The PRUSAcket

Disclaimer : No AI was used during the editing/fabrication process. Just pictures post-processing and gif editing. See making-of picture in the carousel above ! 

Description :

Summer holidays are drawing near. You see empty Prusament spools laying around your printer. You want to fire up that bad boy a last time before a well deserved break and do not know what to print ? Well I have the solution for you ! 

Behold the PRUSAcket ! 

Made from an empty Prusament spool*, this racket promises fun and games during the hot summer days ! Whereas it is around the pool, in a park or on the beach, I got you covered ! 

No more excuses for not having games to play during family trips ! 

Now let's get printin' and assemblin' !

*For best results and to maintain social skills, it is highly recommended you print a second racket to play with someone. So get to work and empty one more of them spools ! 

Printing recommendations :

• Orientation : Everything has been exported in the correct orientation so no supports are needed.

• Number of perimeters : 4 for parts A1/A2 B1/B2 and 2 for the rest

• Infill : 15% Gyroid

• Layer height : 0.15mm (better definition for screws). You can use 0.20mm for the parts with no threading, but since I printed everything together, everything was 0.15mm

• Material : I used PLA for this design since it was what I had at hand.
  But I would not recommend for regular play or more difficult conditions (playing at the sea in the sand or with an heavier ball), since it would do short work of the PLA.
  Something like Nylon CF would be perfect (although perhaps overkill), at least for the handle (A1/B1) and the center locking mechanism which are under high(er) constraints.

Assembly guide

Step 1 : Ensuring you have everything ready 

The racket comes in lots of different pieces. To avoid any issues during assembly, you must ensure you have everything to proceed. You should have :

• Parts A1 & B1 -> Two halves of the handle. Be careful, they are NOT identical (see below)

• Parts A2 & B2 ->Two halves of the outer ring. Be careful, like A1 and B1 they are NOT identical. A2 must be matched to A1 and B2 must be matched to B1. See pictures for the differences between the two sets of parts.

• 2 parts C1 -> Two identical center rings 

• 2 parts D1 -> The two sides of a Prusament spool

• 12 parts E1 -> Small square pegs

• Part F1 -> The end part of the handle

• Part G1 -> The assembly tool

• Part H1 -> Center screw

• Parts I1 and I2 -> Two halves of the center locking nut. Be aware that I1 and I2 are NOT identical but can be put on either sides of the racket.

PLEASE NOTE : Some assembly steps will require force to fit parts together, this is intended. In case force is necessary, it will be mentioned in the guide.

Step 2 : Fitting the center rings

For this step you will need :

• 2 parts C1 

• 2 parts D1

1. Take your two prusament spool sides and flip them around so the interior side is facing up.

2. Inserts part C1 on the center of D1 and push it down so it clicks into place. The alignment of the small wings in the grooves is not critical. It is made so small adjustments are possible in step 8.

3. Repeat this step for the other D1 and C1 parts.

4. The parts are correctly fitted when no clicking noise is heard while pushing down with your finger all around the flat surface of C1.

Step 3 : Installing the first half of the outer ring

For this step you will need :

• 1 C1+D1 assembly of step 2 

• Part A1

• Part A2

1. Fit A2 on the C1+D1 assembly.
   To help in this process, look for the the two hexagons next to the flat plastic surface of the spool, and match them with the corresponding hexagons on A2. Some light force is required to snap A2 into the hexagonal grid of D1

2. Insert A1 in the remaining empty space in A2 and click it into place

Step 4 : Assembling the square pegs

This step requires force.

For this step you will need :

• The assembly from step 3

• 12 parts E1

• The assembly tool G1

1. Insert a peg E1 into one of the hole of the outer ring. The tight tolerance of the peg and the hole should prevent you from pushing it down with your bare hands. To avoid getting hurt, just insert enough length of the peg so it can stand in the hole without falling.

2. By using the square hole in the tool G1, push strongly on the peg to drive it all the way down so it touches D1.

3. Repeat for the 11 remaining pegs.

Step 5 : Assembling the other half of the outer ring

This step requires force.

For this step you will need :

• The assembly of step 4

• Parts B1 & B2

1. Start by assembling B2. Align the square holes with the pegs and the empty space at the bottom together.
   IMPORTANT : From now on, this is a "point of no return". If you did not align B2 correctly and pushed everything down on the assembly, you will not be able to take it back due to the low tolerances. So double check the alignment before proceeding, unless you want to print another set of A2/B2. You have been warned.

2. Push B2 on the assembly while applying even force so it goes down evenly all around. 

3. B2 is correctly placed when no more space is visible between it and A2.

4. In the same fashion, place B1 on the assembly and click it in place. 

Step 6 : Finalizing the handle

For this step you will need :

• The previous assembly

• Part F1

1. Align the end parts of the two handle halves  so the threading at the end is continuous.

2. Screw the F1 part on the threaded part of the handle.

Note : Due to the way it is printed, the threading might look "ugly" and it might be difficult to fit F1 on the handle. It is a bit fiddly but it is possible.
Be careful to keep F1 straight and avoid overtightening not to strip the threading on the handle.

Step 7 : Center locking nut 1st half

For this step you will need :

• The previous assembly

• Part I1 OR part I2 (we choose part I1)

1. Put I1 through the hole on the back of the assembly

2. Be sure to align the small nipple on I1 with the corresponding slot near the hole.

Step 8 : Assembling the other half of the spool

For this step you will need : 

• The previous assembly

• Second part D1 fitted with C1 from step 2 (D1+C1)

• Part I2

This part is a bit tedious due to the tight tolerances between the two parts C1 which need to be interlocked. Pay attention to how D1+C1 is to be placed on top of the assembly to avoid having to do the step from the beginning.

1. Fit I2 in D1+C1 the same way you did in step 7.

2. Align D1+C1+I2 on the assembly. To find the correct orientation easily, refer to the long, flat black surface. From the position where it is aligned with the one on the bottom assembly, slightly rotate it counter-clockwise so the flat surface is aligned with the first square peg/hole you encounter.
   This is the right position. You can also use the aligment of I1 & I2 to help.

3. Once everything is aligned, push D1+C1+I2 down so it clicks into place on the outer ring.

4. To help engaging the "teeth" of the parts C1 which are low tolerance, you can either wiggle it a bit so it enters, or enter one tooth after another until everything is sliding well.

Step 9 : Locking everything together 

For this step you will need :

• The assembly 

• Part H1

• The tool G1

1. Make sure everything is well fitted by pressing (with light force) on I1 & I2 together, you should not see any crack between I1 & I2

2. Lay the assembly on a flat surface.

3. Engage H1 in the center hole, just enough so it bites into the first loops of the threading.

4. While pressing down on I1+I2, screw down H1 using the tool G1 until H1 is flush with the surface.
   
   It is important to well press on I1+I2 to prevent H1 from entering the wrong path on the opposite piece. If the assembly seems loose, it means you did not push enough on I2+I1. Unscrew H1 and start again. A good indicator is also to look at the surface of both I2+I1 and H1. If you can't have it flush on both side (one is always below the surface), it also means you did not pushed enough.
   

5. You might encounter some resistance. It is normal. If it is too much, something might be wrong. Start again and/or inspect the pieces for defects in the threading.

6. The racket is now finished ! 

Step 10 : Enjoy and have fun !

For this step you will need :

• The finalized racket 

• Another empty Prusament spool

• A second set of all the pieces above

• A light ball, unfortunately not provided ! :) 

• A net (optional)

• A partner in crime, unfortunately again, not provided !

1. Assemble another racket starting from Step 1

2. Go find a nice suitable place to play at.

3. (Optional) Install your net

4. Now you can play with you partner using the ball you brought !

N.B. : If you bought a pack of gummy bears to enjoy during the assembly. You can eat 1 quarter each time you finish a full racket and give the remaining half to your play partner so everyone get the energy peak for the game !