Cheesy Mouse Trap

myminifactory

This is a Swiss Cheese Mouse Trap I designed purely for entertainment purposes. Bait would be placed at the front of the trap, and when the mouse steps on the trip lever, the door closes instantly and stays shut with powerful magnets. A few components are bonded together using superglue after printing. The mag latch to the door and the trip lever to the trip plate are two parts that need to be joined this way. The trip plate and door pins were crafted from cut-down 1 1/2" 4D finish nails, while two 3/16" x 1/8" neodymium magnets keep the door locked in place and are press-fit or glued into the mag latch and bottom piece. A 2/56" screw holds the bottom to the main body securely. The smaller of the traps shown is actual size, but the larger version was scaled up by 125%. The small one was printed upside down with the top facing the printer bed to minimize internal supports, although due to the curved top, some supports were still necessary and it came out a bit rough. It was then filled (spot glazing putty) and sanded smooth before being repainted. I modified the design to include 45-degree internal top corners so it could be printed upright while reducing the number of internal supports needed. Some supports are still required, but the top comes out slightly smoother than before.