Cuboctahedron in brass metal


  #1  
Old 12-28-15, 01:47 AM
H
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Denmark
Posts: 9
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Cuboctahedron in brass metal

I'm trying to find a way to cheaply create a cuboctahedron in brass metal (or similar).
Here an image to such a "cube": https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...octahedron.jpg

I would love a DIY kit where each corner is connected by screws.

I've tried to talk with metal workers, made my own templates for laser/CNC cutting but everything seems VERY expensive.

I'm working on a project where I would like around 30 of these cubes, in a size of around 20 cm in width/height.

Can anyone think of an idea on how to make such within a reasonable (in my case, below 200 USD) budget.
 
  #2  
Old 12-28-15, 06:03 AM
P
Group Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: NC, USA
Posts: 27,657
Received 2,152 Upvotes on 1,927 Posts
I would make templates of card board or card stock and tape them together to make sure they are the right size. Once you've got the template worked out I'd trace the shapes onto sheet brass and cut them out. Then solder them together. I don't think the screw idea will work without adding considerable expense as the screws have to through something and screw into something. You'll have to solder nuts or add tabs to your shapes that will require breaking (bending) and you'll have to add holes for the screws to pass through. So, soldering would probably be the cheapest way to join them. As a step up you could braze them.

Next up in expense is to have a metal shop that has a plasma or laser burn out the squares and triangles for you. Then solder them together. Since you'd be talking about a reasonable number of pieces the cost would start to come down a bit but even the material will not be cheap.

Other than that you are talking about custom fabrication which in such a low quantity is not cheap. There are some countries where work like that can be done inexpensively but you'd almost have to be there to get it done and for a reasonable cost.
 
  #3  
Old 12-28-15, 07:11 AM
C
Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: USA
Posts: 3,167
Received 169 Upvotes on 137 Posts
Try getting in touch with this place that offers 3d printed cuboctahedron large dice. They offer them blank (without numbers). They are a little smaller than you stated, but they might be able to scale them up.

Cuboctahedron D14 (8RZ5BFJWG) by ppoz


They offer metallic plastic, but if you really need brass, you could see about having them plated.
 
  #4  
Old 01-02-16, 01:01 AM
H
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Denmark
Posts: 9
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
The "cube" needs to be hollow.
I was hoping for a solution where I perhaps could buy a plastic cub octahedron (toy or similar) and use the joints for the screws and then have laser cut the sides.

But I cannot find any toys or similar for such a geometric shape.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: