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Tensegrity (also known as floating compression) is a structural method where the rigid parts do not touch each other, but are instead supported by tensioned cables. The concept was invented by a Latvian-Soviet artist called Kārlis Johansons, who was born in 1890 and made an exhibition of his "self-tensile constructions" in 1921. In the 1960’s, architect Buckminster Fuller coined the term “Tensegrity”, and built upon the work of his student, the artist Kenneth Snelson.  Above: Kārlis Johansons' 1921 'Spatial Constructions' exhibition. I based my ‘Impossible Table’ on existing models; however I wanted to make my model as simple to print as possible so used simple geometric shapes and added notches so that elastic bands could be used instead of string (which would have been more fiddly to cut to the correct length). The model consists of four separate parts. Unlike existing models, my one doesn’t require glue; the holes for the leg bases are just 0.25mm wider than the bases themselves so are held in by friction (it was necessary to use a craft knife to shave off a very small amount of material on the base of the legs for them to fit, but as a result they fit very tightly.). Ask an adult to help you with this (unless you are an adult!). In terms of printing, it was necessary to use the ‘brim’ method of adhesion to the print bed. I’d tried using the usual ‘skirt’ method, but found one of the small areas of material at the end of the elastic band notches kept coming unstuck, which would have resulted in a failed print. I also ticked the ‘generate support’ box for the inverted arches of the elastic band notches, but it would have printed fine without support. Here are the .stl files of my model:
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Here are some useful 3D printing articles that offer detailed explanations of the terms in the Glossary section of the homepage.
Overhangs: https://all3dp.com/2/3d-printing-overhang-how-to-master-overhangs-exceeding-45/ Supports / Overhangs: https://all3dp.com/1/3d-printing-support-structures/ https://www.hubs.com/knowledge-base/supports-3d-printing-technology-overview/ Filament: https://all3dp.com/1/3d-printer-filament-types-3d-printing-3d-filament/ Infill: https://all3dp.com/2/infill-3d-printing-what-it-means-and-how-to-use-it/ 3D models: https://www.thingiverse.com/ Here you will find thousands of free-to-download 3D models. However, not all of them will print correctly as anyone can upload models to the site and they aren’t checked thoroughly for quality. Look out for photos of printed models to be sure they will work. |
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April 2023
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