Drink Floater

cults3d

I created this project for the MakeItFloat Challenge and wanted something practical beyond just the challenge. One thing I aimed for was a way to transport drinks in my pool, so to stay true to the challenge's spirit, my main focus was on carrying as many coins as possible. Since if I can carry a heavy load of metal, transporting liquids afterwards will work seamlessly. I conducted some research on how things float and various mechanisms that function, such as boats, barges, pontoons, etc. The biggest factor I learned was the center of gravity, and weight needs to be distributed evenly. Then I discovered how a ballast tank is used to help balance a boat on water. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballast_tank The picture in the wiki page sparked the idea of making a cup holder that floats in my pool. Having the cup mostly submerged filled with cargo (coins, drinks, etc) will lower the center of gravity, which should enhance stability. From there I thought about giving the cup some kind of floaties to help keep it above water and add more balance. In short, I came up with a design using a honeycomb layout. The cup ring can have up to 6 pontoons connected to it. At first, I tried creating the pontoons with 15% infill, so that I could trap a lot of air inside, but it didn't help much since it added weight to it. The second version of the pontoons were hollow and had a cap to trap more air while leaving out some of the weight. The pontoons are the key piece of the design. It can connect to the ring and other pontoons, thus creating a modular system in which to create a floating structure. Stacking pontoons together add extra trapped air that can help generate upward force while the cargo is applying a downward force since it's heavier than water. In the final design, I added holes to the ring that allow me to add pegs that can hold a net. So instead of just holding solo cups, I can carry other items like cans of beer or bottles of water. With keeping with the rules of the challenge, using the ballast design and the pontoons, I created something that floats. By making it modular, I am able to print extra parts to allow the structure to expand and in doing so carry more coins, as many coins as needed. For me with 6 pontoons and one cup, I was able to handle a maximum load of 1.2lbs of coins. In the end, you have a pretty versatile set of pieces that can be used to create a custom floating structure. It can be extended by using the peg holes or the slide rails. One such idea is to create a pontoon part that has a motor that can allow the structure to move. Can probably use the peg holes to add some rods to add a sail to the structure instead. Hell, you might have some other ideas I haven't even thought of by using these.