Fidget Spinner Handheld Toy

Yeah, you could buy one… but why not print it?

This spinner is my new desktop fidgeting toy, it spins so well! The secret…? 6mm airsoft bb's. (ok, ok, I know it's technically cheating but they work so good! Let's just call it a Hybrid) I googled them, and supposedly they're made from either PLA or ABS which are two materials we're all quite familiar with, am I right? Anyways, why are you reading this? Just download and print them then see for yourself.

There are two sets of files here, one set of .stl and one set of .3mf, so whichever your preference is.

Parts:

Each spinner consists of Qty 1 of each of the 3 files in the set.

Qty (1) - Cage (Fidget)

Qty (1) - Inner (Fidget)

Qty (1) - Outer (Fidget)

You will also need Qty (8) Airsoft bb's of 6mm diameter. (if you don't have any, ask your nephew, cousin, neighbor, or any teenager they'll for sure know where some are).

If after asking around you still need airsoft bb's just google “Airsoft bb’s” to find a place near you, I would have included an Amazon link here but it was like 20 pages of jibberish… sorry.

Watch it spin!

Printing:

Print the 3 pieces in the orientations shown in the photos section, flat on the build plate & serrations of the inner race upwards.

I used PLA, Skirt, 20% infill, 3mm walls.

Print it however you feel comfortable. I think the heavier everything is though, the better it will spin and more durable it will be.

Assembly:

You'll need a piece of cardboard approximately 4mm thick (or 3/16" thick) with a small hole cut in the middle for the inner race to sit into during assembly. This aligns the inner and outer ball raceways. (I got hung up here for a minute myself, see YT video).

Offset the inner race all the way to one side then drop all (8) balls into place.

Move the inner race to be concentric with the outer race then position the balls equally around the raceway.

Place the ball cage over the balls to hold them in place. You may need to adjust the balls positioning slightly to get them into their positions. I found out during assembly of these later on that the cage is easier inserted from below, leaving the balls visible and more accessible from the topside to be moved around.

Once the balls are aligned with the cage, the cage just snaps into place.

Spin Away!

More Instruction and Background of this project can be found on my YT Channel:

See how well it holds up to HIGH speeds in the video below: