Fascinating tutorial documents a few routes to produce working slinkies, from 3D printing to laser-cutting acrylic , and cardboard shipping tubes:

I created the helical spring GIFified1 [below] by using the Trotec rotary attachment in a Speedy 300 to laser cut a 3D printed PLA plastic tube.

It is one of many helical springs I’ve laser cut over the past three months2. The springs vary in design and material – so far, I have used 3D printed PLA, clear acrylic, and cardboard shipping tubes. Take a look at the [top] picture for a sneak peak of the whole collection.

The 3D Printed / Laser Cut Spring concept is pretty cool, I think, and a decent lead in because it’s recognizable, but definitely not what I’m most excited to show in this Instructable. So before I lose you, scroll down to Step 1 and check out the wave springs. Lots more pictures and videos after that. Eventually, I’ll give an explanation of how they are made

Check out the full details for how they are made and how they work at Instructables!