Flying Fidget Spinner

fidget spinners were once among the most popular fads of this generation. Almost everybody talked about them at one point and many owned them. The thought of holding a spinning toy in your hands had a weird satisfaction to it, however it was short-lived and soon they were not as popular as before. today i decided to give this spinners a new spin of design using tinkercad. I thought what could be done to make these do something more than just spinning in your hands , and it was then that it struck me propellers spin and generate upward thrust in things like helicopters. i thought that why not shape it like a propeller that could take flight from your fingers.

3d printing was my go to choice since it was the fastest way to do prototyping and the bearings for the spinner could be 3d printed to reduce significant weight to achieve flight.

1. filament of your choice

2. 3d printer or source to get 3d printed parts

the spinner has been designed such that the whole object can be printed at once hassle free, it thus requires no assembly after print

for printing i would recommend to use a printer with good tolerances since the bearing in the middle has to be just perfect to get a smooth and fast movement

pla works just fine for this project in my opinion just a little post processing is required to free the rollers in the bearing.

supports need to be generated in the slicer of your choice since the part stands off from the bed. if this is something you wants to avoid you can remove the middle piece in the design to lay it flat and then print that piece separately and attach it to the bearing later

once the spinner has been printed free the rollers in the bearing and aim for unrestricted rotation, a little ptfe lubricant can be added to increase the efficiency and reduce friction. once done give it a good spin and watch it take flight right from the reach of your fingers. it requires a bit practice to get it spinning at the right speed for take off. the spinner can also be spun in the opposite direction to allow it to spin on the ground as a top.

an air compressor can be used to increase the rpm at which it spins to achieve faster and longer flight.