{"id":1887,"date":"2026-10-05T06:00:45","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T06:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/3dprintingservices.com\/blog\/crafting-success-my-journey-of-trial-and-error-in-creating-a-diy-button-switch-with-rubber-bands-for-3d-printing\/"},"modified":"2026-10-05T06:00:45","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T06:00:45","slug":"crafting-success-my-journey-of-trial-and-error-in-creating-a-diy-button-switch-with-rubber-bands-for-3d-printing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/3dprintingservices.com\/blog\/crafting-success-my-journey-of-trial-and-error-in-creating-a-diy-button-switch-with-rubber-bands-for-3d-printing\/","title":{"rendered":"Crafting Success: My Journey of Trial and Error in Creating a DIY Button Switch with Rubber Bands for 3D Printing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Hello, I&#8217;m &quot;Naoshimu,&quot; currently experimenting with building a DIY crane game using a 3D printer. For the controller, I decided to 3D print the button switches. This post outlines my design approach and solutions to challenges encountered in 3D printing, such as part bindings and surface roughness.<\/p>\n<h3>Insights from Existing 3D-Printed Switches<\/h3>\n<p>Initially, I printed button switches from various 3D data sharing platforms. Many of these models featured a singular construction where the spring mechanism was also made from material like PLA. However, I found these designs stiff and uncomfortable to use. Since PLA is rigid and doesn&#8217;t flex well, I concluded that relying solely on a 3D printer was limiting. Instead, I opted to use rubber bands to create the necessary flexibility for my switch mechanism.<\/p>\n<h3>Structural Design in FreeCAD<\/h3>\n<p>I used <strong>FreeCAD<\/strong> to model a two-part design, consisting of an &quot;outer housing&quot; and an &quot;inner moving part&quot; shaped like the kanji character for &quot;soil&quot; (\u571f).<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Equipment and Environment:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Printer:<\/strong> Bambu Lab A1 mini<\/li>\n<li><strong>Filament:<\/strong> PLA<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nozzle diameter:<\/strong> 0.4mm<\/li>\n<li><strong>Layer height:<\/strong> 0.2mm<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In this mechanism:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Pressed:<\/strong> The base of the &quot;soil&quot; shape strikes the bottom of the housing and halts.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Released:<\/strong> The tension from the rubber band returns the inner part, allowing the horizontal bar to hit the top of the housing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I integrated aluminum foil as the conduction mechanism, ensuring that electricity flows only when the button is pressed, creating a satisfying tactile feedback.<\/p>\n<h3>Overcoming Assembly Challenges<\/h3>\n<h4>1. Avoiding Rubber Caught During Assembly<\/h4>\n<p>While assembling, the rubber band often got stuck between parts.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Solution:<\/strong> I added notches in the design to guide the rubber band, allowing for a smooth assembly process.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>2. Layer Line Snags<\/h4>\n<p>I faced issues where the layer lines created resistance during the button&#8217;s movement. Changing the print orientation helped, but the new vertical positioning of the overhangs led to rough surfaces.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Solution:<\/strong> Rather than attempting to fix the rough surface, I realized it was unnecessary and removed it from the design. This change allowed for smoother operation and an efficient build process.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p>This project highlighted the joy of hands-on experimentation and the importance of material characteristics in design. The button switch I&#8217;ve created will be integrated into the crane game controller I&#8217;m building. I look forward to sharing my progress in the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hello, I&#8217;m &quot;Naoshimu,&quot; currently experimenting with building a DIY crane game using a 3D printer. For the controller, I decided to 3D print the button switches.\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1888,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Crafting Success: My Journey of Trial and Error in Creating a DIY Button Switch with Rubber Bands for 3D Printing - 3D Printing Services Blog and Updates | 3D Print Prototypes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/3dprintingservices.com\/blog\/crafting-success-my-journey-of-trial-and-error-in-creating-a-diy-button-switch-with-rubber-bands-for-3d-printing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Crafting Success: My Journey of Trial and Error in Creating a DIY Button Switch with Rubber Bands for 3D Printing - 3D Printing Services Blog and Updates | 3D Print Prototypes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hello, I&#8217;m &quot;Naoshimu,&quot; currently experimenting with building a DIY crane game using a 3D printer. 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