A 3D Printed Centrifugal Puzzle Box

If you’re tired of giving gifts that are easy to open, why not torture entertain the recipient with a present inside of this 3D printed puzzle box by Alex Maund? Of course, if the recipeint happens to have a hammer around, he may find an alternate solution, but the trick to opening it is actually quite simple.

The top of the box has four dials with different letters on them, which one would assume would be the key to opening this contraption. In fact, things are much simpler than trying to guess a combination; the box simply has to be spun. As a clue, if all of the dials are placed in the correct loose position, “spin” is spelled by the letters facing the inside of the present in a clockwise orientation.

Spinning works because it causes the ball bearings locking the lid down to travel outwards, thus releasing the top, via centripetal acceleration. I suppose the clue “rare earth magnet” would also work (use the magnet to attract the bearings to the edges), but that’s not nearly as obvious or easy to spell.

Of course this isn’t the only 3D printed device from “Maundy” that we’ve featured here. This walking machine is totally different than the puzzle seen here, but just as unusual.