05 · Articulated fidget mechanism · printed and fit-tuned
FlexLink
Three rounded segments on two hinge pins that bend any way you like.
FlexLink is the design I feel closest to, because I could morph it into anything I wanted. It grew out of my Lego habit, the pleasure of a thing that can be rearranged.
Move up and down to bend
01The mechanism
How it works.
What this one taught me: Hinge clearances, pin fits and the difference between a joint that holds a pose and one that flops.
Three interconnected segments, each a rounded rectangle, are joined by pivot mechanisms. Two visible hinge pins sit at the connections between sections.
The hinges give defined pivot points, so each section can change its orientation relative to its neighbour, and the two hinges can move independently.
Rather than one action like pressing or spinning, the user manipulates several sections at once: articulated joints, interconnected components and controlled angular movement.
03Files
Print it yourself.
Shared under CC BY 4.0. My Python script rebuilds the assembly in Blender 3.6 or later from primitives and animates it; the STL parts are the printable components and may need fit tuning for your printer.
STL part
link_segment_1.stlSTL part
link_segment_2.stlSTL part
link_segment_3.stlSTL part
hinge_pin.stlPython build script
05_flexlink.pyBlender file
care-ed-design-5-flexlink.blend