Dodecahedron

thingiverse

Dodecahedron, crafted from 12 independent pentagonal modules that merge to form a cohesive structure. Each pentagon is surrounded by a circle measuring 10cm in diameter. I've been captivated by the concept of creating numerous small, identical components that unite to create something greater: This experiment represents my inaugural attempt at this approach. Designed in Autodesk Fusion 360. Instructions: Assemble the dodecahedron by printing and zipping together 12 pentagons. The zipper holes measure 3mm x 2mm in diameter. Printed on a Makerbot Replicator (1) using low-quality settings within Makerware (for swift production as a test), I then modified these settings to: 300-micron layer resolution 5% infill, with 2 shells 220°C Blue PLA printed without heat bed activation (HBP off) On glass plates covered in blue painter's tape To assemble the dodecahedron, you'll need 30 zipper clips. Based on these printing settings, each pentagon took approximately 30 minutes to print. A total of six hours was required for the entire assembly, with two modules printed per glass plate, laid flat as uploaded (the original STL had them arranged on their edges). By stacking or positioning them at an angle based on their angled bevels, you might achieve a higher print count; however, this could compromise surface quality.