Documents how dimensional constraints and print choices changed a captive-ball prototype.
The question
How can a ball move within a printed enclosure without escaping? This small mechanism makes a design intention answerable to geometry, clearance, and material behavior.
The approach
The journal records three PLA iterations. An early ball was smaller than the openings; a revision corrected the relationship. A larger print retained the moving ball. The source includes CAD files, settings, photographs, and a connection to the wider Orbis concept.
What remains open
To move from a documented build to an evaluated instrument, specify repeatability, durability, and what a user study would measure. The journal's observations are valuable as an account of iteration; they do not by themselves establish universal fabrication or scaling laws.
What this work can establish
A working mechanism is not a study of improved cognition, reflection, or wellbeing.
READING ACROSS THE ATLAS
A connection, with a distinction.
Compare the visible prototype failure with the more abstract limits in the research and interviews. The forms of evidence differ. An object can expose a tolerance problem immediately; institutional or human outcomes require other methods and longer observation.
THE EVIDENCE TRAIL
Sources & authorship
Designer and journal author. MIT How To Make (Almost) Anything, Week 4.
- Open the Week 4 build journal Original journal · 1 October 2025
- Explore the wider workshop Course portfolio and Orbis project context
Kanade, T. (2025, October 1). Week 4 – 3D Printing & Scanning: Orbis Core. How To Make (Almost) Anything, MIT. https://fab.cba.mit.edu/classes/863.25/people/TusharKanade/weeks/week04/
Reading record prepared 23 September 2026. Summary and critical reading notes were prepared with AI assistance from the linked public sources. They are distinct from the original author's work. How to read this evidence →