Cozy Mug Telescoping PIP Fidget

Summary

This 8 cm x 7.6 cm x 1.5 cm mug is a great stress reliever and can make anything feel less boring. You can print it in different colors to truly make it your own. I worked on this project with Charlie, and you can find his profile here: @charlieb_2915664.

Assignment

My task was to create a telescoping (can move out and retract like a telescope) fidget utilizing offsets and drafted extrusions/cuts in the Solidworks software. I had to work with a partner to create identical designs so we could help each other out when needed.

Constraints

There were also some constraints I needed to be aware of while designing the fidget.

• The outline had to be less than 8 cm x 8 cm or fit in a different box with an area of 64 cm^2 (for example, 4 cm x 16 cm)
• An efficient use of dimensions, relations, and the offset entities tool
• No error messages for the sketch

Design Process

I started by choosing an object with a recognizable silhouette so other people would know what it was. I didn't like any of the pictures I found online, so I took parts from different pictures and put them together (I know it doesn't look pretty, but it's fine).

After that, I created an 8 cm x 8 cm constraint box to ensure I didn't make the sketch too big, and I referenced the picture when creating my sketch. I then used the offset entities tool to create multiple layers of the same outline until it became too small. I chose not to offset the handle because I knew it would end up being pretty thin.

The next step is to boss extrude the sketch 0.75 cm with an inward draft of 15 degrees. After that, I made the sketch visible so I could do a series of extruded cuts and boss extrudes at a 15-degree draft angle. The last step is to mirror everything over the plane that the sketch was created on (this was the front plane for me). This creates a series of concentric layers that aren't physically connected but are prevented from falling out because of the angled print, allowing for the whole fidget to be printed at once, also known as a “print in place” model.

Design Changes

When I first designed the fidget, one big problem came up: the handle.

Because the extrude had to be drafted to keep the smaller layers inside, the handle and the cup only met at one line, meaning it would be very easy to break the handle off. To make a smoother connection, I looked back at my original sketch.

My original sketch split the cup and handle into two separate parts, meaning they had to be extruded separately. As a result, the draft made them angle away from each other. I decided to delete the two line segments that separated the parts so they could be one object to extrude at once, and I also re-outlined the inside edge to fill it in. I did this because I thought it would be easier to extrude the whole shape and then use a cut to take out the inside.

I made one other change to the design, but this one was mostly aesthetic. I added a very small fillet to the bottom where the handle intersects the cup. It is almost invisible in the sketch, but because the inside of the handle was created with an extruded cut drafted outwards, the features of the sketch become exaggerated. Without this small part, the handle would have looked a lot sharper and less elegant.

Conclusion

I really liked how my fidget came out, so I printed it in another color as well. I hope you enjoy playing with yours too, but…

A WORD OF CAUTION!!!!!!!!!!

While the first time I printed the design it came out perfectly, the second time resulted in some printing errors, making the inner layers connected. To lower the chances of this happening to you, it might be good idea to delete the smallest inside layer so the printer doesn't get confused.