Labyrinth Box

thingiverse

This is an enigmatic box. An enigma is essentially a puzzle but without clear answers. A box is typically a cube, this one measures 2.15 x 2.15 x 2.15 inch (≈5.5x5.5x5.5cm). Therefore we have an enigmatic box. There is also a small foot on one edge so that printing can be done cleanly without any support. The holes are 0.26 inch, thus any ball 0.25inch and smaller should work; personally I get about 0.010 undersizing on any hole printed, so I use a 0.22 inch steel bearing. The idea came to me a few months back, I am sure I am not the first, that 3D printing provided a great opportunity for hidden secrets. Hidden secrets makes me think of great puzzle applications. From this idea, the enigmatic box was born. The enigma is made of a 7x7x7 grid and is split into levels. In future iterations I will add 3D paths, but this enigma is essentially 2.5D. Originally I had designed an enigma box, however, this proved to be much harder to solve than I expected, in particular because of the possibility of rogue threads of filament blocking the correct path. If wall thickness is reduced, then the internal features start to show on the outside face of the enigma, losing its mystery. Print Settings Printer Brand: MakerBot Printer: MakerBot Replicator (5th Generation) Rafts: Yes Supports: No Post-Printing First use Keep in mind that rogue threads of filament may be inside the enigmatic ways. If the bearing seems to get stuck, I would suggest shaking it hard to try to dislodge and otherwise, push to the side the offending obstruction. How I Designed This I modeled this enigma in Solidworks and laid it out using a reference grid for all the dimensions. This enabled me to link all the dimensions to three main values that can be adjusted based on the desired wall spacing, wall thickness, and hole size. Thus, the enigma is very scalable in size. Revision to the floor-plans is very simple as well, all features are thin-walled and would only require single lines laid down on the base grid (or not if you feel compelled to make your life more complicated). It would be amazing if the maze could be randomly generated. One could print a puzzle or enigma that has no map and has never been seen, however that is currently outside the scope of my experience.