Fruit Cage - Protect a ripening apple

thingiverse

I grew a resilient apple tree for several years before finally succeeding in coaxing it to produce fruit. With only a small number of apples ripening, I'm worried that some critter will swoop in and destroy them all or nibble on them. A gentle deterrent seemed necessary, so this clever little force field, or apple protector seemed like the perfect solution. It should effectively deter squirrels and birds - possibly even deer too? This design should work for a wide range of fruit applications. I widened the stem-hole slightly in this updated version compared to the previous one. The cage is intentionally thin to minimize material usage. A bonus feature is that the cage struts are a bit rough from my printer, making them unpleasant for little squirrel hands. Try it on peaches, nectarines, plums, and apricots. You may need to stretch the file a bit for a pear. I would be very interested in seeing an apple that over-grows in the cage, and what unique mark/shape it attains. :)\ Print two identical models. Each print is a half-shell, with two pins. You'll need three pins to secure the parts together. But you can skip the pins without any adverse effects. A twist tie or rubber band around the top and bottom studs holds everything in place. Happy growing! Print Settings Printer: MP Select Mini Rafts: Doesn't Matter Supports: Yes Resolution: .1mm Infill: 25% Notes: Supports are needed, and it should print okay at .2mm resolution as well. The thin struts are individually a bit fragile but together they form a rather strong rigid shape. The power of triangulation. Don't clean up the printed model too much; some shaggy sharp bits are a good extra deterrent to tiny hands and deer lips. Post-Printing Earlier versions before the one shared here. You get two halves. Insert the little pins into the holes and secure with an elastic band. How I Designed This Designed in Blender. Optimized gradually to minimize material usage and adjusted with a test fit to better accommodate leaves on the fruit's stem. Finally installed version 5, and it appears to be fully functional.