How to design 3D Printable Hinges - Make moving parts!

[@BTTFF]

You know you are an adult when a video about hinges get you excited! ;)

[@rmalonephoto]

No, you know you're an adult when you throw out your back from the excitement.

[@kate3721]

1:20 pin hinge, printed together and non-separatable (0.3mm tolerance) 2:28 variation on pin hinge w circular nubs that lock together, separatable (0.2mm tolerance) 3:46 living hinge using thin plastic to bend 5:00 variation on living hinge, clasp to lock in 6:10 fasteners and nuts

[@LazerLord10]

I really need to brush up on my Fusion 360 skills. So many cool things to design!

[@TrippleB]

Same!

[@minercraftal]

I am trying to build up my filament dry box, the online products are too poor XD

[@brandonthewise4909]

@@minercraftal use a food drier. Thats what we are doing.

[@Silverdev2482]

i don’t have much filament so i just have 1 roll out of its sealed plastic bag and the rest in there sealed plastic is that ok

[@sammy_1_1]

Honestly I like inventor better... of course I don't know f360 too well

[@3DPrintingNerd]

this is cool and perfect timing as I had an idea :)

[@Fluli]

hi :D

[@3DPrintingNerd]

HELLO!!!!

[@Fluli]

i like your videos ! :D Wich filament would you recommend for good looking prints?

[@tannert8361]

Joel guess what

[@3DPrintingNerd]

what??????

[@eclsnowman]

Another good and inexpensive option is if you need to put a pin hinge into a joint but you can't have it print in position due to print orientation: use a section of Filament as the hinge. Install a cutoff section of Filament during assembly, heat the end to mushroom the end to fuse in place... and voila.

[@MakersMuse]

True that, and you can also use a soldering iron to melt the ends of the filament so it can't fall out :) Good alternative to using screws.

[@utetrahemicon]

I've used 1.75mm filament as a pin in a watch band and toy tank tread. I used a butane lighter carefully to make a slight rivet head on the ends of the filament. It can be a nice color contrast if you care about looks. I used a Makerbot with 2.4mm diam. holes. Try a test piece with holes of 2, 2.2, 2.4mm. For a longer "piano hinge" you might want 2.6mm holes to allow for the slight curve of the filament.

[@Lasseu]

Eric Lien ou bois, i use HEAT to melt those ends. You could melt it with fart if it's warm enough :)

[@Pile_of_carbon]

It's also less hard on the plastic parts compared to using a screw or bolt where the threads will wear away at the plastic over time. I've designed a mechanical hand using that method and it works great.

[@davidchesson7800]

I was thinking this exact thing while watching! I recently played a little with friction welding by using a piece of filament and chocking it up in my rotary tool. Run it along an interface and it can make It can make a decently strong connection! Certainly enough to hold a pin in place. So there's another option for securing the pin, in addition to the excellent options also put in this thread.

[@jayceechong3673]

i dont even have a 3d printer why am i watching his entire channel?

[@choschiba]

maybe because you might be ending up buying one, one day?! That happened to me. Now I'm totally addicted ;-)

[@lukediggle7639]

jaycee chong same I am not getting one, the cheapest one is still too much money

[@dakedres]

jaycee chong Lol

[@lukediggle7639]

Ruarai Mckenna yes, I don't even have a phone plus the cost of PLA and the fact that it will cost shipping because I'm in the UK and I will also need to buy the cables or adapters to connect it and I will never have enough time to print something bigger than an ice cube

[@mocnyjan2141]

I get the feeling he is not an adult.

[@RonFloyd]

Hi Angus. Good video, but, I have one bone to pick with you and so many 3-D vloggers/designers. Having been in the machining world for so many years, this practice is kind of like someone scratching their fingernails on a blackboard to my psyche. LOL. That's the habit of using "tolerance" and "clearance" interchangeably. Although they should be used in unison to build a proper design, they are actually two completely different descriptions for defining the correct fit and form of any design. I'm sure you know all of this Angus, but those viewers who are new to 3D designs may not understand the difference between these two terms, especially since they are often used incorrectly in many vlogs. Those viewers should read the following so they will be more familiar with the differences. There are certainly more complex uses for these terms, but here is a somewhat simpler explanation - using your pin hinge as an example: "Clearance" is, in its simplest form, just the amount of space between two or more parts of an assembly which have a built in (and ideal, or "Nominal") distance relationship between their surfaces. Like in your pin hinge, the diameter of the male pin must be smaller than the diameter of its female counterpart. Too much "clearance" will make the hinge sloppy, and too little will make any hinge movement difficult, or even impossible, to function as designed. "Tolerance" - in the pin hinge example - is the stated amount of variation that the designer will allow for that Nominal "clearance" value. How far it can decrease or increase, and still allow for the assembly's designed functionality. This "Clearance/Tolerance" combination is controlled in the design by dimensioning both of the Nominal diameters for the male and female mating parts. Then, specifying the maximum values that each diameter is allowed to deviate from the Nominal diameter - as specified by the designer. That allowed variation should ALWAYS be shown as its "Tolerance" - in some form. Examples of the same stated values - with tolerances: 3.000 +/- 0.005 3.005 +0.000/-0.010, 2.995 +0.010/-0.000, and (occasionally) 2.995/3.005 etc. The designer always has to make sure that the male parts diameter - at the maximum "tolerated" diameter - will still enter the female part with proper "clearance" even when the female parts diameter is at the minimum "tolerated" diameter. Again, for example: Male pin specified as 2.990 +/- 0.005 Female hole specified as 3.005 +/- .005 This yields in a Minimum clearance of 0.005 clearance (actually, 0.0025 wall clearance), and a Maximum clearance of 0.025 (again, 0.0125 wall clearance), when both mating parts are at their extreme allowed values. For complicated parts, this becomes quite tricky due to "Tolerance Buildup" as more and more parts are added to an assembly. A technique known as GD&T is very helpful when designing extremely complicated assemblies. Sorry, I didn't intend to turn this comment into a lecture when I started. Hopefully, I didn't make any math errors above. A clear understanding these two unique terms should help to improve anyone's designs so the designs can function much better in the long run. JMHO. :-) And, yes, I realize that I may get some ribbing comments for using the "Male/Female" terminology" - but that's just the terminology that I grew up with in machining - just like male and female electrical connections. Ha Ha

[@DynaZor]

Thanks for the heads up! :)

[@MaximilianonMars]

Thank you. Will look up GD&T now.

[@JohnVanderbeck]

Thank you very much for this comment, as I have been confused on these terms (and heir application) in my own Fusion 360 designs. This was very helpful in helping me better understand tolerance and clearance.

[@mikesmith1181]

Excellent explanation!

[@vishank7]

Beautifully explained! Is there a way to determine which clearances are suitable for any diameter male-female pair? Is it very material dependent? I'd be trying to 3d print some hinges myself so having an estimate of what might work would help guide my design. Thank you so much for the comment!

[@AV1461]

If you're doing fasteners, you could also do a living hinge that is two pieces taped together, like kapton tape or other tensile resilient tape. They start as separate pieces that are taped together. The tape serves as the hinging element.

[@subsyairsoft]

Thanks for this, I'm a total noideanewbie exploring 3dP to solve a couple of idea problems and it seems to get more complicated but your vids do seem to be showing me which routes might offer success! Thanks for posting!

[@funckyjunky]

Dude. You are so much better than 3DprintingNerd !

[@Moby41]

Don't be like that. Joel is awesome.

[@funckyjunky]

Joel is a nice guy and I like to watch his channel as well. But he just prints ready stuff from thingiverse and talks how cute his kinds are. Makers Muse is more helpful to me.

[@Moby41]

FunckyJunky He's a proud father, nothing wrong with that... It's also his channel, and he's free to talk about whatever he wants, and it isn't like he just makes a whole video dedicated to his children, he only talks about them for like 2 minutes and how they were involved with the 3D print in the video.

[@funckyjunky]

huh ?

[@3DPrintingNerd]

Dude. I can't argue with that. #highfive

[@eggplantboi5481]

5:08 "what I have here, is a cLAsp" What a voice crack lmao

[@howiswhatiswhyandwhen]

I was cracking up, thank god someone else noticed it

[@OrangeC7]

voice cracks always come at the most inconvenient times lol

[@SameBasicRiff]

i love it when good knowledge gets, un hinged!

[@downtimefun]

Thank you , just started my 3D printing journey... 5 years after this video was released, but still very applicable now!

[@billnoname8093]

I'm with you, that's why this video has 1.1 million views. just starting too, waiting for my printer now

[@MrExpert]

Dear Angus, PLz show the process of designing . thanks

[@Deductive]

I know this is an old video.. but I really like your smile, it reaches out to me

[@Deductive]

I bet it is due to that Monster in the back, lol

[@fntsmn]

Great video Angus! I will suggest to add that in second Hinge fillet the internal corner can help the part to be more flexible and don't brake the parts when you push them to put them in the right place.

[@flaked_mid_hoof]

You saved me days of designing, research, testing, and material costs :D Thank you! Keep up the good work!

[@UnlikelyCreators]

I gotta love some hinges! I see this video being utilized alot in the future.

[@danielmcpherson9062]

Correct!!!

[@UnlikelyCreators]

@@danielmcpherson9062 Yes 3 years later

[@3er24t4g1]

Do screws and nuts next

[@MakersMuse]

Good plan !

[@Pile_of_carbon]

I second this. There are very few _good_ tutorials on screws, nuts and bolts. I usually get the feeling that the person making the tutorial has _seen_ plenty, but haven't put any thought into how they actually work.

[@Nathan-cv6sm]

Tesla How hard is it to understand???

[@j5892000]

Tesla dont excite him...

[@PunakiviAddikti]

+Nato_Potato well, screws and nuts seem pretty simple, but could you make one with a 3D-printer without any experience with 3D-modelling screws and nuts? I don't think so. Even the simplest of items can require a lot of skill on a 3D-printer.

[@AuroraCypher]

I actually like Maker's Muse a lot more than other guys not to say they are not good but, simply because Angus has tons of experience in this field, this guy actually has extensive knowledge on electronics, coding and programming these old school machines. Angus is extremely helpful and super friendly. I can tell he knows exactly what he is talking about especially on new machines that came out, he can identify the weak and strong points of that machine just by looking at it, for example on the Cetus printer he knows exactly what motor they are using (linear guide rails) and he can tell there will be wobble because of unbalance mass. Thanks so much Angus !

[@CarAudioFabrication]

Nice video my man, I found it helpful, some great ideas.

[@benjo6512]

CarAudioFabrication ayy dude big fan here

[@DISCOCAT_]

this is a video i never asked for but needed, thnx mate.

[@mmbpractices]

Hello there. Thanks for the video. After dozens of videos, this is the first one that explains how moving parts work. In fact, I'm still looking for a full tutorial (in Blender if possible) on how to design these kind of pieces, but now, at least, I've got an idea on how to do this. Thanks & greets from Argentina. Marcelo Miguel Bazan.

[@billnoname8093]

have you checked out Makers Tales on you tube

[@Feli_Heli_]

I watch your videos to pass the time while I 3D Print, I also learn so much!

[@MakersMuse]

Thanks for the comment, happy printing!

[@JoelReid]

The third hinge has to take into consideration te grain of the design too. You want the hinge perpendicular to the grain, not parallel.

[@THE_MAD_MARTIAN]

Thank you so much for the video! I'm working on a project for a class rn and was having trouble figuring out to include a moveable hinge. This video was a lifesaver!

[@yuriichubenko523]

I'd designed a box with a lead but I was struggling to make hinges. This video helped me. Thanks!

[@roberthix297]

Its crazy this video is 5 years old and still topping searches, you should do updates on these videos about special case scenarios from design aspects.

[@benbui126]

YOU ARE A LIFE SAVER!! You don't know how grateful I am to stumble across this video! Amazing

[@kaanmckinley1763]

Dude that timing! I bought a 3d printer just today and was thinking of ways to make hinges then boom this pops up! You got me algorythm. :}

[@daleanderson1727]

I LOVE your stuff. As a born and raised Aussie I gotta say.... It's GUDDAY. Just listen to the way we say it. Although G'day is acceptable too.

[@jamescook1364]

Well done , excellent work. Stay safe in these uncertain times. Canada

[@arigatoespacialsuperadmiti7316]

This gave me an idea about maybe I can print with resin a doll with some joints. I can already see that I will have to make many attemps and change settings, and modify models, or maybe gets too tight or too loose but I want to give it a try.

[@nataliapockets]

ok you saved me a bit of a headache because i was looking to redesign a hinge that just kept fusing together, thank you

[@Pile_of_carbon]

It's fun to present a print-in-place thing to someone who isn't familiar with 3d printing. Watch them scratch their head and mutter something about black magic. xD It's a neat trick and great for getting people interested.

[@pooplenepe59]

Moving parts are legit one of the coolest things about 3d printing

[@jordanr6639]

Clasp made from rubber may be designed to fit over a finger up and over the knuckle to hold it in place and in effect provide a cast for immobilization of the joint...

[@xankersmith9194]

This video was subconsciously sponsored by white monster energy drink 😎 The best kind of course 😎. Great video!

[@aidanechi]

Great and comprehensive video! I've been working a lot with living hinges recently so it was great to see some light shed on the topic.

[@ericopp1]

I have designed a piano hinge into parts and used a piece of filament as the hinge pin. It turned out great

[@gilfoxx5925]

You know you are an adult when a video about hinges gets you excited! lmfao, but anyways, thank you for your contribution to the 3D print world, excellent & informative videography as usual,

[@DaHaiZhu]

I always considered hinges and articulated joints to be some sort of black magic. thanks for demystifying this. I'm now trying to make my own! thank you!!!

[@KoMaHu3aM]

keeping those algorithms happy...

[@souleat65]

was about to design tank tracks for a drone i'm making ... this comes just on point ! thanks for the awesome stuff !

[@iuhere]

I am new to the 3d printing world, started learning, but your videos are very helpful and usefull till date, watching it now in 2020 , nice 👌 content, 👍good luck for your next one.

[@ugzz]

I was hoping for more talk about successfully printing these. Such as how some hinge designs can't be printed with certain settings, like additional shells and such.

[@Moby41]

Angus, would you consider doing a tutorial on modelling replacement parts that have a lot of curves? For example, I have TV remote that needs the backplate replaced, but due to it's curved design I have literally no idea how to go about measuring the curves and designing a replacement.

[@funckyjunky]

Curves are geometrically very tricky to replicate, because they are hard to measure. The easy way to replicate them is to measure hight and length ( for the proper scale ) and than and than trace the image if the shape over it. I saw Mithbusters do it quite often.

[@2testtest2]

This is a tricky one indeed. Try taking photos of the part straight from side, top, front and so on. If possible use a lens with low distortion and long focal length. Then you should be able to insert those as reference images in to your modeling software. Now you can just trace the most difficult curves. There are other methods as well of course.

[@Moby41]

I'll give it a shot. I've also thought of scanning the object with one of those scanners in regular printers.

[@jaysprenkle1026]

use one of the free photo to 3d model web sites. You can then either repair the model you get or use it as a reference to 'fit' your own model to. It's a lot more labor intensive though.

[@Moby41]

+Jay Sprenkle Not interested in that, tried it a few times with less complex objects and never got decent results :(

[@martinbell1832]

For the fastener-type hinge, you can print a pin on one part and a hole on the other. The pin would have a mushroom head with a split down the middle so it can compress to fit through the hole.

[@AsiAzzy]

Also it can have a pin-in-pin to lock. Search for "plastic clips for cars". Some use another plastic pin for lock, others use a metal screw, or a smooth plastic pin (and the hole is tapered in near the prongs of the mushroom. etc A lot of variations of this clips.

[@joeynuggetz]

You mentioned tolerances but you didn't really explain what that means for those that do not understand the term or how to apply it in fusion or other modeling software.

[@MakersMuse]

+Joey Nuggetz very good point, it will be covered in a video all on its own but basically it's a gap to account for inaccuracies in the 3D Print

[@Nathan-cv6sm]

Joey Nuggetz A tolerance is the acceptable variation in measurement for a part. For instance a 10mm part may allow 1mm added or subtracted (11/9mm), or only 1 mm added ect.

[@xanderlander8989]

Variation on the fastener hing is to use a piece of fillament as the pin between to parts. You need a tight fit on one of them, looser fit on the other.

[@970357ers]

I find the key thing is to stay flexible with your approach

[@ryansmithza]

Thanks for the video and sharing the Fusion files.

[@not_riley]

Showing off your chest hair, eh Angus? ;)

[@dannymo4390]

Some Asshole noice

[@microplastique]

Some Asshole I was looking for this comment lol

[@martinkoch4332]

I'm doing a video with him as Dr Noah Drake on General Hospital, with the song "Jesse's Girl" over the top.

[@TheSkytherMod]

That's an odd thing to comment on...

[@peerebeer4507]

Was looking for this comment lol

[@bboydradle]

Thanks man, you inspired some very deep design in a clip design that I made that slides and locks to hold elastic bands. It's really awesome, as it has grips and lots of detail and gets printed on my SLA resin printer with high strength resin.

[@lovecastle7154]

Angus --> Experiment, Testing, Guides Tom --> Reviews, Testing, Streams, Making Jo Prusa facepalm Joel --> Fun, Rum, Printing, #HighFive

[@CoPoint]

Love Castle "Making Jo Prusa facepalm"? Must have missed that one…

[@lovecastle7154]

When he streamed the building of the mk2... Tom didnt read the manual, so Jodef posted on twitter a pic of himself

[@CoPoint]

Love Castle Thanks - I'll have to take a look at that 😀!

[@Veptis]

I plan to design and print funny glasses tomorrow or Thursday. I do own Fusion 360 but I am really beginner. so I will try to stream it on twitch creative or even KZbin if 3D printing happens here more the there. this video has helped me. I think I will print the glasses in 3 parts and use the 2nd type of hinge you showed. but since it all will be really small I am not sure if my printer can handle it so I may do a small test print as well..... and design the glasses while I print of something. it is very interesting for me and keep doing these videos they will help me on my project. thanks a lot.

[@garettc7740]

I made a split cell for a blind friend of mine. I encountered an issue with my hinge not being able to fully rotate 360 degrees, so I actually based its hinge off of a college bound notebook , so it’s a spiral bound braille Cell, to help her learn braille!

[@heather5826]

Angus...thank you for taking the time to design and test these! So cool... plus...c'mon...let's state the obvious #3dpinkmafia makes everything look great! *wink*

[@MakersMuse]

Gotta love my pinks! :D

[@pentachronic]

Great stuff. On the last scissor hinge one could print in a press fit rivet.

[@ll-couchpotato-ll]

I needed this. SO thankful.

[@dekurvajo]

In my opinion fasteners are not cheating but additional (even essential) possibilites. Practical 3D printing is not an art, its a tool. And if there is a possibilty to combine with other technology it just makes the 3D printing more useful and viable. For example in many situation if i would need a proper smooth and exact hole somewhere i might just use a pilot point then drill it. (if the print is solid, 100% infill) or there are the threaded inserts, or you might need a metal pin somewhere, or you need a bronze bushing ring on it etc..

[@gymboybtroy5127]

I just started printing.. after a month and a half... it is awesome !!!

[@Inkulabi]

Excellent advice 🙌🥇

[@pauligrossinoz]

Definitely _not_ cheating by using fasteners! I use them where it makes sense to do so. Great video!

[@TimBrennan]

I've used PLA for living hinges and it worked very well for prototyping with no failures. From memory I think it was "Infinity 3D" branded PLA. Orientation is crucial to get good results

[@narancs5]

I am just toying with the idea of how to make living hinges. Seems to like printing them flat ( fully open ) will be a disadvantage in terms of lifespan. Is this true in your experience? If so, how do you set up for printing it 90° to the bed?

[@QuantumShow2022]

Great video, and I know I'm late to watch it but that's ok. Nothing at all wrong with using outside hardware, all part of making!!

[@user-oc3wc6fg6j]

I like to use another connection, rivets made of plastic. Just take a rod 1.75, insert it into two parts, on both sides of the rod melt it with a soldering iron. You can print out this stud of any desired thickness. These rivets are good to use instead of a bolt with a nut (6:31), because the rivets will not unwind due to friction.

[@svampebob007]

really interesting, you should do a video on reinforcing parts. I've been playing with the idea of adding Meccano (I just have a surplus so it's cheaper then buying metal parts) parts into my prints, though you need a printer that can pause. I prefer this over building the skeleton then adding the plastic over, though you need to get familiar with the printer printer.

[@ILikeTubers]

hey, enjoyed it. you should add the pop in place hinges like they use for some clothing or bag info / price tags. Basically, you have a 'space needle' or 'eiffel tower' with a slip ring that goes over it and is free to spin. The tower usually has a slit in it to allow it to compress, and while it is 'removable', it is designed to allow something to freely turn around a fixed point. just a thought.

[@warp00009]

Single print "moving" things are cool! Thanks for the overview!

[@Blessedlungs]

I usually design two separate pieces and then a third piece which is a pin that slides through the two pieces and hinges really well

[@cavinrauch]

One of the best topics you've had ! Great content every time. . .

[@WardenTauros]

I think I'm going to try a print in place hinge with a sliding lock for a project i'm working on (I already have mocked up a potential design). So much for my plans for today.

[@gs42816]

A more in-depth explanation of the design process would make the video much better for newbies like me.

[@ICasinI]

I'd like to see you play around with non-planar slicing/printing. Is a pretty interesting application of 3D printing.

[@MastaSquidge]

I'd like to make a small correction. An injection molded living hinge lasts millions of cycles if done properly with thorough polymer chain alignment. A 3D printer sadly can't do that chain alignment though... More importantly, love these videos man.

[@tutacat]

"Living hinge" is also known as compliant mechanism. It's how thrusters are controller and some clutches work

[@Fixingthingz4u]

Subbed today thanks for the vids im a 3D noob i have lot to learn :)

[@account505]

To add to your comments about injection moulded living hinges they only really work in polypropylene parts (Polyethylene can work as well) but when designed properly can last for thousands of cycles. The reason they work is because the polymer molecules all align parallel to eachother across the hinge giving the part strong bending strength in that area. The molecular alignment is due to the flow of the plastic through the thin hinge section and also to do with how it cools. For this reason 3d printed living hinges will never have the same characteristics of injection moulded living hinges, but as you've shown they can still work based on the general elastic behaviour of plastic parts. If you were to increase the length of the thin section between the two parts would this allow the 3d printed hinge to flex further before breaking?

[@DavidJones-qs3sr]

Well explained thanks as I try and decide what type of hinge will suit my product best - much appreciated!.

[@tonyaltobello6885]

5:08 CLASP voice crack lul

[@jskratnyarlathotep8411]

ah, so THAT's what you call voice crack...

[@Hal1970]

Great short and to the point...thanks

[@toasty_god9807]

I liked the klasp 3d print reminds me of the nerf release for the mags

[@PhilWaud]

Great video Angus, thank you. love this content, there has been too many that just lack content (not necessarily from you!)

[@Gamuray]

He did miss a type of joint that I've used quiet a bit. Ball joint. It's pretty simple, just subtract slightly over half the ball from your piece, then slightly shrink the ball, and after printing them separately you can pop them together. Quiet useful for models that you'd like to pose.

[@crabman8321]

I think the future of my prints will hinge on this video

[@utetrahemicon]

Thanks for this video. I've been using filament as hinge pins, but this would be a lot less work. The clasp is just what I need.

[@unexceptionalrebel]

You can a strand of printer filament as the pin in a pin hinge, after inserting the filament pin gently melt both sides of the filament to lock the pin in place, this means you don't need to buy metal pins.

[@MetaBloxer]

As far as the fastener method, you could use the same idea of the clasp to print the part that serves as the axis.

[@jaykoerner]

forgot to add the possibility of using a pin hinge with semi enclosed socket with a radius greater then 180°, given the play in the plastic you can insert it afterwards simpler to the dimple hinge you showed, you can also use keyed and/or pinned hinges the idea being that you have a hinge that can either only be taken apart in a single position or held together with a peice added after the hinge is assembled.

[@TheDavemarz]

If you are going to add hardware, rather then standard screws might I suggest shoulder screws Yes they cost a bit more but the bearing surface is now a smooth shaft rather then threads.

[@BenTvHowman]

I think the Tutorial is the best idea so we can watch it and rewind etc

[@CaffeMartellaSingapore]

great video, great info! Simple and easy to understand.

[@lasersbee]

Good tut on 3D printed hinges options Angus...

[@AdiHaru]

Excellent tutorial! Really opened my mind and gave me ideas!! Thanku! ✨

[@633r]

I have used the living hinge approach for an object to bend around a surface similar the to the same effect as kerfing

[@nobocks]

Gonna need to try that

[@kobalasteriyan378]

cool hinges to inspire from are lego hinges

[@Mitch_Sucks22]

This will be useful bc I’m going to try to make an anamatronic

[@palewriter1856]

Nicely done, dude! Kudos and thanks aplenty!