Kobayashi Fidget Cube - Fat Hinge - Flat
by markinthebox, published
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This is a simple remix of pkobayashi's fat-hinged fidget cube. The structure hasn't been changed, I just laid the cubes out flat to make printing easier. Printing the original model always resulted in the top layer of cubes getting fused to the bottom layer. This layout eliminates that problem.
The fat hinges are quite robust, so the cube really stands up to a lot of "fidgeting" - it's quite addictive and oddly therapeutic.
UPDATE 02/2017: Got dual extruders or multi-color/multi-material capabilities? Check out my dual extrusion remix.
UPDATE 04/2017: Updated the model (v1.1) to fix one of the hinges that was very slightly mis-aligned
Print Settings
Printer Brand:
LulzBot
Printer:
Rafts:
No
Supports:
No
Resolution:
0.14mm layer height
Infill:
20%
Notes:
With this layout, I was able to print a working fidget cube without any supports! I printed in PLA.
Post-Printing
Hinge clean-up
Some of the hinges printed a little sloppy due to overhangs, but with minor cleanup they function properly.
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I just printed one, all was going well until I got to the hinges that print vertically, once i tried to break them, they basically instantly snapped along the layer lines. Is there any way to fix this? Do i just need to be more gentle, or is there some setting I can adjust to make the layers adhere to themselves better?
I have an Anet A6 and the settings were:
Temp: 200C, Build Plate: 60C first layer, then off, 20% Infill, .2mm layer height, No supports
Any help would be greatly appreciated :)
Je suis débutant dans l'impression 3D et j'ai trouvé votre cube intéressant.
J'avais un peu peur d'obtenir un bloc de plastique tout collé, mais non, l'impression c'est bien passé et le cube fonctionne parfaitement. :)
J'ai utilisé une imprimante Anycubic i3 Mega Ultrabase sans réglage particulier comme pour mes autres pièces.
Cube imprimé en PLA à 205 degrés avec une buse de 0,4 pour une couche de 0,2 et un remplissage à 25%.
Hey, how would you feel if I sold this on Etsy? I would make sure whoever bought it knew that you designed it, and I'd include a link to your profile and this page.
Hi! Thanks for asking! The license under which this thing is offered (Creative Commons - Attribution - Share Alike) does indeed allow you to use the model in that manner. The only requirement is that you provide attribution (credit) to the model creator (me :), and that you offer your item with the same license. The way that is typically done is to provide a link back to the thing's page in your Etsy listing, which identifies the thing's creator and has a link to a very human-readable version of the license. Etsy listings that do not include attribution have been pulled in the past. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Thanks for making this gem printable! It's really sturdy and should stand a lot of fidgeting (did a well job on this today).
I Had to clean the bottom hinges with a file, so they could actually be opened for almost 180°. The results are ok now. All other hinges work perfectly fine!
Any reason for not suggesting build-plate support? I think it would have fixed the problems with the bottom hinges.
Another suggestion mentioned somewhere else: maybe rounding the sharp edges just a little would stress the skin a little less.
Thanks for the feedback! No particular reason for not suggesting build-plate (only) support, other than my preference to avoid supports if at all possible. Your instincts are on the money though -- with a slicer that provides good control over the supports, there is no reason you couldn't use them for those bottom hinges. You just don't HAVE to.
Happy fidgeting!
OK, I'm the newbee here. I just printed this out and having some issues with one set of hinges. So what is "build-plate (only) support"? I have a Lulzbot Mini with Cura and I have searched that term with no positive results. I would like to try that if I only knew what it was. Are you talking a raft?
Build-plate (only) support refers to adding supports that go from the build plate up to the supported part of the model (in this case, the lower hinges) ONLY. Contrast this with full supports, which would include build-plate supports as well as other necessary "internal" supports (that do not touch the build plate). For this model, any internal supports would very likely result in a fused cube, while build-plate supports could be used for the lower hinges if you wish. Does that help?
Helps a ton! But now the next step. How would I set my printer to do just that?
FYI, I really do want to print up several of these. My wife has Alzheimer's and I take her to a special not for profit "day care center" 3-4 days a week. Alzheimer's patients often tend to "fidget" and these cubes can really help a lot. The director of the center thinks these can provide value and they are open to anything. So I have the printer and I am doing this for nothing just to help others. So any help that you can provide is very much appreciated and I'm open to promoting your design in any way that would benefit you. Your assistance is appreciated. FYI, I just tried to send you a tip but unfortunately you're not set up for tips.
The supports are generated by your slicer (Cura, in your case). I don't have the Cura Lulzbot Edition on the laptop I'm using at the moment, so I can't give you specific instructions, but as I recall Cura has options to add supports "touching buildplate" or "everywhere". You'd want to use the "touching buildplate" option if you want to add supports for the lower hinges. Let me know if you can't find the right settings.
That's very interesting to hear that Alzheimer's patients can also benefit from having something to fidget with. I've received a lot of feedback from parents and teachers of kids on the autistic spectrum, as well as those with ADHD, but this is the first I've heard regarding Alzheimer's. It's always great to hear when something as simple as fidgeting can provide relief to people, and to know that there are people like yourself who offer their time and services to help others. Bravo!
Works Great! Don't be too aggressive with the cube at first though, my first one's hinges broke.
Thanks, works really well.
Printed with Geeetech i3 Pro B sliced with Kisslicer
Do spend your time! It printed perfectly for me first time out on Monoprice Select Mini (V2) with common settings and 0.175 thickness. A slight bit of roughness in the hinges, but very minimal. Perfectly usable and getting smoother from use. A fun toy, and a neat print quality test. Thanks for the great model!
I'm sorry that YOU weren't able to successfully print the cube, but as you can clearly see there are HUNDREDS of people who have printed a working cube. If everything is fused together, then most likely your printer is not well calibrated, or you have an over-extrusion problem. You might try perfecting your printing technique (there's lots of advice right here in the comments) rather than proclaiming that others should not waste their time.
I'm going to try to print one at 75% scale, because I know a whole class full of preschoolers who want one. The regular size is just a little too big for little hands to work comfortably.
Print went great!
I had accidentally set a brim in Cura but it didn't affect the model at all.
I used all settings listed in the recommended on my Monoprice Mini Select
and the print came out perfect and now the hinges are loose after much play
thanks for a great model!
I've successfully freed one side of each of the hinges, but how do I free tho others?
I've recently created a model of a similar fidget cube that would probably be freed much easier if you care to give it a shot! https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2595224

I've printed one without raft and support. Plastic Chinese PLA. Scale 100%. Layer height 0.2. Speed 50mm/s. Printer Prusa i4.
Well, I just started to print this at 150% scale :) Will be back with a picture once it is done.
Are there other things to print like this? I love it and I want more foldy fidgety toys like it.
I have a similar version with rounded edges and single hinges instead of double hinges. Not sure if you meant similar as in other versions of the same thing, but you're welcome to give it a look.

Can this be upscaled.?
I've printed one on my CR10 just perfection tbh, so I wanted to go big , and wondered if anyone had?
Cheers
Toz
Sorry, it looks cool but it didn't work everything fuses. I think hinges are just much of a complex shape to not fuse.
if anyone had the same problem as me just click here. This one is easier to print and has the same movement I have printed five, and they took up barely any filiment and didn't need supports on the bottom. Personaly I think the thing 2031302 is much better. # 2031302 much better
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2031302
https://www.thingiverse.com/make:367336
made one


I'm sorry you weren't able to print it successfully, but I can assure you it is printable, and without supports. If everything is fusing together when you print it, then you most likely have an over-extrusion problem. 3D printing functional models can take some experimentation to get just the right settings for your printer and filament.
this is the first thing i printed that had hinges. it still blowing my mind. i thought id have to print 15 pieces and assemble, but it printed wholly formed! amazing.
i just have one question.
is there a setting in sketchup ? that automatically rounds the edges. they are very sharp. im not sure what it is called? beveling?
I know what you mean - the first time you take a "print in place" functional model off a 3D printer it's kind of mind blowing! Really opens your eyes to the possibilities of this technology.
Regarding the hard edges: there's no one-click kind of way to do what you're asking, but there's certainly no reason you can't import the model in one of the many 3D modelling tools out there and apply a chamfer or fillet to the edges to achieve your desired result. You would need to be cautious about removing too much material around the areas where the hinges are held in place though, as it would be easy to weaken those areas enough to cause the hinges to break free of the cubes.
Happy fidgeting!
Worked perfectly on a Monoprice Maker Select v2 (Micro Swiss all-metal hotend, slotted cooling block, machined lever/extruder plate, glass build plate, Z brace).
I re-sliced it in Cura at 200% scale and made another one that's 8 times the size (i.e. a 100% scale version is the size of one section of the one I printed). Tried with no support but the hinges didn't stay in place. Ended up using concentric supports and it printed perfectly. Great if you've got bigger hands and a lot of patience -- took just over 38 and a half hours to produce using the wonky settings I used.
I printed both with black Hatchbox PLA at 195 degrees with a 75 degree build plate. Original size had 0.1mm layer height and 25% grid infill. Larger one had 0.15mm layer height and 20% cubic infill.
Now printed six of these in PETG and all work perfectly. Tried one in ABS and despite shrinkage it also printed well. PLA produced a few fusing issues but with more fan speed and a few degrees cooler they printed well. Great design, great prints and very popular!
Came out first try with my Monoprice Select Mini 3d. Surprisingly enough. A few overhang blemishes. Makes me wonder how I might design support that could be destroyed. Probably achieved best with a dissolvable filament support
My printer which made a pretty flawless benchy failed pretty badly on this print. The unsupported hinges on the bottom of the cubes basically fell into the air and fused all together. I think supports would have solved this. I might give it another try later.
If your printer is otherwise well-tuned (which it sounds like it is) and you're having trouble with the overhangs, I would suggest lowering your print temperature a bit and/or trying a different filament. Those overhanging hinges are certainly challenging on this model, but they are definitely printable without supports. Don't give up! :)
This is a great Project.
Printed perfectly:
Wanhao i3Plus
Flexion Extruder
0.4 nozzle
0.2 layer height
Infill 25% Rect
No Supports
Inland Green PLA 222C/50C
60mm/s
Cooler: Modified 0% at layer 1 / 100% Layer 2+
Sliced in Simplify3D
Print Time: 2hr 11min
I printed this twice and my dad helped me try to make the hinges move and both times it broke. It wasn't helpful that some of the hinges were printed straight on the printing plate so we weren't able to make those move. It also didn't help that the hinges on the bottom had no support when printing so it was just filament being laid out on air. (those were the hinges that broke both times)
Yup, this is definitely a challenging model to print (for the reasons you describe) and it requires your printer be well-tuned to work properly. That said, the four hinges whose ends touch the build plate should be the "easy" part -- if those hinges are fusing then my best guess is that your printer is over-extruding in a pretty significant way. As I've suggested before, I would recommend printing some of the many calibration prints you can find on Thingiverse, as those can help you more quickly identify problem areas. Also, different filaments can have radically different performance on things like overhangs, so if your printer is tuned well it may be worth simply trying a different filament. Hope that helps!
Mine didn't work. The settings were:
Object Infill (%): 20
Later Height (mm): .3
Number of shells: 1
Feedrate (mm/s): 80
Travel Feedrate: 150
Print Temperature: 230
My Nozzle Diameter (mm) is .4.
My Filiament Diameter (mm) is 1.75.
Any ideas which settings I should change to make it work?
What does "didn't work" mean? Did it fail mid-print in some way, or did it complete but everything was fused, or ?? Either way, I would suggest a smaller layer height - probably .2 or .1. And printing slower always helps when precision is necessary. But if your printer isn't well calibrated, that still won't help. Have you tried printing any of the various calibration and testing widgets found on Thingiverse? They can more quickly help you identify what the issue might be.
Hi! Thanks for sharing this! I was able to print it with no supports on my Monoprice Maker Select v2 (Wanhao i3 clone) and it didn't fuse anywhere! Fully movable. Easily the coolest thing I've printed since I got the printer 6 months ago!
Tried printing at 0.1 mm height at 50% speed using PLA and Slic3r. Had an issue when it was printing a hinge where it was so thin that it popped off of the rest of the model and melted/caused the print to fail.
Do I need something to prevent that from happening? I'm relatively new to 3d printing.
On at least one attempt I also had a hinge that got popped off. Due to the way they're printed, the hinges are quite susceptible to this when/if the filament you use curls up a bit as it cools. I have a fair collection of filament around and I've not tried to print this model with all of them, but I'd put money on the fact that there are at least a few of them that would make it impossible to print this model due to the amount of curling they seem to be prone to. So if your printer seems to otherwise give you good, accurate results, I would suggest trying with a different brand of filament, as they sure seem to behave quite differently (even if they're all PLA).
The tolerances on my printer aren't working for this print. Can anyone help me fix that? The pieces are welding together so that it is just a block of plastic when it is done printing
Awesome print! Left touching buildplate support on but I was able to remove it from the bottom hinges and after a day of use this thing may as well have metal hinges... they're so smooth!
Got to be the best fidget cube file out there. I've been trying different ones for five days and got bored of trying until I tried this one last night. It was so good that I couldn't take a picture because one of my pupils took it from me and I haven't seen it since!
Does anyone tried to print that great thing in abs?
I tried with 0,2 nozzle and 0,14 layer 30% with slic3r - unfortunately, I broked it :( and it was really hard to broke it. It was impossible to move any part.
I will try next time with 0,2 layer and maybe with PET-G.
Or... I try to change some critical slic3r parameters.
Interesting thing that I noticed while printing.
I would expect that the four horizontal hinges are positioned at the same Z height in the model. If they were at the same Z height, I would expect them to slice in exactly the same way.
However, it appears that the bottom left hinge is slightly lower than the other three. I don't know if this is done on purpose, but you may want to address it in your next revision.
Thanks for this great remix, though! I'm printing mine as we speak!
Daniel -- Good eye - you are exactly right! I noticed the problem with that hinge back when I created the multi-material remix (and fixed it in the remix). I didn't address it in the original model then because so many of us have printed the cube successfully even with the defect (thankfully there's a fair amount of clearance in the model to allow this). That said, it's been on my "to-do list" to correct it and I hope to do so soon. I'm a little behind because I'm moving, but I will get to it!
Thanks for posting!
Hi,
I've tried a few of the different fidget cubes/stars on thingiverse and this is the only one that has worked for me. I love the design. One question as I'm fairly new to 3d printing. I think I've got my machine dialed in. The cube sections turn out perfectly, but the hinges come out really "stringy". I'm using PLA on a flashforge creator pro and slicing with simplify. They work, but where the cubes and other printed things are smooth and you only see grains in the filament, I can see the individual strands in the hinge rods and they are slightly separating. Do you know what setting may help to improve it?
Hi Dan! The stringy hinges are pretty normal with a model like this. The problem is that the hinges are all overhangs - meaning they are printed with nothing below them for support. They need to be this way so that they can move freely. As you are probably aware, there are a huge number of parameters to tweak than can affect how well your printer can handle overhangs. Different filament types will also give very different results. As a result I don't think there's a "magic answer" for how to get the best results with overhangs - it's just a matter of experimentation and experience with your printer and various filaments. Also, since you're using Simplify3D, you can use their excellent custom supports features to generate supports for at least the hinges on the bottom to clean those up a bit. Although I haven't tried it, I suspect that using supports for any of the other hinges would result in a mess that would just fuse the cubes and hinges together. Just my thoughts - happy to hear from others on ways to improve the results.
Hi, I'm fairly new two 3d printing and and my printer says it can print fro 0.1 to 0.3 that that mean 0.1 0.2 0.3 or those and everything in the middle like 0.14 thank you for your time
Hi, can you tell us the size of the nozzle used to print? I'm using a lulzbot mini with a 0.5mm nozzle, and following your guidance I'm not sure it will print correctly at 140 microns. Thanks in advance!
I printed mine with Cura as well, using the "high quality" profile (probably with some tweaks, but it's been awhile now so I'm sorry I can't be more specific). One thing that has caused me problems over time is Cura's default settings for first layer thickness and line width - they seem to err on the "safe" side in order to get good bed adhesion, but these particular settings have been pretty problematic for prints that require precision. Thankfully, those setting only affect the first layer so with a print like this one it's quick to see if you're in trouble! Good luck!
Thanks for the files, I also work in a school so these will be great for the Teachers never mind the kids :) lol
I am having an issue with the blocks fusing to one another.
I printed this using a Monoprice Select Mini with Cura (Cura settings can be seen in links below)
I'm using PLA
http://www.evernote.com/shard/s270/sh/28578919-a930-401e-b0d1-4b8c16244981/bdf9f660d98cceb8810f4e57898b1990
http://www.evernote.com/shard/s270/sh/b5c1492d-8605-4437-94dd-0041e011cebc/e16125f109de04bb6e4d32d6d05764b3
Please help.
Hi Dudical! Your settings all look reasonable to me, so I can only assume that your printer is not quite "dialed in" to give you the best results. Have you printed any calibration pieces to see if you're getting accurate results? I have no experience with your printer in particular, but one thing to check is to be sure it's not over-extruding, as this is one thing that could fuse the cubes. As with all mechanical models, you can always scale this one up in your slicer to increase the tolerances between all the parts and see if that gives you better results. Hope that helps!
These are a massive hit with restless kids (ADHD and the likes) at my school. I keep a couple of them handy for my lectures. Now everyone who works with any kind of special needs students wants a few. Even my two bosses wants one each. =P
Thanks for making this simplistic, yet awesome gadget.
Can you please split this file into separate parts or make a dual color version so I can dual-color printing? Thxs
Check out the WIP remix I just posted: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1923755 I separated the cubes from the hinges for dual-color printing.

I'm not sure what you mean by "split into separate parts". The cubes and hinges are designed to be printed in place - they can not be printed separately and then assembled together. As for a dual-color version, that's something I've had planned for awhile to take advantage of a multi-material upgrade coming soon to my printer. That said, there's a million different ways one could make this model dual-color... what did you have in mind?
This is awesome, i've printed a couple so far for work and home. Way better than a stress ball.
Hey there! Great little gadget! How does the underneath of yours look? Did you use supports to support the underneat pins when printing? They are slightly raised and Mine look a mess! Thanks.
Hey Joe! I know exactly what you're talking about. The hinges on the bottom definitely end up a little sloppy due to the overhangs with this design. Mine primarily just needed a little fidgeting and moving the hinges back and forth to clean up the hanging bits, but they certainly aren't perfect. I did not print with any supports either, which was kind of my goal - supports would likely cause a worse mess, unless of course you use a different, soluble material. If you do attempt to print WITH supports, I would strongly suggest using a slicer that lets you carefully choose which supports are added and which aren't - otherwise I fear you'll get some internal supports on the hinges that you won't want.
I use a slicer that allows for the addition of manual supports and I was able to put just enough support under the hinges that hang right under the platform and it did help in not just the ascetics but also in how those specific hinges move. I noticed on the prints without support that some of the bends felt tight like they didn't go flush like the rest of the cube and would warp out a little. But when I printed with the support all bends were flush with each other and the bridging hangs were also gone.
May not be a bad idea if you know how to build in some basic removable support for the hinges that on the bottom are right over the build plate. The hinges that print on the top for some reason do not suffer from this issue though, at least not in my prints.
Since this is under the Creative Commons - Attribution - Share Alike license, am I correct to assume that 3d prints of this design can be sold (e.g. on Ebay) as long as credit for it is given?
I don't really plan to but is it even an option?
It turns into a pizza oven, an airplane, a yak, and a frying pan. :) No, it doesn't turn into anything -- it's just a collection of interconnected cubes that keep sort of folding in on themselves. Take a look at the video the original creator posted and you'll understand: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1269699

You can always use your slicer to scale it as desired. However, as with all mechanical models there will be a limit to how far down you can scale before the clearances for the moving parts become too small and things start to fuse together. I actually printed mine (the one in the photos) at 1.5x to help with clearances and also because I wanted it a bit larger.
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