Orbit Tower notes · CoScad
Orbit Tower: hand-written guide
For the instruction generator's step-by-step renders, use the generated Orbit Tower instructions. This separate guide adds practical assembly, handling and print notes.
Build a small desktop sculpture with six arms that spin independently. The 20 printed pieces fit together by hand with loose peg-and-socket connections; no tools, glue or extra hardware are needed.
The finished tower is 107 mm tall, with a 58 mm diameter base. Leave at least 61 mm of space across for the arms to turn.
Check your pieces
| Piece | Quantity | How to recognise it |
|---|---|---|
| Base | 1 | Large round foot with a square peg on top |
| Axle | 6 | Small round pedestal with a square socket underneath and a square peg on top |
| Rotor | 6 | Flat arm with a large centre hole and a small hole near one end |
| Satellite | 6 | Mushroom-shaped piece with a small round peg |
| Top cap | 1 | Tapered tip with a square socket underneath |
| Total | 20 |
Let the plate cool before removing the parts. Remove any loose strands or brim material from the pegs, sockets and holes before assembly.
Assemble from the bottom up
- Set down the base. Place the large round base on a flat table with its square peg pointing up.
- Add the first axle. Hold an axle with its square socket facing down. Lower it onto the base peg until its round foot rests on the base.
- Add an arm. Lower a rotor's large centre hole over the axle's square peg and onto the round section below it. The arm rests on the circular shoulder. Check that it turns freely.
- Add a satellite. Turn a mushroom-shaped satellite so its peg points down. Insert the peg into the small hole near the end of the arm. The thicker opposite end of the arm is its built-in counterweight.
- Build the remaining five levels. Fit another axle onto the exposed square peg. Its foot keeps the arm underneath in place. Add that level's rotor and satellite, then repeat until you have used all six axles, six rotors and six satellites. Check each arm turns before adding the next level.
- Finish with the cap. Fit the tapered cap, socket down, onto the top square peg. Fan the arms around the tower into a spiral, or turn them individually.
Add each arm before the axle above it. If you have already stacked the axles, lift them off and rebuild one level at a time.
Play, adjust and take apart
Turn the arms gently by hand. Each satellite is removable, and each level can face a different direction. The joints are intentionally loose gravity fits: lift the complete tower by its base. Lifting it by the top or an arm can pull the stack apart.
To dismantle it, remove the cap and work downwards, lifting off one axle, rotor and satellite at a time.
If an arm catches, lift off the levels above it and check for a stray strand or rough edge in the centre hole. If a peg will not seat, check that its socket is facing down and clear of print debris. The parts should not need force. The printed fit and spinning action still need to be confirmed on the first physical kit.
Print another kit
All 20 pieces fit on one 256 × 256 mm A1 bed. The prepared profile uses PLA, a 0.4 mm nozzle, 0.20 mm layers, three perimeter walls and no supports. The slicer estimated about 40 g of filament and 1 hour 37 minutes including preparation.
The design allows 0.3 mm clearance on each side of the square pegs, 0.4 mm around each rotor journal and 0.35 mm around each satellite peg. These gaps allow easy assembly rather than a tight press fit.