CouplaClips (Kapla compatible clips)

thingiverse

This idea originated from August 2015 when I started designing and printing plastics. Watching my kids struggle to build a roof for a Kapla house but seeing it fall apart all the time sparked an idea. It would be great if they had plastic clips to hold wooden pieces together, eliminating their frustration. To my surprise, no such thing existed so I began drawing in Sketchup and making test prints. A few other enthusiastic parents saw what I was doing and decided to put the files and design on Thingiverse. Hopefully, you'll enjoy using it as well. Print Settings Printer Brand: Up! Rafts: Doesn't Matter Supports: Doesn't Matter Resolution: Any Infill: None really needed Notes: If you print parts sideways, no support is necessary, but this depends on your printer and how well it prints horizontal planes on top of vertical ones. Post-Printing Example Prints of STL Files Various Clips to Show the Idea Building a Roof with CouplaClips The Same Roof from a Different Angle How I Designed This Drawing in Sketchup Designing these clips is straightforward. First, model a wooden piece and then draw the roof clips around it. For other couplings, create a basic shape (CouplaClip-100) and move, copy, or merge that shape into new ones. If needed, use this method to create new shapes quickly. One word of caution: Sketchup can sometimes perform funny operations when merging two shapes. To check for errors, use the SolidInspector plugin in Sketchup or NetFabb (if necessary, the free version allows you to do some basic repairs). Modifying the Sketchup Drawing and Part Names Initially, I designed two roof clips - a lower and an upper part. Then, I thought of various couplings for walls, floors, etc. To distinguish them from each other, I developed a naming system without having to open each part. The idea is simple: use three axes, with each digit representing the number of connections on that axis. For instance, if you need a piece with two connections in x and y direction, look for CouplaClip220 or 221, etc. If anyone wants to add more parts, I'd appreciate it if they would continue this idea.