Diagonally decomposed cube

thingiverse

My wife posed a challenge, asking me if I could craft a "diagonally decomposed cube" to encourage her math students to think beyond the conventional pyramid with its summit positioned above the center of the square base. Printer Settings: Velleman K8200 Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: 0.5mm Infill: Hexagonal I brought this design to life in SketchUp by transforming a cube into a pyramid. Using trigonometry, I calculated the angles required to rotate two large flat planes so that they could slide through the cube and dissect it into a pyramid shape. Once complete, I exported it as an STL file from SketchUp, repaired any imperfections with Microsoft's 3D Model Repair Service, and then sliced it using Slic3r before sending it to my Velleman K8200 with Repetier-Host. The original design features a square base measuring 3cm per side. Feel free to scale as desired - you'll need three pyramids to reconstruct the cube! Please note that during my initial printing process, I experienced some heat retention at the tip of each pyramid, resulting in a slightly flattened top. Using a metal file, I was able to refine these areas and achieve smoother surfaces. My final attempt showed marked improvement thanks to enhanced cooling measures during the critical stages of printing. Consider printing the pyramids on their sides, positioning them so that the final printed area is an edge rather than a dot. This might facilitate faster heat dissipation, preventing the issue I encountered with each pyramid's tip.