Kumiko Inspired Rubik's Cube

Kumiko Edition Rubik's Cube: Fully 3D Printed

Classic mechanical puzzles meet traditional Japanese woodworking aesthetics.

I wanted to design a fully functional Rubik's Cube that looks like a piece of art on your desk, but more importantly, I wanted to eliminate the need for any non-printed parts.

Key Features

• Intricate Kumiko Aesthetics: The faces feature a beautifully detailed lattice pattern inspired by traditional Japanese craftsmanship.
• No Hardware Needed: No screws, springs, or glue. The entire mechanism is designed to be printed.

• Print-in-Place Hinged Caps: The centre caps feature a built-in hinge. Once threaded onto the core, this allows the outer faces of the cube to rotate freely and smoothly.

  

• Reinforced Threaded Core: The custom-designed central cross is engineered to provide multi-directional strength, holding everything securely in place.

  

Assembly Guide

This cube is designed for satisfying, mechanical assembly. Here is the step-by-step breakdown:

1. Construct the Core: Thread the centre caps onto the central cross, give the caps a little wiggle whilst tightening to help separate the print in place hinge. If the caps are too tight and wont separate, use some pliers to secure the stem whilst turning the cap.

   

2. The Bottom Layer: Place the four bottom edge pieces around the bottom centre cap, followed by the bottom corner pieces.

   

3. The Middle Layer: Slot the middle edge pieces into place. Tip: Rotate the bottom tier slightly to make sliding these middle edges in much easier.
4. The Top Layer: When placing the top corners and edges, rotate the top face 45°. for the clearance to drop the pieces into place.
5. The Final Piece: Leave one top edge piece for last. Angle the bottom of the piece into the track and press it down and in with some force until it snaps securely into place, 

Printability

Because this model features functioning mechanical threads and intricate surface patterns, precision is key.

• Materials Used: Bambu PLA Wood, PLA-CF, Matte PLA & PLA Basic
• Orientation & Supports: To achieve the highest quality finish on the Kumiko lattice, the pieces are now oriented to print face up. The print profile is configured to use a dedicated Support Filament for the interface layers to ensure clean overhangs and easy removal.
• Important Support Advice: If you are printing with a single material and are not using a dedicated support filament for the interface, please revert the support settings to default. Otherwise, the supports will fuse to your model and be incredibly difficult to remove!
• Layer Height: 0.16mm is recommended (as set in the print profile). This finer resolution ensures the threaded core screws together smoothly and the delicate Kumiko lines print cleanly.

I'm continuously creating new models so follow @moss3d to be notified when I upload new models.

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