60 sided geodesic connectors

thingiverse

These parts for a sphere. Additional parts need to be designed if you are making a dome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx12XUkmo3Q UPDATE: I have corrected the pipe length formulas. These are connectors for a 60 sided geodesic. There are 2 connectors, one has 5 spokes, the other 6. Each is cut in half to make printing easy without support material. They can be glued together with some CA super glue. I recommend putting some 4/40 bolts into the holes to align it while gluing. The connectors are designed to insert into 1/2 inch PVC pipe. I have included the openscad file used to generate the STL files in case you need to modify them. The 5 spoke connectors are 20 mm from the pipe end to the vertex, the 6 spoke connectors are 24 mm from the pipe end to the vertex. to calculate your pipe lengths, use these functions based on the radius. Long members that connect 6 spoke to 6 spoke connectors (radius * 0.7136442) - 48 mm Since its a 6 spoke connector on each end, its 24+24=48. short members that connect 6 spoke to 5 spoke connectors (radius * 0.6408518) - 44 mm This connects a 6 spoke connector to a 5 spoke connector, so its 24+40=44. To make the full sphere you will need 12, 5 spoke connectors 20, 6 spoke connectors 60, short pipes that connect the 5 spoke to the 6 spoke 30, long pipes that connect 6 spoke to 6 spoke The 6 spoke connectors have a dot on 3 spokes. These are the spokes that connect to other 6 spoke connectors. It's worth noting, that PLA doesn't do well in direct sunlight, so if you are planning to have this outdoors, like in a desert, you might want to print them in ABS. I personally used the parts to make a mold, and cast the parts in high temperature resin. Another tip, if you are printing each piece, is you might find the sphere easier to assemble if you don't glue the halves together.