We’ve scoured the internet for the best products and compiled the best 3D printed stress relief toys we could find.
1. Rubik’s Cube infinite cube
Match the color of the cube to your mood (Source: HaDe via Thingiverse)
With a variety of printing options and ideas, this incredible 3D printed stress relief Rubik’s Cube toy will keep your hands busy and your brain wondering if it can really last forever.
Designers particularly recommend a floor height of 0.2 mm. They also recommend at least 10% infill, but if you want a heavier cube you can increase the infill without any problem.
2. Multilateral infinite Rubik’s cube
There are hinges in every direction! (Source: markinthebox via Thingiverse)
It’s a little larger than the average gadget, perfect for those looking for a distraction or those with larger hands!
Printing is easy and if you are lucky enough to have a dual extruder you can get multi-colored files. The hinges may cause some issues at first, but after cleaning they should work fine.
This is one of Paul Kobayashi’s many gadget cube designs.
3. Peter Pan
On its six sides are a spinning circle, a moving switch, a finger maze, an indentation and a tunnel. Designers recommend making sure your printer can print overhangs and bridges well: calibration may be a good idea. Additionally, it would be best if the color of the “balls” contrasted with the main body of the cube.
4. Venus Box
A very clever design allows this screw container to open the door in the blink of an eye. It’s not strictly a stress toy per se, but it offers plenty of hand movement potential and extra storage space.
5. Infinitely deformable Rubik’s Cube
It can be a cube or a star, with multiple shapes. It’s a wonderful design that will make you obsessed with the continuous cycle of opening and closing. What’s even cooler is that this is a single print-in-place model, meaning the hinges for the moving parts are printed along with the other parts, so no assembly is required.
6. Magnetic polyhedron
The bisymmetric hexadecahedron is a space-filling polygon with 11 sides. These versions are magnetic and have space for a 3mm ball magnet printed inside. According to the designers, the magnets are pressed into each hole and must be able to rotate freely for the parts to stick together. This stress toy requires a little extra effort in manufacturing, but the end result is worth it.
Designers use 0.3mm nozzles to increase precision in corners and holes.
7. Cube Puzzle
The puzzle is made up of just one piece and three prints are required to complete the cube. It’s a puzzle because you have to figure out how to place the pieces to put it together, but once you know that, you can slide it open and close for maximum satisfaction. The creator also included a stand to display it.
Since the model needed to be fluid, the recommended print settings included not using supports but using bridges, and the creators also built tolerances into the design. If you’ve never tried using bridging in 3D printing, this might be a good place to start!
8. Editable puzzles
From the square to the triangle, there are only three joints (Source: Ematyk via Printables)
With this little puzzle-like toy, you can open a square then reassemble it in a different order to transform it into a triangle.
9. Twisted toys
So cool that your fingers will be captivated by this playful little ring. Everything here is geared, with a freely rotating ring gear meshing with 14 interlocking pinions.
Snap-fit assembly is required, and when trying to print this yourself, please note that the pattern is in inches. Open the brackets for the locking pins, but without them the rest should be fine.
10. Equipment keychain
This pocket gadget requires assembly, but can be attached to a key ring using a small ring. It has a simple three-speed design with 11 parts, including nuts and bolts.
The designer printed the toy in ABS and mentioned that the gears needed to be cleaned to make them spin. The results are worth it!
11. Rotary gear
This gadget is small and incredibly satisfying to look at, making it an obvious choice. Now, it might be a little small, but it doesn’t hurt to make it bigger. Its small size makes it easy to hide while your fingers play with this fun toy.
Be careful when printing something this small as it can break easily. The designer recommends printing with ABS material, which will be more durable.
12. Elliptical machine
This is an elliptical gear without a central pivot. This means that when you turn the gears, the movement of the crank on each gear will still seem off-center, but will also move at the same time. This is an extremely nifty little toy and easy to put together with just four separate parts.
13. Gear bearings
This model is particularly popular in offices. This is a single printed-in-place gear bearing that spins smoothly as you turn the center. Some people like to use a hex wrench or drill (for maximum damage) to turn these gears. You can also modify the design to remove some gears; it should still run perfectly.
14. Three hearts
Three heart-shaped gear toys, putting them together isn’t as simple as other designs, but the end result is quite romantic: a series of working heart-shaped gears fit together.
15. Spring gear
This interesting system combines 3D printed gears, 3D printed springs, and switch widgets to create a switch that automatically returns to its original position.
Daguang focuses on providing solutions such as precision CNC machining services (3-axis, 4-axis, 5-axis machining), CNC milling, 3D printing and rapid prototyping services.
