Bubble Blocks

thingiverse

When bubbles connect together to make foam they take on a complex structure known as the “Weaire–Phelan structure.” Some of the bubbles become 12-sided pentagonal dodecahedra (PD), other bubbles become 14-sided tetrakaidecahedra (TKD). These bubble blocks let you see how the different shaped bubbles connect and create “foam” structures. See here for stable download: https://thangs.com/mythangs/file/35113 To start building, you will need to print a few of the “PD” and “TKD 4 tab” files. Once you start building with these, you will notice that the outward facing surfaces of the “TKD 4 tab” blocks have visible connecting tabs. If you would like to have a smooth, foam-like outer surface, print of some of the some of the other TKD files that only have one, two of three tabs. This will allow you to have a smooth other surface. See here for video: https://youtu.be/QChSuaVTFSA When setting up supports for these, be sure that you support the lower edge of the tabs. You will need to do some post-print clean-up. If you find that the snaps are too tight to connect, simply file down the edges of the tabs until you achieve the desired fit. Expect to do some post processing to smooth the edges of the snap surfaces. There is a good introduction to the “Weaire–Phelan structure” here: http://www.steelpillow.com/polyhedra/wp/wp.html