How to Make a 3D Printed Fidget Toy

by zanderb-v in Workshop > 3D Printing

624 Views, 3 Favorites, 0 Comments

How to Make a 3D Printed Fidget Toy

Screen Shot 2022-01-20 at 11.52.51 AM.png

This fidget has a few features. These being:

  • Rolling ball able to be spun in place.
  • Top portion of the cube able to rotate independently from the bottom portion.
  • A portion that can slide in and out of place.

Make the Ball

Screen Shot 2022-01-20 at 11.24.39 AM.png
Screen Shot 2022-01-20 at 11.27.54 AM.png

Make a sphere with a diameter of 30mm, then move it up so that only a small amount is below the XY-plane (in this example, 0.5mm).

Then, sketch a circle on the XY-plane and extrude down to remove the part of the sphere below the plane. This creates a flat base so that the sphere can print more easily.

Make the Box

Screen Shot 2022-01-20 at 11.33.12 AM.png
Screen Shot 2022-01-20 at 11.35.09 AM.png
Screen Shot 2022-01-20 at 11.35.47 AM.png

Make a 60mm by 60mm base, and make it 16mm tall. Sketch a circle in the center with a radius of 30.6mm. Extrude it downward by 12mm.

Make a new sketch of a 60mm by 60mm square on the top, aligning it with the bottom part. Make sure you have the extrude setting to "Create New Body," and make it 44mm tall.

Use Section Analysis to see inside the hollow cylinder in the bottom section. Create the center of a sphere in the center of the bottom of this cylinder, and make it 30.6mm in diameter. This cuts out a "housing" for the ball.

Make the Snap Joints

Screen Shot 2022-01-20 at 11.40.48 AM.png
Screen Shot 2022-01-20 at 11.42.20 AM.png
Screen Shot 2022-01-20 at 11.42.45 AM.png
Screen Shot 2022-01-20 at 11.43.31 AM.png

Create a midplane between the opposite sides of the box, and sketch the shape you see here. The top and bottom lines are both 3mm long, the line on the left is 8mm long. The two lines on the bottom right are both 45ยบ from the horizontal and 2mm long.

Offset the whole shape except the top line by -0.4mm. Then, rotate the part created between the two shapes all around, creating hollow space.

Join the piece inside the space with the top box shape and move the top portion so that it is set to print on the top, with the circular snap portion facing up. Add a fillet to the "tooth" of this shape of ~1.5mm (exact amount will depend on your printer, test prints of the joint recommended.)

Make the Slider

Screen Shot 2022-01-20 at 11.47.36 AM.png
Screen Shot 2022-01-20 at 11.48.57 AM.png
Screen Shot 2022-01-20 at 11.50.36 AM.png

! Make sure you flip over the top of the box, so it prints correctly !

This is just the design of a typical dovetail lid. Start the sketch on the top of the top portion of the box. Then, make a line going along the side with a length of 5mm. Create a diagonal line that goes in by 5mm and up by 3mm. From here, extend a line down by 56mm, and replicate what you have on the other side. Make a line going to the right by 5mm and go up by 3mm. Make sure you add another 5mm line that goes to the bottom corner.

Select all these lines and offset by -0.4mm.

Extrude the space between the box and the trapezoid, cutting them apart. Rotate this so that you have the larger rectangle printing on the bottom. Make sure to extrude one of the flat sides by -0.4mm so it can be flush with the top of the box when slid in.

Ready to Print

Screen Shot 2022-01-20 at 11.50.56 AM.png

Your fidget is ready to print now!

Assembly

Place the ball in the bottom part of the box, then carefully snap the top part of the box into the bottom one.