Interlocked Rings

I took guru\'s very cool OpenSCAD file, cleaned it up, made it fully parametric, and fiddled with the parameters.

Specifically, the following parameters are different:

  • I made the rings a bit thicker so the build quality is improved.
  • The number of rings is now adjustable, and they are arranged in a circle.
  • I played with the tilt of the rings and the distance between them so they didn\'t overlap. (necessary, since they are now bigger)
  • The tor versions have had the cylinder section replaced with a toroid and have been further tweaked.

The ideal offset between rings could probably be calculated, but I don\'t feel like thinking that hard just right now. (Maybe in a future revision.)

I\'ve included here 3 and 7 ring sets. Up to 7 can be made before the first and last rings overlap. The toroid version has been tweaked so that 10 rings can fit and make a complete circle.

Guru\'s original design makes the ring out of a section of a cylinder, and I have left that version in the file. I have included a torus (revolved circle) version of the ring as well. However, the torus version, due to the slightly smaller perimeter, has a slightly worse surface finish. (I may tweak this and try a larger diameter later.)