3D Printed Hinges
By Poppy Mosbacher. Posted
This article was originally published as part of HackSpace magazine, which has since been incorporated into Raspberry Pi Official Magazine.
Instead of heading to the hardware store to buy a hinge, it’s easy to 3D print your own.
Maker’s Muse demonstrates how to design 6 different types including snap together, print-in-place and living hinges in the video below. And there’s some useful tips on deciding tolerances.
A quick intro to Python – short scripts, rapid results.
Alternatively, a quick Thingiverse search comes up with many designs ready to download. Rohin Gosling’s parametric hinge is customisable using OpenSCAD. It’s proving very popular – there’s been nearly 1000 remixes based on Rohin’s original model.

Another customisable design is Walter Hsiao’s cute magnetic box, which pops together when you close the lid.
Poppy is a maker and writer. She loves getting tech into the hands of people who do traditional crafts. She is helping set up a makerspace in Devon and was a director of BuildBrighton makerspace.
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