As the yuletide season approaches, you may have already started
making plans to start shopping against Santa's list; What are the exciting toys
of the season? What are all the kids looking for?
This is exactly what I have been think about these past few
days. After a few minutes on Google… presto! Fidget Spinners are probably one
of the most desired toys for kids of all ages this year. But where does one
find Fidget spinners in Abuja without spending more than necessary? Well don’t even
bother.
So out with Google and in with my Google Sketchup. I am
going to design my own working Fidget Spinner – then PRINT it on my 3D printer.
Here is what we are going to needs
1.
Ball Bearings – the smallest I could find were
11mm radius (22mm diameter) and they cost N400 (about $1.00c USD) and you need
only one for a fidget spinner.
2.
Ring Washers – I calculated that I would need
about nine washers for a spinner. At N50 for one, that would be a total N450.00
(About $1.20c USD)
they come in varying sizes, I just chose one that was almost 22mm in diameters.
They are needed to load the spinners. The heavier the spinning parts, the
longer it will spin. But care must be taken not to make it too heavy for the
kids.
With caliper in hand and the above materials, work commenced
on the computer with a 3D software. 3D applications abound, every tinkerer has
a handle on one of many 3D modeling software – Blender, Solid works, Fusion
360, Maya, AutoCAD, etc.
I prefer SketchUp because its really simple and stress free.
Designing two circles in two axis is not that difficult, you can get creative
and design a complex set of gears or Ninja like three – five pointed stars. I
kept mine simple and below is a link to the final .stl file for printing.
1.
The 2 thumb knobs
2.
The 6 covers for each set of washers (male and
female)
3.
The spinner body
Presto!!!! The final result.
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