#3D PRINT CRYPTEXT PLUS#

I have also initialized this version for print using only 10% infill and 10% zigzag support, plus I plan to print it at a higher resolution than the first. Granted it won’t be a very difficult puzzle, but I’d like to prove the concept before polishing it.

My intention and hope is that the inclusion of the large key and the large open space through all three tumblers will minimize support. It is considerably smaller than the first, in an attempt to minimize top-heavy weight.įirst is the cryptex in the “solved” position (you can see the red tooth visible inside the topmost tumbler) and next is the cryptex ready to print. I also decided to make my elements very large so as to easily differentiate between parts after the print and see which elements were working and which were not.īelow is an example of the core mechanism of version 2 – a large, semi-cylindrical tooth housed inside a hollow tumbler.īelow is the finished version 2, adapted from the first. This time I intended to minimize supports, and have the key teeth remain inside the tumbler. Armed with this I was ready to begin the second iteration. The weight of the piece and the possible imperfections of the nozzle that may have caused this were not elements I had predicted. I had predicted that the tumblers would not work due to the pins becoming fused to them, but looking inside it was clear that the outer cylinder had tilted off centre during the print and that it was this piece that the tumblers had adhered to. Looking inside I found something unexpected. The tumblers failed to turn, but the key was able to be removed. The first print was both a success and a failure. I wanted to choose a support that would be brittle in small quantities, should any be deposited in the small spaces left between the tumblers. The print was approximately 6 hours at High Speed fidelity with a 30% infill and cross supports. The final cryptex with each of its parts is below. Then I went in and further sliced the key pins to allow for space between them. Then, measuring the tumblers, I used primitives of the same height to slice pins from the central key. I imagined the key being held closed by small pins that doubled as the channels by which the tumblers would rotate, so I used them as a measuring post for the height and width of the key.įrom this I extrapolated the necessary size of the second cylinder.

I settled on a simplified version using large, simple shapes, judging that a chunky feeling device would be easier to work with after printing.īased on my familiarity with it, its ease of use, and the timeline, I opted to build the object in Tinkercad.ĭesign began with the tumblers. I decided for simplicity to eschew the feature common to cryptexes of being able to change the icons on the outside of the tumblers, deciding instead to leave them blank for now. I took a look at existing cryptex designs for inspiration. I also imagined a small prize of some kind hidden within the locked cryptex, as a surprise and reward.

#3D PRINT CRYPTEXT SERIES#

The riddle would hint at the correct series of symbols etched into the tumblers, and the user would have to solve it in order to unlock and make use of this object they had printed. My initial conception of the project involved disseminating the design with a riddle. I arrived on the cryptex as the object of the project as it was mechanically simple that could contain a small prize. I put aside the idea of the puzzle box as being too design-intensive for the short timeline of the project at hand, opting instead for something I knew I could design and iterate on quickly: a cryptex.Ī cryptex is a multi-tumbler puzzle cylinder with a small amount of storage space inside, first conceived by Dan Brown in his 2003 book The Da Vinci Code and realized by Justin Kirk Nevins. The first object I considered was a puzzle box, like the one above. I wanted an object with utility that a user might want to keep for themselves. In approaching this project I was excited by the question “what if something accessed through 3d-printing resisted its own use?” I imagined an object, downloaded and printed, that a user was unable to use on their own terms until they engaged with the object on its terms first. The ease of access and disposable nature of 3d-printed materials may tend to cheapen our relationship to the object we create. While it can be disassembled, rearranged, and customized by the user, it must first be solved and physically unlocked before it can be used.Īccessing complex mechanisms and designs through digital fabrication and design-sharing services like Thingiverse is a simple thing for those aware of them. This project prints a cryptex already assembled and locked.

3d print cryptext