A 100% 3D Printed Linear Snap Action Mechanism.

A 100% 3D printed linear snap action prototype mechanism for an upcoming project.
As the name implies, the snap action in this mechanism is linear. The slide (yellow) travels between two leaf springs (white) positioned in the base (green). When operated, the cams compress the springs until the cams reach just over 50% of the designed travel length, at which point the slide snaps to the full travel position.
A rotary snap action mechanism (requiring a metal spring) is here: • A 3D Printed Rotary Sn... .
Designed using Autodesk Fusion 360, sliced using Ultimaker Cura 4.7.0, and 3D printed in PLA on Ultimaker S5s.

[@syber-space]

I'll have to make some of these to have around the classroom to show students different mechanisms for tactile feedback. Always a fan of a good click.

[@popzct]

Hi Nicholas,
Thank you for teaching!
If you need any help, let me know!
Greg

[@popzct]

For you: th-cam.com/video/X6JtrShQIwo/w-d-xo.html.
Follow the link in the description for the files.
Greg

[@syber-space]

@@popzct Aww, thanks so much! I'll definitely be making use of this! You probably saved me an hour or two messing around in F360.

[@TheTsunamijuan]

I like the retention choice on the springs, never though of making my spring assemblies like that. Definitely don't have to worry about the print degrading like a poorly built living hinge, in this setup.

[@popzct]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Greg

[@reinux]

Could you explain for a layman what you mean by retention choice? I was wondering if this might be affected by degradation in the long run, so I'm curious as to how this design avoids that.

[@TheTsunamijuan]

@@reinux The pins holding the springs in place is what I meant by retention. If the spring was actually physically part of say the base, Even with part of it floating. It would likely fatigue over time. Mostly he avoids it by making the springs a complete separate component. Rather than letting the allure of all in one designs, (that are so tempting with a 3d printer) creating a longevity issue.
Hopefully that answers your question :)

[@reinux]

@@TheTsunamijuan Ahh you mean the white parts. Got it, thanks 👍

[@FederalMenace]

Just leave it on the car for a day to see how quickly it fails

[@keldricharts]

Cant wait to apply this to some of my prints. I think this would really make them more functional and secure.

[@popzct]

Thanks Keldrich, I hope the model becomes useful in your work!
Greg

[@ejoojoo]

love the mechanical sound it makes, will definitely integrate this to my next project!

[@popzct]

Thank yo Junior Tan, I hope your next project is successful !
Greg

[@LoveMakeShareTV]

This came up in my recommendations and it's applicable to like three projects I'm thinking about! Thanks for sharing!

[@popzct]

You are very welcome, glad it assisted you!
Greg

[@kurtlindner]

This is great! Talk about rising to the challenge. 👍👍

[@popzct]

Thanks kurt, I hope I didn't take too long...
:)
Greg

[@joell439]

Wow - very clever. Love videos like this that help opens the mind. Definitely deserves a subscription and I’m looking forward to see your other content. Thanks for sharing. 👍😎👍

[@popzct]

Thanks Joel, I'm glad you enjoyed them!
Greg

[@alexanderakerhjelm170]

thats a really clean, simple solution, well done!

[@popzct]

Thank you very much, I truly appreciate it!
Greg

[@gabedarrett1301]

Gotta love a good compliant mechanism

[@popzct]

:)
Greg

[@HudsonGTV]

You could definitely turn this into a momentary switch if you add a return spring.

[@popzct]

That is true HG, very nice observation!
Greg

[@3printed]

I am working on something and infact i was looking for a locking mechanism, thanks for sharing this.

[@popzct]

Hi 3printed,
Your are very welcome, and that is exactly why I publish!
Greg

[@antoniomiranda2359]

Mount a magnet to the central area of the mobile part and you have a perfect magnetic reed switch which can also be used in waterproof applications.

[@popzct]

Great suggestion Antonio, thank you!
Greg

[@Lemonz-418]

That is very satisfying to hear. I was not expecting asmr clicking.

[@popzct]

Thanks Lemonz-418, I’m glad you enjoyed the sound it makes!
Greg

[@RGS-xy9jz]

What materials are best for snap fit moulding?
Any idea please suggest

[@peanutbutter3578]

Wow great switch mechanism

[@popzct]

Thank you!
Greg

[@andrewgoss1682]

Super cool; this is very similar to the mechanism that gives the Nintendo Gameboy that beautiful click on the power button. All models I believe.

[@popzct]

Thanks Andrew, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Greg

[@gnamp]

I love it but can't immediately think of a use for it.

[@popzct]

Hi gnamp,
Thank you. I used it in a mechanical reversing mechanism: th-cam.com/video/63Xepe7xMpw/w-d-xo.html.
Greg

[@gnamp]

@@popzct I'll buy that :)

[@Alluvian567]

Great mechanism. with a little playing with tolerances this could be made print in place as well I believe.

[@popzct]

Hi Alluvian,
Thank you very much! In this model, the distance between the ends of the leaf spring expands as the spring is compressed, so they need to be free to move.
Greg

[@realgalactic]

you could position the moving thing right in the middle and then you can use it to see if a parcel has been dropped or something like that

[@popzct]

That is correct!
Greg

[@GertGybels]

simple but great!

[@popzct]

Thank You!
Greg

[@ZelphTheWebmancer]

A transparent cover would be really cool to secure the mechanism while still showing inside.
Anyway, very simple and cool mechanism.

[@popzct]

I published this open frame design: www.instructables.com/100-3D-Printed-Linear-Snap-Action-Mechanism/ for that very reason.
And thank you very much, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Greg

[@mechanicalengineering476]

Very smart. Good work.

[@popzct]

Thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Greg

[@makerspace533]

I like it. It would be a great teaching project.

[@popzct]

Thank you very much MakerSpace, I’m glad you liked it!
I published the files awhile ago here: www.instructables.com/100-3D-Printed-Linear-Snap-Action-Mechanism/
Greg

[@starkosaure7833]

Good idea! Thx for sharing it!

[@popzct]

Thank you very much, and you are very welcome!
Greg

[@Cohencjh]

I made this exact mechanism with metal and use it as a little latch on my offroad lawnmower hood just because I thought it was cool

[@popzct]

Great, and thanks!
Greg

[@andrematheus6500]

Bro literally made a damn good light switch SFX

[@popzct]

Just a 3D printed linear snap action mechanism.
Greg

[@lrwerewolf]

The next-video overlay covers substantial portions of the end text.

[@popzct]

Sorry.
Greg

[@terat1227]

I wonder if someone could build a strong reliable snap action cross bow.

[@samuels1123]

I still wonder how those latching buttons work
Push button in, clicks into lower position, push again, extends to higher position

[@tseawell90]

it’s a peg that runs on a track. There’s a small valley in the upward section of the track the retains the peg until it’s pressed again.

[@peekpt]

Nice. You could attach a Perpendicular pole to mimic a spst switch

[@popzct]

Thank you very much!
Greg

[@SomeRandomPiggo]

awesome! might have to print one for myself xd

[@popzct]

Here are the files and instructions: www.instructables.com/100-3D-Printed-Linear-Snap-Action-Mechanism/
I hope you enjoyed it!
Greg

[@tinymints3134]

God dammit is that how those work? That's so clever! I used to think about how they worked in my car's blinker switch all the time, I'd try to think up mechanisms and the like. But I never found one that seemed plausible. I gave up eventually, I also never understood how the spring pens worked. But this makes since as a cheap, durable, and effective solution that's also easily adjustable for the use case. Man, whoever (or whichever team, I'm sure) thought of this must be proud of themselves

[@popzct]

Hi Tiny Mints,
Well it’s how this one works. I used this design in a mechanical reversing mechanism. I needed something simple and high duty cycle. it worked for my design, but I’m not sure of other applications.
I hope you enjoyed it!
Greg

[@reinux]

Just printed one. Holy shit this thing is satisfying.

[@popzct]

Hi reinux, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Greg

[@patrickmaartense7772]

any stl? I would love to use this for a push pull functional part for my flightsim project

[@popzct]

Here's the version I published: www.instructables.com/100-3D-Printed-Linear-Snap-Action-Mechanism/.
Greg

[@patrickmaartense7772]

@@popzct Thank you !

[@waterfoker8558]

AMAZING!

[@popzct]

Thank you!
Greg

[@erfuellte-ehe]

absolutely loving functional assets like those. do you share the STEP flles somewhere?

[@popzct]

Thank you!
Greg

[@Aquavita-]

Most people: thinking about how useful this’ll be for projects
Me: thinking this would be such a nice fidget toy

[@popzct]

I have one on my desk and do just that with it!
Greg

[@BetterWorldEcosystems]

great channel

[@popzct]

Thank you Marios, I'm glad you enjoy it!
Greg

[@kopharaoh9171]

Do you know if this can be 3d printed in one piece without assembly? And do you know if it possible to stack more layers of these on top of each other, to allow the yellow piece to travel through multiple humps?

[@popzct]

Hi kopharaoh9171,
Here is a one piece version 3D printed in TPU. They can be stacked.
Greg

[@Jkauppa]

nice one way valve idea

[@Jkauppa]

just make the form non-symmetric

[@popzct]

Thank you!
Greg

[@truegret7778]

Stupid, ridiculous, worthless YT ads pop up and block the vid. Great job!!
Thanks for sharing.

[@popzct]

Sorry True Gret, with my YT license I have little to no control over the content or placement.
Greg

[@truegret7778]

@@popzct No, I know .... I wasn't complaining to you.... sorry about that [;^(
Sometimes my thoughts get to my fingers and they fly out. My apologies. Great design. I've tried to do something with compliant devices, but haven't been all that successful. I am hopeful you are able to at least get some revenue from the ads - you actually have content with value ... cheers

[@popzct]

Hi again True Gret,
The apologies are mine, and I thank you for spending your time watching my videos!
Greg

[@kurtnelle]

Yeah, ok. Subscribed.

[@popzct]

Thanks Shawn!
Greg

[@ja-no6fx]

How do you determine how much clearance is needed at the eyes of the springs for them to compress?

[@richardmillhousenixon]

I'm going to guess you don't. By leaving the eyes partially open you let them move and bend however they need to to compress in the space provided

[@popzct]

Hi j a,
Given the arc radius, endpoint offsets from the arc center, and the maximum compression of the arc, a few simple trig equations will derive that answer (hint: by compressing the spring, the arc radius grows).
Greg

[@ja-no6fx]

@@popzct Thanks. I don't think I'm aware of any trig equations that deal with arcs. Could you elaborate please? I'm not great with math yet.

[@popzct]

Hi j a,
The endpoints on the snap shaft compress the leaf spring. The amount of compression is determined by the length of the snap shaft endpoints. When the leaf spring is compressed by the snap shaft endpoints, the end points of the leaf spring expand thus the radius of the spring is enlarged. The trigonometry involved is in calculating the snap shaft endpoints and the ends of the leaf spring as when compressed, the end points extend causing the radius of the compressed leaf spring to increase.
I hope this helps!
Greg

[@ben_jammin242]

Hi, is the flexible part PLA or something more elastic? Many thanks!

[@popzct]

Hi Benjamin,
The flexible part is Ultimaker Pearl White PLA. I test a few spring thicknesses to obtain the action I desired.
Greg

[@eklhaft4531]

Suggested videos are covering the text.

[@HamguyBacon]

you can make a handle at the top and make a normal switch.

[@popzct]

That is correct.
Greg

[@yash1152]

0:06 the coin is for reference of size right??

[@popzct]

yes, it is.

[@PianoMastR64]

Can you design a version that can't get stuck in the middle?

[@popzct]

Yes.

[@AdrianCeroni]

Cool gadget. You need to keep the subtitles up for longer though.

[@popzct]

Thanks Adrian, it is a challenge with subtitles, some say they are too long, and others say they are too short. I'll try to be better!
Greg

[@suparnobolang3685]

Aku suka video ini sangat bermanfaat untuk menambah ilmu saya terimakasih videonya kak... 👍👍👍

[@dnettoRaw]

I think this can be a low cost Z switch for bed leveling with automatic retract

[@carpark1414]

That's actually not a bad idea. If the point of snapping is consistently precise then this would have potential

[@victornpb]

too much backlash, and sensitive to temperature variation

[@GuardianAngle93]

Use that on a drawer to keep it in or our.

[@fekbutchers]

i suggest not putting a title card of another video of the text you want us to read

[@raynlaze1339]

This looks quite cool, what are some good applications to use this in tho?

[@popzct]

Hi Raynlaze,
Thank you very much!
A mechanism such as this can be used to provide mechanical hysteresis, which is my intended use in completing a current model and designing a new one.
Greg

[@avaviel]

You could use it to click a button on a PCB. Position everything right and the button will pop back up

[@zencow]

I have been working on a sliding tray design for a custom pencil box using neodymium magnets, but I think this would be a much better solution to keeping the tray in the open and closed positions, as it won't require glue and may provide a more satisfying feel to the movement of the parts.

[@avanigarg951]

can i use this mechanism to create a stoppage for telescopic mechanism pole?

[@popzct]

Hi avanigarg951,
That I do not know, it world greatly depend on the mass the device would be supporting.
Greg

[@avanigarg951]

Ohh okay. It would be used as a support pole. A person would be exerting quite a large force on it (around maximum 80kg weight). Any idea if this mechanism or what other stopping mechanism could be applied in such a case?

[@popzct]

This mechanism would work for your requirement if created in aluminum with spring steel.
Greg

[@amateurbuilds682]

I’m new to the 3D printing hobby. What’s the purpose of this?

[@popzct]

Hi Amateur Builds,
This model was a test for a mechanical reversing mechanism.
Greg

[@the_dietcam]

Congrats, is this gonna be shipped in next year's line of kinder surprise eggs: simple machines toys?

[@popzct]

:)
Greg

[@overPowerPenguin]

Cool.

[@popzct]

Thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Greg

[@ElderSign32]

the forbidden tenga

[@nepdisc3722]

this man 3D printed a quarter

[@popzct]

:)
Greg

[@psalmsfarmerkitcat9304]

what if it stops in between

[@popzct]

Keep pushing.

[@psalmsfarmerkitcat9304]

@@popzct okk thanks

[@ZiotechVideos]

Why don't you add the model to Thingsverse so others can print it?

[@popzct]

Hi Ziotech Videos,
I closed my Thingiverse account a few years ago as they did not have the staff to enforce their license agreements.
I did publish it here: www.instructables.com/100-3D-Printed-Linear-Snap-Action-Mechanism/.
Greg

[@jestempies]

Wouldn't it make sense to print the leaf springs together with the base? You could make cutouts for them, for example. Although your solution is very simple and makes a great sound :)

[@popzct]

Hi Michal,
When the leaf spring is compressed, the distance between its endpoints increases, thus the spring must float freely in the base.
Greg

[@jestempies]

@@popzct How about if the spring was only attached at one end?

[@popzct]

Hi Michal,
With one end fixed the mechanism would work but with asymmetric snap points.
Greg

[@adams1625]

Can I use petg for the leafsprings?

[@popzct]

Hi adams1625,
I'm not sure, as mentioned I used PLA to obtain the desired snap action.
Greg

[@adams1625]

@@popzct Gotcha! Thanks Greg I appreciate it :)

[@stevens4689]

What material did you use

[@popzct]

Ultimaker PLA green for the case, Ultimaker PLA yellow for the slide, and Ultimaker PLA white for the springs.
Greg

[@BHARGAV_GAJJAR]

Bravo 👌

[@popzct]

Thank you!

[@XiaZ]

It would be nice if he showed something to grab scale on, not that I'm complaining or anything.

[@popzct]

My thumbnail is 15mm wide.
:)
Greg

[@lukecaplowe6378]

have you got the files for this

[@popzct]

Hi Luke,
The files for a similar version are here: www.instructables.com/100-3D-Printed-Linear-Snap-Action-Mechanism/.
Greg

[@joaopetersonscheffer]

snapy!

[@popzct]

:)
Greg

[@lunalgaleo1991]

This seems like it'd make a good fidget... 🤔

[@popzct]

Hi Lunalgaleo, I keep one on my desk!
Greg

[@lunalgaleo1991]

@@popzct Cool!

[@wolfthorn1]

Thanks for sharing your files....
Great idea though.
Now I have to spend an hour on autocad.
Thanks anyways.

[@popzct]

You're welcome, and thank you!
Greg

[@dsmpisbetterthanbillnyecha9685]

Wait what's the coin for??

[@popzct]

Size comparison.
Greg

[@menititehnik]

Izin nyimak mas Bro..🙏😊

[@androidhonk8040]

Is there a file for this?

[@popzct]

I believe this is it: www.instructables.com/100-3D-Printed-Linear-Snap-Action-Mechanism/.
Greg

[@Bob_Adkins]

Appears robust, very reliable, and should get a very high cycle count. I hate modern switchgear, it's just too small and delicate.

[@popzct]

Hi Bob,
I've employed this device in a mechanical reversing mechanism which to date is still running and has cycled over 100,000 times.
Greg

[@Bob_Adkins]

@@popzct Not surprised at all!

[@nobodycaresaboutyou5590]

Stl?

[@popzct]

www.instructables.com/100-3D-Printed-Linear-Snap-Action-Mechanism/

[@Runthestreetz]

Download?

[@popzct]

www.instructables.com/100-3D-Printed-Linear-Snap-Action-Mechanism/
Greg

[@GrandadsOtherChannel]

Snap to it👍

[@popzct]

I did, I thought...
Oh well perhaps not.
:)
Greg

[@pixelrabbit261]

noice😀

[@popzct]

Thoinks!
:)
Greg

[@PythonPlusPlus]

Now make a single piece compliment mechanism version of this

[@popzct]

I may indeed do just that!
Greg

[@JezzyCrazyTV]

Nic

[@popzct]

Thanks!
Greg

[@Dimabuxaet]

So, you are invented a 60 y.o. lamp switcher? Or what?

[@popzct]

No, I 3D printed a 90 year old spring steel snap action mechanism.
Greg

[@KayC352]

the 8 Ps of compliant mechanisms

[@popzct]

Hi Kay, and yes!
Greg

[@pelufaz8435]

what a nice little toy

[@popzct]

Thanks.
Greg

[@lame4458]

THE HANDS WERENT 3D PRINTED!

[@popzct]

Because they are not part of the mechanism.

[@lame4458]

@@popzct i know it was a joke lol good job though

[@popzct]

I figured as much.
:)
Greg

[@Tomislav_B.]

Nobody can read that fast.

[@popzct]

Pause button...
:)
Greg

[@Tomislav_B.]

@@popzct Try it while casting on TV with Chromecast and let me know how it went.

[@popzct]

Well, then don't do that, I guess...
:)
Greg

[@beansoupboyboy7610]

remove the blockers on one end 😈😈

[@BitSmythe]

Nice video, but USE YOUR WORDS!

[@popzct]

I'm speechless.
Greg

[@Gna-rn7zx]

REMOVE THE END CARDS