PalloFrame is a general purpose frame designed for mounting scientific instruments. It uses the Archimediean shape called rhombicuboctahedron that has 18 square and 8 triangle faces. It's orthogonal XYZ views make it ideal for many scientific applications. The shape is also very strong.
Pallo is “a ball” in Finnish. It is a fitting name for something that has 95.4% sphericity.
PalloFrame is designed and manufactured by DEV Joni. Available at Shop Dev Joni.
PalloFrame currently comes in 3 different main sizes
The main difference between the models is their base pieces' side length - 10, 5 and 20 cm, respectively. The larger models have also more bolt and nut inserts.
These models are printed from PET-G (Devil Design, Poland).
You can attach so called “research modules” on the Pallo with M3 bolts. Modules can be manipulators, sample stages, cameras, fans, heaters, or pretty much anything.
The frame itself is also modular. The base pieces (triangles and squares) attach to each other by M3 steel bolts and nuts. It is possible to create and insert custom base pieces in the frame.
The design also includes seal-able grooves between the base pieces, as well as in the base piece inner opening. The idea is that you can apply sealant paste between these grooves to receive nearly air and water tight separation between the out and insides. For the best performance, the 3D printed parts may also benefit from a surface treatment with epoxy.