Plus Puzzle Plus (Print in Place)

Interlocking puzzles are usually kept in assembled state, when you play you first find out how to take it apart.

3D models of puzzles are mostly printed in separate pieces, you first solve it by assemble it.

Eventually you know both ways, but if you print for yourself to play, your experience is “inverted”.

Fortunately in this plus version, the 2 pieces are topologically interlocking rings which can't be printed separately. Why not perform print-in-place, and play it in the conventional way?

A decade before it's branded as Hanayama Cast Cross, this puzzle's original name is Plus Puzzle by Edi Nagata, with a slightly different structure. Start from the assembled state, when you reach the “solved” state, for Cast Cross you can slide the 2 parts apart, but not for Plus Puzzle, you just stop there, done. Therefore the goal is to transform between the 2 states shown in photos.

print instruction

print “plusplus - pip.stl”

layer height: 0.2mm

break the 2 pieces using force, then solve it without undue force

for pip to work it's a bit loose, if you solve it instantly in just 3-4 moves it's probably too loose to allow unintended movements

alternative print

Alternatively, in “plusplus - snap.stl”  a piece is cut to 2 halves with snap joints, the other piece needs a little support. Once snap together, you also start from the assembled state.

Since pip works for me I didn't print this way. It should work, and OpenSCAD source file is also provided for you to customize.

btw this is easier to print 2 pieces in different colors.

if you already know solution or just print for others

check out Cast Cross, the original model used in this remix. It's always easier to print pieces separately, besides you get fancier pieces.

And as always, whenever possible please buy “Hanayama Cast Cross” and support the puzzle designer!