a305ce351c7f1ecc
The Onsherpa | Reach peak Onshape productivity
www.theonsherpa.com
I did some testing as well. and found that (assuming your patterning 2 links) that if you place your center of your links at the end of the spiral the angle is maintained toward the center. I dunno why, Just what I observed.
@EvanReese
Cool problem solving.
@marc_andré_mercier804
If you're trying to maximize the number of links in one layer on the print bed, then doing a pattern that goes back and forth in rows would be better than a spiral. I have no idea what the mathematically optimal packing would be, but spiral is not it.
Simon Gatrall | Product Development Specialist | Open For Work
@S1mon I'm gonna say Hilbert Curve is optimal without doing any of the 3d legwork to verify that claim. I just want to grab one end of a Hilbert Curve and unravel it from the print bed because I think it would be super satisfying.
Derek Van Allen | Engineering Consultant | Meddler@Derek_Van_Allen_BD Hilbert curve would be maximum satisfaction for sure. @S1mon I also agree that spiral isn't probably it, and a zigzag would probably me much easier to model conventionally.
The Onsherpa | Reach peak Onshape productivity
www.theonsherpa.com
Also just to throw this out there, your chains will probably print better quality and without supports if you switched the round ends to more octagonal ones. You're halfway there with the cross sectional profile of the chain links having the flats but there'll be some stair stepping on top and bottom of those curves.
Derek Van Allen | Engineering Consultant | Meddler