Floating Table / Chair in the Air

prusaprinters

A side table or a stool made with the concepts of tensegrity. An airy design which seems to defy physics. Print instructionsParts needed 8x 3D Print (.2mm layer, 40%+ infill, 2+ shells) 12 Aluminium tubes ø25mm, 1.5mm wall, ~500mm lenght (the absolute lenght does not matter much, but all tubes should be relative to eachother +/-0.5mm) 8 ring screw M6x40 8 regular washer M6 8 washer ø25/ø6.4/1.5mm 6 capping nuts M6 10 nuts M6 10-15m steel cable ø2mm 2 span screws M5 20 wire clamps 2mm optional: 18 thimbles 2mm Assembly 6x Base: (capping nut - large washer - 3D part - small washer - nut - ring screw) tighten the capping nut on the screw, tighten the nut on the other side of the 3D part 2x Top: (double nut, large washer - 3D part - small washer - nut - ring screw). Place the double nut at the end of the screw (maybe start with only one nut, the single nut is at the end of the screw Assemble the first tetraeder, put a wire through the 3 base ring screws, clamp the ends into the span screw, tighten well. Assemble the second tetraederthrough the first one, span the same way as the first. Make the 6 side wires. Here again the exact length is not important, but again they should have very equal leght. I used a small plank and put a screw in it to measure the wires relative to the opposite side of the base triangle. Mine are ~550mm long. You could also prepare all the wires in advanve, then its easier to get the same lenght, but the assembly is a bit more tricky as you have to pay attention that always all the wires are at the right side of the beams. Central wire: now you can lift the top tetraeder and the bottom one should swing in a stable position. measure the distance between the two ring screws in the middle, and make a wire of this lenght. To install it, take out the top ring screw, get an extra hand and put it back together. Now tighten both double nuts until the whole structure is stable. Further Instructions For the table, i ordered a triangular glass sheet For the seats i would go for a triangular wooden sheet. For a seat, the short wire in the middle might not hold (it did not for me). You might want to get either a thicker wire or better clamps. Or maybe both. My small table has a tube length of 495mm and a wire lenght of ~560mm, height of ~650mm. With this lenght of tubes a table height of ~500-700mm can be done. For stools i'd try 350-400mm tubes I designed the Part in Fusion360. If you have access to diferent tubes, feel free to change the design accordingly: https://myhub.autodesk360.com/ue2b82605/shares/public/SH56a43QTfd62c1cd96814e1a7d176881b96