August 14, 2022
Description
This simple-to-print spinner uses pennies for weight and a standard 608 skate bearing for smooth motion!
I have two kids on the Autism spectrum who are exceedingly high-functioning but also tend to fidget quite a bit. Contrary to what you might have been reading in the news, fidgeting is not necessarily a bad thing! Yes, if you have a classroom of kids conspicuously spinning their fidgets, comparing them, doing tricks and the like, then yes, they are problematic. For kids with ADHD, autism, or those who just learn differently, a spinner can be a discrete, quiet means of staying on task by occupying their hands. Incorporated into an IEP, they can be exceedingly helpful.
After designing a couple of minimalistic spinners for my two kids on the spectrum, my other two kids thought it would be nice to have spinners as well (for home use, of course). This is one I designed with the input of my daughter.
I love designing "impossible" things for my 3D printer. One thing that truly baffles those unfamiliar with FDM printers is the idea of "trapping" objects inside a print. My spinners all make use of this concept.
Instead of using comparatively expensive bearings, my spinners all use trapped pennies. Pennies are, well, cheap! They also weigh a decent amount, allowing you to use quite a few while still keeping costs down.
This particular print makes use of 24 pennies - 8 sections of 3 pennies each. It results in an exceedingly heavy spinner resulting in some great spin times, if you invest in the right kind of bearing or just do a good job cleaning a cheap one.
Make use of your printer's pause function if you have one. I'm actually a fan of manually splitting my gcode files - something I wouldn't advise unless you know the commands fairly well or you might end up ruining your print.
I would recommend examining your slicer to find out where to pause the print - just before it bridges over the penny cavities. I can't tell you the precise layer because that'll depend on what layer height you choose along with whether or not you use a raft.
One disadvantage of pennies is imbalance. Pennies have changed composition quite a bit over the years. As such, their weight varies considerably between the "olden years" and those "modern" pennies.
You might consider collecting all pennies from one year. Alternatively, pair pennies from the same year on opposing sides. The better you pair them, the more balanced your spinner will be.
I have my printer tuned in fairly well. The tolerance on the center bearing is only 0.1mm for the radius (0.2mm for the diameter). I have to actually tap my bearings in using a flat block of wood and a hammer but once they are in, they tend not to come out!
Given the variance of printers I can't guarantee your printer will yield the same results as mine. Your pennies may be too tight. Mine jingle a little. Your bearing might be too loose. Mine is snug. All I can say is you might need to play with your scaling factors should things not work the way you expect.
That said, with some effort, this spinner can give that special someone you know a little bit of fun. My kids like theirs, even if it is just to play in their spare time.
Well, that letter was in the original design for the caps. I'm not including it here in case you want to use Meshmixer or the like to "emboss" some other letter.
You know the drill. You are printing something on your printer. You are responsible for what you print. Don't give spinners to kids, adults or pets who have a tendency to pull apart things and place them in your mouth. Several components of a spinner would be rather nasty to your health should one try to ingest them. Don't throw a spinner at someone - it hurts.
Use common sense. Be responsible. Have fun!
Printer: BobsCNC RP9 v2
Rafts: Doesn't Matter
Supports: No
Resolution: 0.2mm
Infill: 25% or more
Notes:
This should be a simple print. There is minimal bridging and as long as you have good adhesion, things should turn out nicely.
Be sure to look at your slicer and pause at the appropriate place to insert your pennies - I can't teach you specifically how to do this as different firmware handles things differently. If you are a shameful geek like me, you might manually edit the gcode to split the print into two files so you can print the bottom, walk away, then print the top whenever you are ready. You take risks doing this, however, as you will need to understand what certain codes do or you risk things like having endless spaghetti spit out of your hot end. (Has this happened to me? Maybe, maybe not.)
Nothing fancy here. I used Autodesk Fusion 360 which is fast becoming my favorite tool for most design work. It's truly easy to use once you get the hang of it and it can be extremely powerful. Also, while technically not free, for a hobbyist under certain circumstances, you can use it for free. Please be sure to review Autodesk's license to ensure you fit in this category. Again, you are responsible for yourself: PAY UP for a license if you don't fit the mold for the free license!
License:
Creative Commons — Attribution — Noncommercial
Dan the 3D Printing Dad
