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Printy Pipes - Construction Toy 3d model

Printy Pipes - Construction Toy

352 downloads · 4 years ago · This construction toy is inspired by the discontinued Pipeworks sets from the 1980s. Rather that re

This model is restricted by licensing terms.

View license.

Description

This construction toy is inspired by the discontinued Pipeworks sets from the 1980s.

Rather that replicate the original set exactly, this has been scaled down and optimized for 3D printing. This project also includes completely new parts!

Videos

Printing

This design requires no supports.

Some taller pieces may need a generous brim, especially if using a printer with a moving bed.

Look out for elephants foot (squishing on the bottom layers). This may cause tight fitting parts to fall too far out of spec. If needed, use a deburring tool to clean up the bottom edge of the prints.

Infill can be relatively low - 10-15%

Print the optional rivets in TPU or similar flexible filament.

Print the optional lock rings in PETG or strong formulations of PLA (PLA+).

Avoid using brittle PLA filaments for this project.

This design includes parts that are intended to slide and lock together with only 0.125mm of clearance. If you are unsure if your printer can reproduce this accurately, print one part of any of the joint pieces and the smallest pipe as a test. The parts should slide together without extreme force.

Assembly

This project relies heavily on glue to assemble the joint pieces. For this project, I recommend using 3D Gloop!, which will quickly fuse the parts together.

All joints parts include alignment geometry where they connect with each other. Test positioning these parts before gluing them.

Misc

For easier organization, some identical parts have been listed multiple times. For example, the “X Joint” uses a part identical to the “T Joint”.

Can I sell copies of this?

Sorry, but no. This design is based on an existing (although discontinued) toy, so it is not available under a commercial license. Some remixes of this project may be listed under a different license.

This license applies only to the model files (STL, 3MF, STEP, F3D) included in this project. It does not apply to photos, videos, my logo, or other supplemental graphics attached to or displayed with this project.

Updates

Curved Pipes
Round Endcap
5-Way Connector
6-Way Connector
Multi-hinge
Slats
Detents
Tool

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Discussions

danielmay834 years ago

Thank you so much for this!!

You're awesome for listening to comments/suggestions/requests and applying them to your design. The latest version is freakin' fantastic. I've printed a few samples and my excitement level is through the roof.

Now my only problem is explaining to the wife why I just spent $300 on Amazon for filament...

Update: Been printing the past few days. I’m printing everything scaled at 75%, and for me and the kids, this is the perfect size. I’m using the Ender 3 v2 and printing with PLA. Tried the Clamp Pipes at first, but I agree that PLA is not the best choice since it needs to flex. However, the fit is plenty tight (but not too tight) with the regular pipes given the tolerance between fitted pieces.

Thanks again for this and all your other printable creations!!

theyams4 years ago

This will be a great gift for my nephew and (some day) grand kids! When you get around to it, the wheels and axles/caps would be a great addition! Thanks!

3DPrinty4 years ago

Awesome! I'd love to hear how well the parts mesh with actual PVC pipe - and what scaling you used to get everything to fit well together!

theyams4 years ago

Great! Yes, I expect it will take me a while to print everything I want. But I'm in no rush. I will probably just buy some 3/4" PVC to make all of the straight pieces and cut to size.

3DPrinty4 years ago

Glad you like it - wheels are definitely on my list of parts to add!

I takes a while to print a huge set, but I'm enjoying the idea of having as many copies of each part as I want :)

persanity4 years ago

OMG, Pipe works!!! I have not seen these things in forever! Is 3D printing strong enough to build these?

3DPrinty4 years ago

As long as you don't have under extrusion issues and avoid weak filaments (like silk or other decorative filaments), the prints are very strong.

My prints used PLA and PLA+ from various brands with 2 perimeter walls and 15% gyroid infill. During some very unscientific testing, I balanced on an individual pipe piece and it held up just fine.

The next factor to consider is gluing the parts together - for this I recommend using 3D Gloop!, which will completely fuse the plastic parts. You can also use superglue, but it will be less strong.

If you're unsure, just print a few smaller parts when you have some scrap filament left at the end of a roll. Eventually you'll have a large set. Happy printing!