Free design of the week (2nd of August to 8th of August)
Welcome back to our "Design of the Week" blog series! We're thrilled to bring you another exciting puzzle to test your skills and creativity. This week's featured design is an evolution of last week's concept, expanding into a puzzle series: Gear Pathing Maze Levels 1-5. If you enjoyed the concept level, you're in for a treat with these new additions!
GET THE FREE STL FILES FOR GEAR PATHING MAZE - LEVEL 1
Gear Pathing Maze: Levels 1-5
The Gear Pathing Maze series takes the initial concept of connecting gears and increases the complexity. The objective remains to connect the two side gears using a variety of small and medium-sized gears. However, with the introduction of a larger base and the "insert plates," each level brings a new twist to the challenge. The "insert plates" act as blockers, creating specific obstacles that vary from level to level, making each puzzle unique and more challenging.
What's Included in the Design
This week’s design includes all the components you need to dive into the Gear Pathing Maze series. The set includes a main base, side gears, small gears, and medium gears as well as starter gears and plugs to fixate the side gears to the base . Additionally, we’ve introduced the "insert plates," an addition that customizes each level by blocking certain pathways on the base. These plates are designed to fit perfectly onto the base, ensuring a secure and stable setup as you solve each puzzle.
GET THE FREE STL FILES FOR GEAR PATHING MAZE - LEVEL 1
Product Dimensions
To give you a better idea of the scale and printing requirements, here are the dimensions for each part of the Gear Pathing Maze:
- Base Part: 20 cm ( 7.88 inches) by 19.5 cm (7.68 inches), height of the base is 5.3 cm (2.09 inches)
- Small Gears (9x) and starter gears: Diameter of the small gear is 2.8 cm (1.1 inches), height of this part is 0.78 cm (0.31 inches)
- Medium Gears (2x): Diameter 4.8 cm (1.89 inches), height 1.5 cm (0.59 inches)
- Side Gears (2x): Diameter of the small gear is 4.8 cm (1.89 inches), height of this part is 0.78 cm (0.31 inches)
- Insert Plates: the size of the base is 18.5 cm ( 7.29 inches) by 14.8 cm (5.83 inches), height is 1.6 cm (0.63 inches)
- Side gear connector plugs: Diameter of the small gear is 1.1 cm (0.44 inches), height of this part is 2.5 cm (0.98 inches)
Print Time and Material Usage
For those eager to print, here's a breakdown of the estimated print times and material usage:
- Base Part: around 7 hours and 30 minutes | ~50 m (150 grams)
- Small Gears (7x): around 5 minutes each | ~5 m (17 grams) each
- Medium Gears (2x): Around 7 minutes each | ~4 m (11 grams) each
- Side Gears (2x): around 10 minutes each | ~7 m (20 grams) each
- Insert Plates: around 1 hour and 15 minutes each | ~1 m (3 grams) each
- Starter Gears (2x): around 5 minutes each | ~5 m (17 grams) each
- Side gear plugs (2x): around 5 minutes each | ~1 m (17 grams) each
Total Print Time: Approximately 11 hours and 30 minutes
Total Material Required: ~85 m (250 grams)
These times are estimates based on printing on a Bambu Lab P1P printer with default settings. Your experience may vary depending on your specific printer and settings.
The Gear Pathing Maze series offers a challenging and engaging puzzle experience, perfect for anyone looking to for brainteasers and puzzles that are printable on a 3D printer.
Don't miss out on this week's free download of Level 1, and if you're craving more, consider becoming a member to access Levels 2-5. We look forward to seeing your completed puzzles and hearing your feedback!
GET THE FREE STL FILES FOR GEAR PATHING MAZE - LEVEL 1
Also, be sure to join our Mazetropolis Facebook community for sneak peeks, updates, and a chance to participate in contests and giveaways!