3D Printed Fidget SpinnerCreated by Ruiz Brothers

Last updated on 2017-01-12 03:41:49 PM UTC

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Guide Contents

Guide ContentsOverview

DIY Spinner ToysThe Trend & HypeHow They WorkWhat's a Balll Bearing?Parts & SuppliesTools

3D PrintingThe DesignOrganic T-Splines3D PrintingSlice SettingsRemoving Support MaterialVertical VS Flat

AssemblyRemove CoverCovers RemovedRemove GreaseClean BearingsBearing LubricationApply LubeInstall Finger RestsInstall Bearing Set

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Overview

DIY Spinner Toys

A fidget spinner is a simple and basic handheld toy meant for mindless fidgeting. Thesetoys are one of those "I don't get it" things, until you play with one. Fidgeting is actuallyvery helpful for people with ADD/ADHD and even anxiety, but you don't have to have adisorder to appreciate them.

The Trend & Hype

There's been a sudden explosion of fidget spinner designs on sites likeThingiverse.com (http://adafru.it/tBZ). Most of them use a standard 608ZZ ball bearing tospin freely. They can be purchased online and cost anywhere from $10 – $20, but youcould easily 3D print and make your own for a few cents! The recent trend offabricating your own seems to vibe nicely with the maker community and even more so with3D printing.

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How They Work

In the center of the spinner, is a radial 608ZZ ballbearing. Two fingers (typically the thumb andmiddle) grasp onto the center of the ball bearingwhile a third finger flicks the spinner. They came inmany different shapes and sizes but all work in thecame manner.

What's a Balll Bearing?

From wikipedia:

A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain theseparation between the bearing races. The purpose of a ball bearing is toreduce rotational friction and support radial and axial loads. It achieves this byusing at least two races to contain the balls and transmit the loads through theballs.

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Parts & Supplies

You'll need the following parts to build this project.

Radial Ball Bearing 608ZZ (http://adafru.it/1178)Reel Butter – Bearing Lubrication (http://adafru.it/tC0)AlcoholPaper Towels

Tools

The following tool will assist you in building this project.

3D Printer (http://adafru.it/diH) & Filament (http://adafru.it/2080)Flush diagonal cutters (http://adafru.it/152)Hobby Knife

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3D Printing

The Design

This spinner was designed to resemble the Adafruit logo. It's symmeterical and containszero flat surfaces. The curvatures in the geometery gives the part a very smooth surface.Two additional pieces mount to the ball bearing, essentially forming a finger "rest" for easilyholding the center.

Organic T-Splines

The shape was 3D modeled in Autodesk Fusion 360. It was created using t-splines, whichis apart of the sculpting environment and toolset. The design is free to download andmodify.

Download Source Filehttp://adafru.it/tDg

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Download STLs on Pinshapehttp://adafru.it/tC3Download STLs on Youmaginehttp://adafru.it/tC5Download STLs on Thingiversehttp://adafru.it/tC4

3D Printing

Because this part features no flat edges, it will require support material to 3D print properly.It is positioned vertically to produce the best quality and surface finish. Most slicingsoftware for 3D printers are capable of producing support material. A raft is also necessaryfor properly adhering the part to the bed.

If you don't have acccess to a 3D printer, can you upload the STL file to 3DHubs (http://adafru.it/tC1) and have a local hub 3D print and send the parts to you.

Slice Settings

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Below are some recommened slice settings.

PLA @ 220C extruder / 65C bedBluetape on non-heated bedsSupport and Raft required20% Infill2 shells/perimeters60mm/s printing speed

Support Settings

support type: everywhere45 degree overhangssupport infill desnity 15%horizontal offset from part 0.30mm

Raft Settings

3 surface layersoffset from part 3.00mmseparation distance 0.14mmraft infill 50%

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Removing Support Material

A pair of flush diagonal cutters can help remove support material from the part. It can alsobe removed by hand if it's of high quality.

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Vertical VS Flat

If you're having issues 3D printing the part vertically, you can optionally 3D print it flat onthe bed using the ada-spinner-flat.stl file. I recommend setting the External Fill Patternoption to Concentric (if your slicer has this feature) – This will generate interesting patternson the surface of the part. There is no support or raft required for printing it flat, nice!

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Assembly

Remove Cover

These radial bearings have "non-removable" covers that keep theballs free from dirt and debris. Inorder to produce more spin, we'llneed to remove them and cleanout the grease from theballs. You can remove the coversfrom the bearings with a hobbyknife. Press the tip of the bladeinto the inner side of the coveruntil it's punctured.

Covers Removed

Then, use the tip of the blade toget underneath the indentationand lift it away from the bearing.It should then easily pop off.

Use one of your old pocketknives or a precision screwdriveryou don't care about for this task!

Be extremely care not to cut yourself while doing this! Parental guidance is advised foryounger makers.

Remove Grease

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Inside the bearing you'll find 7balls. Although they're pre-greased, the bearings don't spinas much as they could. Instead,we'll use a special bearinglubration mean for highperformance. But first, we'll needto remove the grease. Irecommend using a needel toscrape off chunks and a papertowel.

Clean Bearings

Once you've removed as muchgrease as you can, it's a goodidea to apply some alcohol to thebearings. Alcohol helps breakdown the grease and themcleans out. Use a paper towel tosoak up any excess alochol andrub them down.

Bearing Lubrication

Synthetic lubrication feature ultra-low viscosity which allows it topenetrate bearings to providesilky smooth performance. Iused "Reel Butter" in this project,but any brand of bearing lube willprovide good results.

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Apply Lube

It only takes 2-3 drops oflubrication to loosen up thebearings. Once applied, spin therings several times to work thesolution into the balls.

Install Finger Rests

Finger rests will make it easier togasp onto the center of thespinner and provides a guard.Start by insterting the cover withthe nub into the center ofthe bearing. It's a tight fit, so you'llneed to apply pressure. Pressthe nub until it's all the waythrough the bearing. Then, flipthe bearing over and place thecover over the protruding nub.Sqeeze them tightly until theysnap together.

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Install Bearing Set

Now you can install the ballbearing into the spinner. It shouldhave a pretty tight fit, so you'llneed to apply some pressure tofit the bearing into the center ofthe spinner. Any that's it! Nowyou have a sweet little toy :-)

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