6 Piece Interlocking Cubic Puzzle

thingiverse

This puzzle is 4x4x4 interlocking cube and is assembled using six parts. This means that it can only be assembled in one sequence and will not fall apart if moved. Once put together, all pieces become immobile except for the last puzzle piece in the sequence, making it the first piece to be removed when taking the puzzle apart. Our model demonstrates a few key mathematical concepts, specifically, sequences, proof by exhaustion, problem solving, and different geometries. As mentioned before, interlocking cubes only have one sequence for assembly. Due to the way the pieces interlock, the assembly requires specific motions and maneuvering of pieces for the cube to come to formation. The creation of these types of puzzles is fairly popular in the puzzle world, however, creating a new type of puzzle is very difficult. Often, the creation of a new interlocking puzzles has to be done by exhaustion, and they are typically fairly large as smaller puzzles have already been created. The use of logic and problem solving skills are required in both the creation of new puzzles, and the solving of existing puzzles. While both are rather difficult, once you have an understanding of interlocking nature, the assembly becomes more obvious. With the creation of each new cube, a unique geometric figure is created. It is unique in both the sense that all of the pieces are different and that the sequence for assembly uses different techniques. Print Settings Printer Brand: SeeMeCNC Printer: Rostock MAX v2 Notes: These pieces have a tendency to pop off of the bed if it is not warm enough, or melt if it is too hot. We found that 87º was a good medium, and with plenty of hairspray, the pieces printed just fine. For the final tower, to prevent warping, slow the printer down to around 30% speed. ALSO: We printed the puzzles in the photos using 150% scaling. How I Designed This This cube was based off of Thingiverse user richgain's model "Printable Interlocking Puzzle." Using his 6 piece puzzle design, we used Rhino to create our version of the puzzle. This involved creating rectangular prisms and using the Boolean Union function in the program. After printing a test-run, we quickly realized that our design did not account for the space necessary between each piece in order for the puzzle to fit together properly. In order to fix this problem, adjustments were made to our design by creating larger gaps in each piece of the puzzle. This was accomplished by using the Wire Cut function in the program to shave 1-2 millimeters off of every gap on each piece. Custom Section RY & KG 12/12/16