From the Loftsmith Workshop

Parametric kaleidoscope with print-in-place turning cell

A pocket kaleidoscope you can hold up to the window and spin. The end cell turns on its own ridged ring, so you rotate it with your thumb while you look. Change the mirror length and the marble size to suit the tube you want.

3 parts · 70 g · 208 × 56 × 56 mm

by Loftsmith Workshop

Slate-blue kaleidoscope tube with a white ridged ring and cone-shaped turning cell at one end
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No adjustable sizes

Ask for the sizes you want to tweak, e.g. “make the width adjustable”.

Change it in the Studio

Parts

  • body · PLA (a dark colour such as slate or blac · Standing on the eyepiece end, 161.7 mm tall at defaults; no supports

    About 43 g, 76 min at 2 walls/15%. A rounded-triangle tube with ribbed mirror slots that flares into a round head carrying the clear-disc seat and three hook pockets.

  • cell collar · PLA · Rim end down, printed in the same object as the cell drum (print group 'cell'); no supports

    About 9 g, 18 min. Snaps over the body head with horizontal snap arms that bend along the layers; their hooks drop into pockets that also stop the collar turning.

  • cell drum · PLA in white or natural, so the 1.4 mm 4 · Rim end down, printed in place inside the cell collar; no supports

    About 19 g, 33 min. Turns in the collar on a 1.4 mm V race with a 0.3 mm running gap; a knurled grip outside and three small vanes inside tumble the beads.

Print settings

Layer height
0.2 mm
Walls
2
Infill
15%
Supports
None
Notes
About 73 g of PLA and 2 h 12 min for all parts at 2 walls/15% (build report figures at the defaults): body about 43 g, cell collar about 9 g, cell drum about 19 g. Print the body on its own, standing on the eyepiece end; it is 161.7 mm tall, so it fits a 180 mm printer. The cell collar and drum expo

Hardware

  • 3 × Mirror strips · 30 x 150 x 1.5 mm at the defaults. Any strips 20-60 mm wide, 80-160 mm long and 1-3 mm thick fit once the sliders are set to them. Two strips for the 2-mirror setups. Front-surface glass gives the sha
  • Clear plastic disc, 0.3-1.0 mm sheet · 43.8 mm across at the defaults (the clear-disc ghost shows the size for your settings). Cut from clear packaging plastic or 0.5 mm clear PET or acrylic sheet. A printed disc will be translucent, not c
  • Beads, sequins or glass chips, 2 mm and larger · A small handful for the bead cell.
  • Glass marble (optional) · Only for Object end = marble: 12-25 mm, 16 mm at the default slider.
  • Clear tape (optional) · To cover raw cut glass edges before handling.

Assembly

  1. Set the sliders to your mirror strips (width, length, thickness) and pick 3 mirrors or 2 mirrors at 60, 45, 36 or 30 degrees. For example, 55 x 160 x 1.6 mm strips need width 55, length 160 and thickness 1.6.
  2. Print the body standing on its eyepiece end. Print the cell collar and drum as one object, rim end down. Once off the bed, turn the drum a few times to free it.
  3. Slide the mirror strips into the body from the head end, mirror side facing inward, until they rest on the floor at the eyepiece. The crush ribs hold them without glue.
  4. Cut a clear disc from packaging plastic or thin PET or acrylic sheet, to the size shown by the clear-disc ghost (43.8 mm at the defaults). Drop it into the head bore on top of the mirrors.
  5. Drop a small handful of beads (2 mm or larger) onto the disc.
  6. Push the cell straight onto the head and turn it until the three hooks click into their pockets.
  7. Point it at a light and turn the drum. To change the beads, pull the cell straight off (the hooks release at an estimated 9 N).
  8. For a teleidoscope, set Object end to marble and print the marble cap. Drop the marble into the cap from underneath, then push the cap onto the head like the cell.

Good to know

  • Checked in the Loftsmith engine only, not printed. The 0.3 mm running gap, the hook pull-off force (an estimated 9 N) and the crush-rib grip are calculations; print the cell first and adjust the Cell running gap or Gap behind each mirror sliders if needed.
  • Acrylic mirror strips bend the image more than glass; front-surface glass gives the sharpest pattern.
  • Cut glass strips have sharp edges: use strips with ground edges or tape the edges before handling. Not a toy for small children (small beads and glass).
  • The drum's dome is a light diffuser, not a window. Print it in white or natural PLA, or the cell will be dark.
  • The clear disc has to be cut by hand from clear sheet; a printed disc will not be clear.
  • Use beads 2 mm or larger: the drum rim rides up to 0.9 mm above the disc, and smaller grains could slip under it.
  • Measure your strips: each slot allows 0.3 mm extra at each edge and the slider gap behind the mirror, no more.
I printed this Remix

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