Flexify Fabric - Square Tiles

Combine square tiles to customize your own flexible fabric.  They flex with print-in-place joints and living hinges (a type of compliant mechanism).  I spent a lot of time making sure the print-in-place joints are strong, smooth, and easy-to-print.

You can find an up-to-date list of Flexify designs here: https://www.printables.com/@FlyingGyroscope/collections/3017828.

Key Features

• Print-in-place joints without bridges. Easy mode.

• Compliant mechanisms. Simplified flexible tiles.

• Thin but strong pieces.  All parts maintain a minimum wall thickness.

• Generous clearances. No need to break in joints.

• Expandable. Stitch prints together for even larger projects.

• Fidget friendly. My test prints have been good desk toys.

Sizes

Individual square tiles repeat every 33 mm (about 1.25 in), and single-print sizes go up to 8 squares x 8 squares (264 mm x 264 mm, or about 10.5 in x 10.5 in).  With some exceptions, you can find evey combination of rows and columns.  The cover photo uses 2x2 prints from each tile shape.

Which One?

Fabric models are comparable to chainmail and offer extreme flexability.  They easily fold and conform to other shapes, and you can use almost any filament.  They are very durable and can easily withstand constant flexing.

Living Hinge models are similar to stiff fabric, and are easier to print because of the simplified design.  You must print them in a flexible filament, and the plastic will eventually wear from flexing.  (Try to avoid overstretching or folding.)  Longer and bigger pieces are more flexible and can distribute stresses more evenly.

Solid models do not flex, obviously.

Files and Organization

TLDR – Download zip files to get every shape and size.

Since there is a large number of files, I am using zip files to organize everything.  I put the 2x2 file for each shape in a test prints folder.  This makes it easy to test and inspect each tile shape.

Printing

Tune your first layer for the best results.  This means having a flat first layer with even squish and no elephant's foot.

My print-in-place joints have plenty of clearance: 0.4 mm on each side of the joint = 0.8 mm total.  They should flex easily without having to work the joints loose.  I modeled overhangs at 40° and made test prints with 0.2 mm layer height.  These are fairly safe values for PLA, but other filaments may need thinner layers for joints to work as intended.  Of course, reducing layer height will improve joints regardless of filament type.

These prints have the same warning as all other print-in-place designs.  If you scale and resize, be sure to use uniform scaling.  Enlarging the scale increases clearance between parts, and decreasing scale reduces clearance.

You need to use a flexible filament for living hinge prints.  Yes, PLA prints can work for a short time but they will eventually lose their shape and develop stress cracks.  PETG is a great choice.  TPU is very tough and flexible but is more difficult to print.  ABS and Nylon should also work, but I do not have lots of experience with them.  

Stitching Tiles Together

I added slots on edge pieces so that you can connect prints and make large projects.  Connectors need a diameter smaller than 2.6 mm and a width less than 5 mm.  You can try any of the following:

• Printed clips

• String

• Zipties

• Round or flat elastic

Printed Clips

TLDR – Try tight clips first, and then try a larger opening if they break.

I made a few versions of printed clips that vary the size of the opening.  Loose has the largest opening, and tight the smallest.  If your clips fall out, try tight clips.  If your clips keep breaking during installation, try loose clips.  I got tight clips to work with PETG and Polymaker PLA Pro.

Printed clips are easy to install as long as you line up the gap in the circle with the tiles.

Thanks for visiting, and enjoy!