Disk Puzzle with Optional Twist-Lock Box

prusaprinters

A puzzle consisting of 120° circle sectors connected with three different kinds of jigsaw fittings. All possible in and out fittings are represented up to flip symmetry with the result that there are 21 distinct pieces.To see this, observe that (3 in + 3 out)(3 in + 3 out) = 36, and 6 of these are flip-symmetric. The other 30 are not. Thus, there are 15 that are asymmetric, and 15 + 6 = 21. One may also observe that there are 21 unordered pairs of 6 elements allowing repeated values.There are 8 ways to fit the pieces into 7 disks, each about 42mm in diameter. Once assembled into disks, they will fit in the optional cylindrical box. It has a twist lock lid as shown in the photos.A more detailed description of the puzzle itself can be found here: https://conwaylife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=5458&p=137424 You can find one solution in a photo in that thread, and there is also a SAT-solver file that provides all the solutions but you will have to decode them. I recommend simply working on the puzzle.It is not a very hard puzzle and can potentially be solved by trial and error. However, I found it fun to learn to identify the different pieces, which are deceptively similar, and to develop a  theoretical analysis of the solutions. It could be used in a two player game based on drawing pieces from a bag and forming disks from them, but I did not think too hard about how this would work.The twist-top box may be of interest in itself, though it's a reverse-engineer of a similar box. There is an internal overhang above the longer slot, and I am not sure why it prints well but I have not had a problem with it.Timing estimates (FlashForge Adventurer 3 Pro 2, 15% density determined by Flashprint)pieces1.stl: 44 minutes, 9.1g, 3.05mpieces2.stl: 32 minutes, 6.45g, 2.16mpieces3.stl: 33 minutes, 6.2g, 2.08mbox_and_lid.stl: 47 minutes, 10.9g, 3.66mUpdate (2024-06-17): I have included a revised box (or jar) with a sleeker twist top design.