CanBot is a Framework to connect and combine 250ml cans in all possible ways. I had nothing less in mind to inspire a new art genre. With this framework, you can use 250ml cans to build sculptures, furniture or whatever comes to your mind.
To demonstrate the possibilities, I build a CanBot. The intention was to show all the different kinds of connectors and to have an inspirational sculpture. Any similarities with a famous thinker are absolutely intended and not random :-)
Close-up of 'The Thinker' in 'The Gates of Hell.' (Photo: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons)
To test things further, I also provide drafts for other combinations, e.g., a CanTable and CanClock. I’ll probably make them at a later point in time.
The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. I wanted to make the 250ml cans as easy to combine as a Lego brick. Although it might not be entirely as easy as Lego, I think it gets close.
You can download all the different pieces at MyMiniFactory. And the only thing you need besides a bunch of 250ml cans are M4x30 screws and nuts for the hinges.
There is also the file from Autodesk Fusion 360 included that I used for the Design. When you have problems with the tolerances on your printer you can adjust the settings in Fusion 360 and export the STL Files again.
The different connectors and their intended use are described in the following images.
The best part of building a CanBot! You will never be thirsty during this process!
Happy Printing!
Dr. Make
P.S. I just published another post "Optimize a design for 3d printing" that uses the CanBot to describe tip and tricks to optimize 3d designs for 3d printing.