I often walk my dogs to a place that has some running space but generally don’t bring a ball as it is not too convenient to try to put a ball in my pocket… well until now! This folding ball fits into any pocket and can be carried around just waiting for an opportunity to be played with.

This is a print-in-place 1-piece ball that folds (not collapses) into a 12mm thick disc. It can be deployed and collapsed quickly and easily.

So far I have made two versions of this 2.5″ ball; a) a lightweight version for cats and small dogs and b) an “HD” (heavier duty) version for a little bit bigger dogs. The HD version has a middle core that serves two purposes. First, it increases the overall mass which helps with throwing, and second, it strengthens the ball by creating a cross member in the middle of the deployed ball. My 60lbs dog loves to chase balls and can nonetheless destroy this one in a heartbeat so I had to teach him not to bite it. But I am motivated to make a stronger bigger one for him and other bigger dogs.

Printing

Of course, your material selection and slicer settings are major contributors to the success of this print depending on your needs. I think if you are printing it for a cat, for example, default slicer settings and PLA would probably be fine. But for a medium-sized dog, you will need PETG, Nylon or something else similarly strong. And, you will want to print with a minimum of 4 walls and 100% infill.

This product was designed for a 0.4mm nozzle, a 0.2mm layer height and the following settings:

• Wall Line Count = 4 ( 4 x 0.4mm = 1.6mm walls )
• Top and Bottom Layer Count = 5 ( 5 x 0.2mm = 1.0mm top and bottom )
• Infill = 100%
• Ironing = OFF or ON; ON will help separate the layers but I had good success without Ironing (and its added print time)
• Support = NO
• Brim = NO
• MATERIAL: PETG recommended (any material should work fine)
• PRINT ORIENTATION: As per the STL

Assembly Notes

No assembly is required. Gently separate the layers of the Outer Rings so that they can open freely.

The post Folding Ball first appeared on logicalplanet.

As you can see from the animated gif images, there is considerable water leaking out from the mechanism because of the rough 3D-printed surfaces. I found that acceptable under the circumstances but one could probably reduce that if some time was spent on it.

The following diagram illustrates all the components and their relationships. Assembly is straight forward and no screws or fasteners are needed. I do recommend some garden hose washers (gaskets) as shown.

The water pressure from the hose will push the pedal up and then an pressure down on the pedal releases the flow of water up and out the fountain head. The following images try to illustrate that.

The main body prints standing on end with print support incorporated as show below.

The floating female hose connector might bind a little and needs to be coerced into free rotation as illustrated below.

The post Step Fountain for Bob first appeared on logicalplanet.