Cat Condo (Jungle Gym) Connector Parts

thingiverse

Years ago, I purchased two cat condos from Big Lots under the "Pet Essentials" label, which have served me well, but the connectors appear to be a weak point. Over time, the cats using these condos have caused the tubes to deflect and eventually the connectors crack. Although they still function, with the cracks, the structure sags significantly more. These are the connectors modeled on the originals, allowing you to print your own replacements rather than discarding them or swapping out the weight-bearing ones, which can only last so long. For reference, the tubes measure approximately 13.4mm in diameter, have a wall thickness of about 1.1mm, and are roughly 360mm long. It's not surprising if other pet condo brands use similar construction methods, or may have used them but discontinued the design, leaving owners with slowly failing connector parts. I printed these connectors using my resin printer because I wanted to avoid layer-line failure modes, given that the original plastic injection parts already fail by cracking. I chose not to reinforce the design because I'm unsure about the clearances in varying models of this brand's designs and didn't want to damage the fabric framing or the outside fabric paneling that make up the condo.