Guest Curator Emmett Lalish has this to say about this 3DxMechanicals project: “Okay, this is just ridiculous. I don’t even like Rubiks cubes, but I’ll have to print this one of these days just to see if I can assemble it. Unless someone comes along in the meanwhile and makes one print preassembled…”

Rubiks Void Cube by Lochemage:

This is a replica of the Rubiks Void cube. It moves exactly like a normal Rubiks cube, except it has no core. The lack of the core is actually a benefit for us, though, since that means there are no springs or other vitamins to deal with. The entire cube, minus coloring the sides, are plastic parts that can be printed!

All of the parts were modeled with printing in mind. The ‘grain’ of the layers factor into how the pieces move together to maximize its smoothness and practical strength. The final cube is a bit rougher to move, as to be expected since pieces aren’t all perfectly smooth, but it still moves well. I suspect a dip in acetone or a proper sanding will make the cube move even smoother.

Once printed and assembled, all you need is to slap some colored stickers or paint on it and you have a fully functional void cube!

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