L-I-Vator I - Packing puzzle by László Molnár

thingiverse

## ## L-I-Vator I ### Packing puzzle by László Molnár Pack six pieces into an obstructed box. _L-I-Vator I_ is one of a series of challenging packing puzzles by László Molnár. This one is of intermediate difficulty by the standards of Molnár's packing puzzles, which by most other standards means "quite hard". If you're up for a challenge, it will be a fun and rewarding print. If you like this puzzle, be sure to check out its sequel, [L-I-Vator II](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4183224). The two L-I-Vator puzzles use the same box, so you can print just one copy of the box to use with both sets of pieces. (If you do this, I recommend printing the two sets of pieces in different filament colors, to avoid confusion.) Several other Molnár designs are published in our [László Molnár puzzles](https://www.thingiverse.com/asiegel/collections/laszlo-molnar-puzzles) collection. Yu Chih Chang contributed models and photographs to this listing. ### Printing Instructions Print one copy each of `molnar.l-i-vator-i.box.stl`, `molnar.l-i-vator-i.cap.stl`, and `molnar.l-i-vator-i.pieces.stl`. Ideally, print the box in one filament color and the pieces in a different color. The cap may be printed in the same color as the box, or optionally in a third color. This print uses "snap joints" so that it can be printed without supports. After you print it, first connect all the joints before attempting to solve the puzzle. Snap each male connector into a corresponding female connector (for example, the male connector labeled "A" should connect to the female connector with a matching "A" label on the interior). The joints are designed to be tight, and depending on the printer and filament used, you may need to hammer them into place. If they come out too loose, a drop of superglue will make them more solid (in most cases this shouldn't be necessary, but unfortunately tolerances vary across printers and filaments). The snap joint concept is discussed further in this tutorial: [Getting Started with Puzzle Printing](https://www.puzzlehub.org/tutorials/getting-started). The cap and box are modeled separately so that the puzzle can be printed without supports. After printing, first attach the cap to the box before attempting to solve the puzzle. To attach the cap, put a drop of glue into each of the four guide holes on the cap, and fit the four raised cylinders on the box into them. ([Ordinary superglue](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LGPD64) works great with PLA filament.) Once the glue is dry, you're ready to go! ### The Printable Puzzle Project The [Printable Puzzle Project](https://www.puzzlehub.org/ppp) aims to make available high-quality open-source models of many puzzle designs. All of our models are posted with the generous permission of their designers and are licensed for __non-commercial use only__. Anyone may print copies for their own personal use, but selling or otherwise monetizing them is not permitted, and puzzle designers retain all rights as copyright holders of their work. Our puzzles are modeled using the open-source [puzzlecad](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3198014) library. The `.scad` file is included with this model in case you want to modify any of its design parameters; more information on how to do this can be found in the PPP [Puzzle Modeling tutorial](https://www.puzzlehub.org/tutorials/puzzle-modeling). ### About the Designer László Molnár is well-known for designing puzzles that are based on a seemingly simple idea, but are actually fiendishly difficult. In recent years, Molnár's designs have featured prominently at the International Puzzle Party, and his packing puzzle _Hat Trick_ received a Top 10 award at the 2019 IPP in Kanazawa, Japan. A Google search for "laszlo molnar puzzles" will turn up lots of information about his designs, including links to several that are commercially available. Happy puzzling!