Gyroscopic Fidget Spinner

An easier-to-print Gyroscopic Fidget Spinner.

I've always loved these kinds of spinners, but they can be a nightmare to print. Ball-based bearings are the best for spinning, but printing spheres is an ongoing challenge.

So I thought I'd have a go to design something that is easier to print, and learn stuff along the way. Ten or more prototypes later (bearings are hard) I've come up with this model using captive gears and a smooth overall feel in the hand.

This should be printable with no supports, and I've tried with Plain, Silk and Galaxy PLAs with no issues. You can choose whatever Wall/Surface/Infill you prefer, but a more dense print will spin better. One tweak I did have to do is to set the Minimum Wall Width down to 75% - when you slice the model do check that the teeth on the small gears are not hollow.

Why not try multi-colour, either with an AMS or changing filaments at layers for a striped effect?

When printed it does need a little working, first push and flex the inner ring in and out a few times to ‘crack’ the connections apart. Then force spin the inner ring- it will creak and groan and feel really chunky and clunky at first, but persevere. It takes about half an hour or so get everything smoothed out.

Once everything is moving freely, I swear by WD40 Dry PTFE spray to lubricate everything. Use your favourite lubricant to make everything spin fast!

If you like this model, then please:

EdinBearDragon