3D printers have made great progress in producing products such as bottle openers and coat nails, and the in-situ printing gear hinge of [E. Soderberg] is a beautiful example. The hinge is designed as an in-situ printing part, which means that it is 3D printed as a whole without assembly. Moreover, herringbone gears constrain solid equipment in a way that helps support heavy objects.
Of course, hinges – even solid ones – are not particularly difficult to find. They have incredible shapes and sizes. But what’s interesting about this design is that it shows something that almost all enthusiasts can easily touch today. Not long ago, it was impossible for most family lovers to design and create such an object. Without modern 3D printers, it must be a challenge in itself.
The availability of comparable (or better) off the shelf parts is not always important; A sufficient number of parts that can be manufactured in one’s own workshop is valuable in itself. In addition, designing and making things is fun, sometimes for themselves. After all, if everyone is satisfied with the ability to order some cherry MX switches, the custom switch component for 3D printing does not exist.