Modular Snap-fit Blocks

thingiverse

My two-year-old daughter enjoys playing with construction toys such as blocks, but we've found that most block sets are either too small or require too much force to use. To address this, I'm designing a snap-fit block specifically for toddlers using 3D printing technology, which my daughter loves watching. I created an OpenSCAD program to customize the number of rows and columns in the blocks. For version 1, I designed a five-sided rectangular solid with a raised cylinder for fitting, featuring 2mm walls, a 25.4mm edge, and a height of 1.25 times the edge. The cylinder radius was set to be slightly smaller than the open side for an exact fit. In version 2, I made adjustments to improve the design: reducing the wall thickness to 1mm for flexibility, retaining the same edge length, and increasing the height proportionally. Additionally, I added a bevel for easier press fitting and reduced the wall thickness to 0.85 times the cylinder radius. I printed these blocks using a Replicator 2 with Makerware software and MiracleGrue quality settings, ensuring that the raised cylinder faced the build platform for easy support removal. My daughter will test both versions as my beta-tester.