Swallowtail Hinge Print-in-Place

This design was inspired by something I saw on Pinterest awhile back, which was a “butterfly hinge” that looked vaguely similar to this. I wanted to make my own version in my own style, and also test out ‘Print-in-Place’ as a technique for making interesting mechanical parts, so I made this one from scratch.

It's quite sturdy and can support a decent amount of weight, although I designed it for cabinet doors.

Please note: you will definitely want to print with a small raft, or at least enable supports. It doesn't require very much, but very low probability that it will print perfectly without them.

p.s. It comes off the bed pretty stiff, just remove the raft/supports and then gently flex the hinge back and forth until it “snaps” and starts working. The surrounding structure is quite strong so it's unlikely to break. Once it's moving you can flex it repeatedly to soften it up until the action is smooth. The ‘pin’ will most likely stick to one side, although if you want you can use piers (or even your fingers) and gently rotate the pin until it is free of both sides of the hinge and can rotate freely. It takes awhile to get completely smooth action, but it's not too difficult.