Summary

Beercan Rim Adapter

Update April 27, 2024

After 180 downloads, I've replaced the stl file with a new one that allows a tighter bend angle and can be used for the 3 can windmill shown in the pics.

Update, Dec 31, 2022

There's a peer reviewed article published about this form of sculpture now. The offficial site for the article is at https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/informit.758374895150655 but you can get a free version of the article here, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/366578178_Circles_for_Maths_Art_Play_and_the_Circular_Economy . (You are welcome) If you're using this article in your research, please cite me!

This Thing is an adapter which attaches to a beercan rim using an elastic band, hair elastic or glue. Adapters equispaced around the rim form regular triangles, squares, pentagons and hexagons. These shapes can then be pinned together as tessellations or all the platonic solids, that is tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, dodecahedron and icosahedron.
Cans and adapters combine to make polygon edges on a 73.6 diameter, can centre circle. To pin cans to each other, I have used bicycle spoke assemblies as per drawing. For the dodecahedrons shown I cropped the brass spoke nipple to about 5mm length. Longer spoke nipples just don’t fit in.
It's best to use jigs to accurately position adapters, especially for larger models. When placement errors add up, it becomes impossible to assemble the models as planned. For larger models, the accurately positioned adapters should be stuck down with glue - they may fall apart if only elastics are used. Elastics can be used to hold correctly positioned printed parts in place while glue is applied and drying. After glue is dry, elastics can be removed.
Six adapters around a rim are a reasonably tight fit. To jig for an equilateral triangle, fit six adapters, then remove every second one.
The maths and principles behind this design are the same as those for my CD Polyhedra, https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4734057 , including compatible truncation faces sizes. As well as putting beer cans together, I have printed compatible parts adapting cans to plywood discs and plastic pipes. Refer to my blog site at http://tribo3d.blogspot.com/2022/01/cans-cylinders.html These files are not included here, but the included drawing will help make compatible parts.
For pins I have settled on using bike spokes and bike spoke nipples. Working with bikes, I have access to old bike wheels for making pins. See drawing: the exposed thread on the pin should engage with the printed part. There are plenty of other options for pins, such as bamboo food skewers and 3d printing filament.
For the parts themselves, I print them solid so they are strong. The pin holes are kept open allowing FDM printing without support material. The recommended printing face is shown in the drawing.
Three actual floating rafts have been made from cans, pins adapters and gaffer tape. The videos are as follows, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um6CAfQDTz4 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frJmYlJLWiI , and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYX-2SIC35A . Latest video is here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAvNbqUQ8Mc and described here http://tribo3d.blogspot.com/2022/02/vertical-axis-turbine-raft.html

Please be part of the thingiverse community and make, like, share and remix the design. I will be interested in what comes out.