<p>The reliability of hinges depends on the design, the material, and the slice parameters.  I've printed reliable hinges that snap together using somewhat flexible materials such as PETG and ABS.  PLA will tend to crack eventually if remaining flexed.  Pins can avoid flexing the hinge.  You could also use screws to hold hinge pieces together.  Gluing pieces of a small hinge together would be difficult to do without interfering with the movement of the hinge.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-03-21T13:14:13.863Z
2022-03-21T13:14:13.863Z
Perry Webb
<p>Maker's Muse has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JhjhgjchfM" rel="nofollow noreferrer">a video</a> on how to design hinged objects for printing. It's quite old and might be outdated with regard to materials, slicer functionality, etc. but I think it provides a good background on the topic and a source of ideas. One of the good tips is to look at the abundance of existing hinged designs on Thingiverse and other model sharing sites - that way you can study how they work and test print some before you spend time designing your own thing that might not work.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-03-22T14:35:55.303Z
I looked at thingiverse, decided it was mostly kids posting up their homework projects..
Kilisi
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-03-22T13:18:54.823Z
2022-03-22T13:18:54.823Z
R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE
<p>More detailed information would be valuable. A hinge the size of a soft drink can is going to be stronger than that of a pencil, generally speaking.</p>
<p>A substantial portion of determining the strength of a specific printed object relies on the layer orientation and of the material from which the object is printed.</p>
<p>Consider to examine others' creations on sites such as Thingiverse and PrusaPrinters to see how the result fare against your objectives. I've noted that the better designs will have substantial wall thickness to the barrel portion of the hinge. Additionally, if one can print the hinge with the cylinder axis oriented vertically, the layer lines will &quot;encompass&quot; the pivot. This provides the better strength characteristic of the layer.</p>
<p>The pin aspect is not as important when considering strength, although a 3D printed pin can be weak if printed vertically.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-03-21T12:22:17.827Z
2022-03-21T12:22:17.827Z
fred_dot_u
<p>You can make a print-in-place hinge as a horizontal cone with a 45-degree angle.  The opposing face will be a similar conical hole with a 0.25 mm gap between the faces (or whatever your printer's tolerance needs to be).</p>
<p>The strength of this (as in the other answers) depends on the diameter of the hinge.  The strength you need depends on how heavy the thing it holds up will be.</p>
<p>There are many parts on Thingiverse that use conical hinges like this if you need examples.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/5mEi1.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/5mEi1.png" alt="disassembled conical hinge" /></a>
The above is a disassembled conical hinge from <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5143964" rel="nofollow noreferrer">thing:5143964 (sturdy infinity cube)</a> which I split into parts and then arranged the hinged coupling next to the block it fits in.  (Technically I suppose this is a frustrum.  But things that come to a zero diameter pointy tip tend to not print well.)</p>
<p>There are 4 holes in the linkage, and the whole assembly is printed at once.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-03-22T05:23:53.993Z
I cannot visualise what you mean with a conical hinge. Quick google search hasn't helped, can you describe it better please.
Kilisi
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-03-22T22:26:09.660Z
Ok, added an example, hope that helps.
user10489
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-03-23T02:39:54.913Z
Looks useful and robust... cheers
Kilisi
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-03-22T01:14:33.700Z
2022-03-22T22:25:52.060Z
2022-03-22T22:25:52.060Z
user10489
<p>I'm working on a gadget a bit like a jewelry box. I want the lid on a hinge. Are 3d printed hinges robust enough for daily use long term? Perhaps with a metal pin?</p>
<p>I want to incorporate the hinge into the design but my thinking is that it would be a waste of time if the hinge will break as I'd need to reprint the whole gadget.</p>

<3d-design>
Tips on incorporating a robust hinge
Kilisi
# Tips on incorporating a robust hinge

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-03-21)

I'm working on a gadget a bit like a jewelry box. I want the lid on a hinge. Are 3d printed hinges robust enough for daily use long term? Perhaps with a metal pin?

I want to incorporate the hinge into the design but my thinking is that it would be a waste of time if the hinge will break as I'd need to reprint the whole gadget.

**Tags:** 3d-design


---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2022-03-22. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

You can make a print-in-place hinge as a horizontal cone with a 45-degree angle. The opposing face will be a similar conical hole with a 0.25 mm gap between the faces (or whatever your printer's tolerance needs to be).

The strength of this (as in the other answers) depends on the diameter of the hinge. The strength you need depends on how heavy the thing it holds up will be.

There are many parts on Thingiverse that use conical hinges like this if you need examples.

[![disassembled conical hinge](https://i.sstatic.net/5mEi1.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/5mEi1.png)
The above is a disassembled conical hinge from [thing:5143964 (sturdy infinity cube)](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5143964) which I split into parts and then arranged the hinged coupling next to the block it fits in. (Technically I suppose this is a frustrum. But things that come to a zero diameter pointy tip tend to not print well.)

There are 4 holes in the linkage, and the whole assembly is printed at once.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I cannot visualise what you mean with a conical hinge. Quick google search hasn't helped, can you describe it better please.  
> **username_4**: Ok, added an example, hope that helps.  
> **username_0**: Looks useful and robust... cheers  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-03-21. Score: 1

The reliability of hinges depends on the design, the material, and the slice parameters. I've printed reliable hinges that snap together using somewhat flexible materials such as PETG and ABS. PLA will tend to crack eventually if remaining flexed. Pins can avoid flexing the hinge. You could also use screws to hold hinge pieces together. Gluing pieces of a small hinge together would be difficult to do without interfering with the movement of the hinge.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2022-03-21. Score: 1

More detailed information would be valuable. A hinge the size of a soft drink can is going to be stronger than that of a pencil, generally speaking.

A substantial portion of determining the strength of a specific printed object relies on the layer orientation and of the material from which the object is printed.

Consider to examine others' creations on sites such as Thingiverse and PrusaPrinters to see how the result fare against your objectives. I've noted that the better designs will have substantial wall thickness to the barrel portion of the hinge. Additionally, if one can print the hinge with the cylinder axis oriented vertically, the layer lines will "encompass" the pivot. This provides the better strength characteristic of the layer.

The pin aspect is not as important when considering strength, although a 3D printed pin can be weak if printed vertically.


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2022-03-22. Score: 0

Maker's Muse has [a video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JhjhgjchfM) on how to design hinged objects for printing. It's quite old and might be outdated with regard to materials, slicer functionality, etc. but I think it provides a good background on the topic and a source of ideas. One of the good tips is to look at the abundance of existing hinged designs on Thingiverse and other model sharing sites - that way you can study how they work and test print some before you spend time designing your own thing that might not work.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I looked at thingiverse, decided it was mostly kids posting up their homework projects..  

---

