Designer Creates a 3D Printing Tiny ‘Toypedo’ For Swimming Pool Fun

Share this Article

If your neighbor’s toy Pomeranian has been terrorizing your kiddie pool, and the ankles of its occupants, then you might want to consider creating a toypedo to protect your local waters. Inspired by Thingiverse’s ‘Make It Float’ challenge rather than a diminutive dog, Patrick Bledsoe set to work creating a miniature torpedo that would both address the challenge and be a blast (although not literally) for the whole family.IMG_0058_preview_featured

In an interview with 3DPrint.com, Bledsoe explained his idea:

“The Thingiverse make-it-float challenge was what first got me thinking about water toys. When I browsed the other designs, I saw a lot of boats and other designs that floated on top of the water. One challenge design re-mixed that really cool coil-spring-motor toy and stuck it on a boat, and I thought it would be even cooler if the coil-motor was stuck on a torpedo! And so was born the idea to design an underwater torpedo toy.”

Rovblade_preview_featuredHe turned his first challenge into a strength as he worked to create a project that would engage kids in the act of building the toy, not just playing with a completed end product.

“The toy I was envisioning was much larger than my print-area, though, so I decided to split the design up into sections that screw into each other,” Blesdoe explained. “The many-sectioned idea actually turned out to be a really cool idea, because it means that before kids can play with the toy, they have to figure out how to put it together. It becomes a mini engineering project that I hope will be fun enough to get them interested in engineering.”

Example_Config_Exploded_preview_featuredWhile not the quickest object that can be launched in a pool, having top speeds of between .27 and .33 mph, it can travel distances between 12 and 18 feet. In addition, it can be assembled in a variety of ways and so encourages experimentation for optimal firepower. Bledsoe created two different sized propellors for the toypedo and found that a larger propellor generates more speed and great distance. Just as it is possible for a person to modify and build upon Bledsoe’s design, he created his toypedo by pulling together a variety of designs found on Thingiverse and Grabcad.

With a background in engineering, Bledsoe has been waiting for an opportunity to bring that knowledge to bear on a 3D printed project.

“As an engineer and table-top gaming enthusiast, a 3d-printer is really my perfect toy,” he says. “Up until this design, I’ve mostly just used my 3d-printer to make miniature figurines for Dungeons and Dragons. This design was a great opportunity to put my engineering skills to work!”

IMG_0056_preview_featuredFollowing Occam’s Razor that the least complicated solution is often the best one, Bledsoe stuck with a shaft shaped design for the body and a simple rubber band motor to add the energy. Finally, he addressed the issue of ballast by attaching pennies to keep the toypedo from either dragging on the bottom or sinking heavily at one end.

In the videos of the test run, you can see that the toypedo runs smoothly through the water, albeit at a crawling pace, and is just crying out for the next generation of tinkering know how to give it that little extra boost. Let us know if you’ll be making your own in the 3D Printed Toypedo forum thread over at 3DPB.com.

 

Share this Article


Recent News

Sandvik’s 3D Printing U-Turn: Why Is the Metals Giant Selling its BEAMIT Stake?

DoD Awards $4.5M to Penn State for Ceramics 3D Printing R&D



Categories

3D Design

3D Printed Art

3D Printed Food

3D Printed Guns


You May Also Like

3D Printing News Briefs, September 12, 2024: Scholarships, Pool Maintenance, Shoes, & More

In 3D Printing News Briefs today, four graduate students received $10,000 scholarships from ASTM International, and 3DPRINTUK announced the first commercial launch of the Stratasys SAF printer in the UK....

Small Arms Silencer Market Represents a Significant 3D Printing Opportunity

Additive Manufacturing Research (AM Research) has released a comprehensive market study titled “Additive Manufacturing of Small Arms Silencers: An AM Market Opportunity.” The report provides a detailed analysis of how...

Emerging AM Technologies Analysis: Where Are They Now, Part 2

In March 2023, AM Research published the “Emerging AM Technologies Analysis: 10 Companies to Watch” report highlighting 3D printing companies with the potential to disrupt the additive manufacturing (AM) industry....

Department of Defense Sees Deployable System 3D Print 11 Metal Parts at RIMPAC War Games

SPEE3D, the Australian original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of cold spray additive manufacturing (CSAM) systems, has participated in its latest war games event, the Department of Defense (DoD)’s Rim of the...