BananArmor: Modular Banana Protector

thingiverse

If you've ever tried transporting bananas in a bag or backpack with rough handling, you know the frustrating experience of dealing with *bruised or squished bananas*. Instead of enjoying a healthy snack, you're left with a brown, deformed thing with an unappealing gooey interior when peeled. Commercial solutions are available, but they often come in bulky boxes or tubes that only work for standard banana shapes. If your banana is larger than usual or defies the universal assumption that every banana is curved, it may not fit, or if you have a banana much smaller than the container, it risks becoming bruised after all. That's why this new approach to banana protection was developed: *BananArmor*, a modular system of tube segments in various shapes that can be mixed and matched to accommodate any particular banana shape. **Printing** When printed as-is, the segments have an inner diameter of 43 mm. This may be too small for larger bananas, so it's recommended to print all parts at **105% scale** (45 mm). For really large bananas, you can even scale to 110% (47 mm), but so far, no banana has been encountered that didn't fit in the 105% scale tubes. Every slicing program should have an option to print parts at a custom scale. Just make sure to use the same scale for everything. The 'r' in the file names refers to the radius of the curved part of each segment. The effective radius of the segment is slightly larger due to the straight push-fit section. It's suggested to start by printing the following set of parts, which should allow you to assemble protective shells for most common bananas. You can print additional parts when you encounter a banana that doesn't fit in this starter set. 1. `1× tip` 2. `1× stem` 3. `2× r60` 4. `2× r80` 5. `1× r120` 6. `1× straight` Since only the banana peel comes into direct contact with the shells, food safety of the filament is not a concern. However, it's recommended to avoid using filaments that release fumes. ABS might not be the best choice for this reason, but PETG is great because it's both safe and impact-resistant, and PLA will also do fine. **Using** Using your arsenal of printed segments, the goal is to assemble a tube that best matches the shape of the banana you want to transport. Whatever method you use, it's best to start with the tip and then add the best matching segments. You can either assemble the 'box' separate from the banana by just eyeballing it or slide each part onto the banana. The first method is often found to be easiest. To release the banana from the tube, open it at the most practical point, usually the 'stem' part. **Credits** This design was loosely inspired by [Banana Jar](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1598663) by handya. Additionally, thanks are given to [RowanVRLab](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:321304), [dricketts](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2667512), and [Bennom](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4039757) for their 3D scans, which were used to verify that this design could work before it was actually printed.