The Kube

Last crawled date: 1 year, 10 months ago

Challenge: https://grabcad.com/challenges/the-cubesat-challenge
The K stands for the thousands of different configurations you can assemble with this frame!
That's the beauty of 3D printing: you are not tied down to the restrictions of conventional manufacturing, which promotes a large number of same parts. No two CubeSats are alike: that would be a waste of science! Each CubeSat is unique in its hardware equipment, and this frame accomodates those needs, no matter what they are!
The Kube frame is composed of FDM printed parts which are selected according to the scientific purposes of the user. All parts use the same fastening mechanism. You can configure your Kube any way you want and it will still fit together. It could have 4 solar panels, or maybe just 2, and 2 slotted panels for more pcb mounts. Or maybe 1 solar panel, a display screen, and 2 slotted panels...whatever!
The Kube is designed to pack as much science as you need in a 1U frame, however, it can be easily combined into larger units without restriction to their mounting position. You are not limited to a single stack of cubes...

FDM printing is cheap, fast and sturdy, which is perfect for this kind of project. This is a straight-forward "select the parts you need, load them up and print" design. Part modification is also quick & easy, such as changing the radius on the camera panel for the camera lens, or rearranging screw slots for the mounts. This is the universally user-friendly CubeSat frame of the future: the Kube.

Thank you, and good night!