Hand Protection Puck for Aluminum Can Smashing

thingiverse

I don't normally have soft drink cans around but when I do I love to crush and recycle them. I didn't want to dedicate a wall to a crushing device so in the past I'd just put a towel over my hand and smash the can down against the sink or something. In the true spirit of 3D printing, one day I decided, "There should be a tool for this!" So I designed this tool to help out with the endeavor. This gadget is designed to help you manually crush cans safely. It's basically a thick plastic puck with a recess sized for US-standard soda cans. Print out a pair of these and put the can in between. Pucker the center of the can just a bit and then smash the can between the two pucks. You can either use both hands if you're feeling particularly strong, or you can put one end down on the counter and smash from above. The can stays enclosed and smashes down to a height of around 50mm or so. Not as flat as a machine but definitely small enough and much better than just squeezing in the middle. The puck has a small indentation in the middle to allow a little room for the pop tab. The puck is designed with really thick walls along the sides and top to provide good protection from the can. You should print with a pretty hefty infill - 40% or better - just because of the strain involved. It'll get a bit funky over time with soda residue so if you want to dishwasher it something like PETG, HTPLA or ABS might be a good idea, or if you just want to wash it by hand good old PLA will do. As with most DIY projects use at your own risk. Hope you love it!