Fly Pyramid Print

to GitHub project folder

The “Fly Pyramid Print” is an accessory we utilize in preparations for electro physiology experiments with Drosophila melanogaster. This version of the fly holder is printable on an inexpensive 3D printer with material costs of <$0.50 per piece. The design is based on a previous iteration machined from PEEK plastic that had been employed in the lab for many years. This edition optimized for the additive manufacturing process version emphasizes the reproducibility and the steadiness of the print.

Drosophila come in different sizes, depending on housing and access to food. We designed the fly pyramids for electrophysiology experiments on a behaving fly. This affords not only enough space for the wings to move but also a strong connection for the head fixation. The closer the pyramid’s material surrounds the head of the fly, the better is the connection in our experience. To account for the different head sizes, we currently share two of the hole sizes: “S” (schematic pictured on the right, which is good for larger females) and the even smaller “XS” (good for males and smaller females). Both of our pyramids come in a printing stack of 3 and already with support (shown in orange). If you want to print over 3, we describe that in our step-by-step guide.

We provide *.step files for both sizes and you will also find the *.stl files inside the production/ folder. The *.stl files are in mm, a batch of 3 should be roughly 13×60×30mm³ in size. Find more information about file extensions and what they mean in our file types and software section.

If you have questions about anything else, then please get in contact.