Bistable Compliant Fidget Clicker

Full credit: these remixes are based on a Brigham Young University Compliant Mechanisms Research (BYU_CMR) Group design posted on Thingiverse.  Check out their user page on Thingiverse or their webpage for other great compliant mechanism designs and research.

BYU CMR Group Free Online Course about “Flexible Machines”:

Added: suggested slicing arrangement (.3mf) for both designs to make middle, moving part solid as well as the strike zones on the frame.

I remixed the original design a couple ways to decrease the tolerances, solidify the part, and increase the mass to make it into a fidget clicker.  It prints great in PLA on a well-calibrated printer.  You may have to slice through the bottom layer to separate the parts because of your printer's elephant foot ‘squish’. There is a gap modelled in between the frame and the slider.  (If you are having trouble moving the slider, experiment with the “elephant foot compensation" in your favorite slicer.)  There is a limited lifespan of many hundreds of cycles.  It is reasonably durable, but not indestructible.

If you like to use flame/heat to get rid of stringing in your prints; don't on this one.  The thing connecting layers will lose their springiness.  Along these lines, don't use ironing in your slicing.

This toy is noisy, not suitable for discrete fidgeting.

Variations:

You can scale up the Z-axis if you want a thicker or thinner clicker.  Thicker makes the action require more force, thinner, less.

If you print a translucent filament, experiment with infill patterns.

Print instructions

Download.  Slice.  Print.  Repeat if necessary.  

How I Designed This

Modified from original .STL file imported into OpenSCAD and tweaked until I was pleased with the result.  These are variations 5 and 6 from my iterative experimentation.

Actions:

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Modify

If you feel the calling, edit and improve the design and post your results with this model listed as the Remix source.

Feedback

If you have any questions, suggestions, or problems that you'd like to discuss with me, please feel free to message me.  I'm always willing to discuss my models, your ideas, 3-D design, and 3-D printing.

Explore

Check out my other models here on Printables.Com.

expanded mass of moving piece and made it so it clicks against both edges of the outer box