Full-Color Looks Great on 3D Printed Sliding Puzzles

[Angus] of [Maker’s Muse] shows off both a parametric, print-in-place sliding puzzle design he created, and the results of UV printing full-color designs on the same. The results look beautiful, …. Full-Color Looks Great on 3D Printed Sliding Puzzles.

The results look beautiful, and there was a whole lot of trial and error involved in the process. The design includes a pop-out tile, which can be re-inserted to a finished puzzle. Creating a good print-in-place sliding puzzle depends a lot on tolerances.

Today’s 3D printers are much more capable in this regard than they were ten or so years ago, but getting the right feel to the pieces was still a long learning process. It’s not at all easy to get all the different characteristics in the right balance. On one hand, if the pieces are too tight they won’t slide easily.

But if they are too loose, the puzzle can bind because the pieces have too much play.