Arc Reactor (Palladium) with stand & RGB SMART LED lighting

The goal of this project was to make a simple Palladium Arc reactor model as seen in Marvel’s Iron Man I en II. Although there are many beautiful and very well-designed Arc reactor models available, many of them involve soldering LED lights and/or wrapping copper wiring around printed objects for its coils. I wanted to make a simpler 3D printable Arc reactor model, with more conventional LED-lighting. In this model, the modelled copper wire coils can be simply painted and I used a CALEX SMART RGB reflector (GU10 fitting) for lighting. 

I was most inspired by the Arc reactor modelling concepts of yr3design (Thingiverse). However, the models by Aelkaim and Skimbal (Thingiverse) also had very interesting aspects for modelling of this particular design.

With a wink to other designers and Tony Stark’s famous acronyms for his A.I.’s, I would call this model A.L.F.R.E.D. (Another Lamp Following Remixed & Excellent Designs).

Print Settings

Printer Brand: Artillery

Printer: Artillery Sidewinder X1

Rafts: Yes

Supports: No

Resolution: 0.2

Infill: 50-100%

Filament: BASF Ultrafuse (silver, black(, Ninetec (transparent) PLA Silver, transparent

Notes:

All parts are oriented correctly for 3D printing and fitted well using the above printing parameters. To increase strength, I highly recommend to use up to 100% of infill density.

Post-Printing

Some parts were painted, since I did not have the correct colour of filament. The modelled copper wires on the coils were painted with REVEL (email colour) no. 93 (copper), and the gold coloured bottom ring with REVEL (email colour) no. 94.

Additional parts needed:

• CALEX SMART RGB reflector (€10,-)
• GU10 fitting (€3,-)
• M5 x 40 bolt & M5 nut
• Electrical wiring

How I Designed This

Palladium Arc reactor

The seven different parts involved in this model were designed using the ‘Not for commercial use’ free version of Autodesk Fusion 360, and more detailed information can be found in the file description below. I modelled an Arc reactor housing, which would be able to fit a GU-10 fitting and a cheap (€10,-), small (54(h) x 50(Ø) mm) CALEX SMART RGB LED spot (5W, 345 lumen). In addition, I modelled a ring carrier, bottom ring, top ring, ring bracket, coils, and a transparent ring to make the RGB LED lighting more diffuse. Since I did not want to use snap-fit connections, of which the snapping capabilities can vary from printer to printer, the parts have to be glued together. Although quite straightforward, assembly of the model can be found in assembly instructions below.

Stand for Palladium Arc reactor

The modelled stand for this model was inspired by commercial models found elsewhere. I made the stand as print-friendly as I could, and it consists of four different parts. Some parts have to be glued together, and a M5 x 40 mm bolt and nut were used for the rotating part.

Files description

Palladium Arc reactor

01_Arc_reactor_housing. A case for the CALEX SMART RGB LED spot and GU10 fitting, A hole in the bottom for wiring, and the GU10 fitting can be glued to the bottom.

02_Arc_reactor_ring_carrier. A ring that is placed on top of the arc reactor housing and carries the bottom ring (gold coloured), the top ring (black), and ring bracket on top (black).

03_Arc_reactor_bottom_ring. A 3-ringed (gold painted) part, placed (and glued) at the bottom of the ring carrier.

04_Arc_reactor_top_ring. A larger (black) ring with 24 holes, placed above the bottom ring on the ring carrier.

05_Arc_reactor_ring_bracket. A 3-legged (black) part with holes in the legs for small screws. Placed on top of the top ring.

06_Arc_reactor_transparent_ring. A ring for the coils, and placed (and glued) on top of the arc reactor ring carrier and housing.

07_Arc_reactor_coils. Ten small (silver coloured) parts, with modelled (copper) wires. The coils can be copper-coloured painted and glued to the transparent ring. You can align the bottom part of the coils to the outside brackets of the arc reactor housing.

Stand for Palladium Arc reactor

01_Arc_reactor_Stand_base. A platform with pillar for the connection to the connector ring.

02_Arc_reactor_Stand_knobs. Two knobs that contain a M5 x 40 mm bolt or an M5 nut.

03_Arc_reactor_Stand_connector_ring. Holds the Arc reactor, when mounted on the stand.

04_Arc_reactor_text_ring. Ring with text and is glued to the connector ring.

Assembly instructions

Palladium Arc reactor

1. Run GU-10 fitting wires through the hole on the bottom of the Arc reactor housing.
2. Glue the GU-10 fitting to the bottom of the Arc reactor housing.
3. Place the CALEX SMART RGB spot in the GU-10 fitting (or other fitting LED lighting).
4. Attach the wires to a power source and check if the RGB LED lighting works.
5. Glue the (gold coloured) bottom ring to the (transparent) ring carrier
6. Glue the (black) top ring to the (transparent) ring carrier
7. Glue the (black) ring bracket to the (black) top ring (you can add small screws as well)
8. Glue the transparent ring and the combination acquired in steps 5-7 together.
9. Glue the combination, acquired in step 8, on top of the Arc reactor housing.
10. Test LED lighting. Some (RGB) LED reflectors or bulbs can be remotely controlled by an app. I used the CALEX SMART app, which controls the RGB LED spot enclosed in the model.

Stand for Palladium Arc reactor

1. Slide a metal M5 x 40 mm bolt through a Stand knob (02) and glue together.
2. Slide a metal M5 nut through a Stand knob (02) and glue together.
3. Align the holes of the Stand connector ring (03) to the holes in the pillar on the Stand base (01).
4. Run the Bolted Stand knob through the holes of the combination acquired in step 3
5. Attach the Bolted Stand knob the Stand knob with the M5 nut, and tighten the knobs.
6. Glue the Stand text ring (04) to the Stand connector ring (03)
7. Place the Palladium into the Stand, attach the wiring to a power source and test LED lighting.

Category: 3D Printing