Hexa-hexa-flexagon

Hexa-hexa-flexagon

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18
48
6
GIF

Print Profile(1)

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X1 Carbon
P1S
P1P
X1
X1E
A1

Hexa-hexa-flexagon
Hexa-hexa-flexagon
Designer
1.1 h
1 plate
4.5(2)

Open in Bambu Studio
Boost
18
48
6
5
43
22
Released

Description

The Hexahexaflexagon: A Flex-tastic 3D Printed Wonder

Introducing the hardest working 3-layer multi-color print on MakerWorld – the Hexahexaflexagon! This fascinating flexagon is an intricately folded hexagonal model that packs a lot into just half a millimeter of plastic, offering a unique and engaging fidget toy experience. There are six hidden symbols to discover, adding an extra layer of intrigue to your exploration.

What is a Hexahexaflexagon?

A hexahexaflexagon is a type of flexagon, a flat model that reveals hidden faces when flexed. By folding a strip of plastic in a specific way, this hexagonal shape can be flexed to display faces that were previously hidden. It’s a mesmerizing piece of engineering that’s sure to intrigue and delight.

Customizable Colors

One of the best features of this model is its customizability. You can choose any three colors for your flexagon, making it a personalized and vibrant addition to your 3D printed collection.

 

The filament you select for the part that folds (shown in gray in the print profile) is crucial. Choose a flexible PLA filament. Avoid using filaments with carbon fiber or Silk filament as they tend to be brittle.

 

Printing

 

I recommend using the included print profile, but if you choose not to use it, this model requires:

  • First layer with a height of 0.15 mm
  • Other layers have a height of 0.2 mm 
  • Not to scale the model
  • Bottom surface pattern that is NOT parallel to the folds. This is to ensure the hinges are both strong and flexible. Deviating from this may compromise the design.

Folding and Assembling Your Flexagon

 

Before folding the flexagon, gently fold, back-and-forth each hinge about 8 times to loosen them up and stretch them out before folding them all the way in one direction. 

Position the strip with the blank triangle in the lower left. 

 

Fold the blank triangle behind the sun. 
Fold the moon behind the lightning bolt. 
Continue the pattern by folding the sun behind the moon.
Fold the lightning bold behind the sun. 
Fold the moon behind the lightning bolt. 
Next, fold the sun behind the moon. 
Fold the lightning bolt behind the sun. 
Now the moon behind the lightning bolt. 
And finally, the sun behind the moon. 
This fold is a little different. The lightning bolt is folded behind the sun. 
The tail containing the blank triangle and a lightning bolt, gets folded under the sun. It's starting to look a little like a hexagon
The lightning bolt tail gets tucked under to form the hexagon. 
Flip it over to the other side and you should see six lightning bolts.
Here I'm showing the glue symbol and the blank triangle. You'll place a tiny bit of glue on these two triangles to glue the tails together. 

 

 

Now you should have a fully folded and glued flexagon. 

Flexing Your Flexagon

When you first get your flexagon, go slowly until it’s broken in. If it feels too tight and resists folding in a particular direction, don’t force it! Forcing can tear the folding seams. Here are the two moves to master:

  1. Pinch and Push: Pinch three adjacent triangles together and push them towards the center. This motion reveals new hidden faces and you'll rotate the flexagon slightly with each flex.
  2. Extra Rotation: To find new faces, rotate the flexagon by an extra triangle before pinching the triangles towards the center. Not all folds will work, so you might need to skip to the next reveal before adding the extra rotation. There are six (6) faces to discover.

Exploration and Discovery

The joy of the flexagon is in the exploration. Continue to flex and unfold it to reveal various faces and configurations. Each flex unveils a new side, providing endless fascination.

Comment & Rating (6)

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Print Profile
Hexa-hexa-flexagon
The designer has replied
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Good to see one out in the wild.
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Print Profile
Hexa-hexa-flexagon
took a while to actually put together but got there in the end, only issue is the flexing was hard to do even when I pressed it down and tried to loosen it up as much as possible
The designer has replied
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I've found that I can have big differences depending on the filament I use. Try using a different filament for the flexing parts and you might have better success.
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Boosted
I'm so excited that you created one of these. I've made dozens of paper ones and they just don't last long enough. Just an observation. The STL file has two layers, and the 3MF file has three layers. My attempts with the 2-layer STL were all very brittle. Between switching PLA and moving to the 3-layer 3MF, it's much better. Just need to find some decent glue. The part that gets glued is a little thick and sometimes gets stuck. Not sure if there's an easy way to make the end triangles 2 layers instead of three. But I'm still enjoying it.
(Edited)
The designer has replied
0
Reply
thanks for the feedback. The number of layers isn’t specified in the STL. It’s the default in the slicer when you import the STL. I’ll adjust the description to see if I can catch that so the prints come out better if someone uses the STL.
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License

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You shall not share, sub-license, sell, rent, host, transfer, or distribute in any way the digital or 3D printed versions of this object, nor any other derivative work of this object in its digital or physical format (including - but not limited to - remixes of this object, and hosting on other digital platforms). The objects may not be used without permission in any way whatsoever in which you charge money, or collect fees.