Model of the Week: 3D Printed Carabiner [Belay On!]

Like most somewhat avid outdoorsmen, I’ve gone rappelling once or thrice. After ending upside-down thinking I saw mountain lion preparing to devour me, I did the only thing you can do in that situation… scream while trying to cut yourself free from the carabiner holding you safely 50 feet over jagged rocks.

Now, I’m not sure I would use a 3D printed carabiner to hold me off a rockface, but if I did, it would be one of these from , who specializes in 3D printed carabiners. They have some incredible designs, both in metal and plastics (just check out their gallery), and they’ve shared two of their coolest designs with the Thingiverse community.

The Origami Carabiner is a two-piece print, hook and door, designed for an FDM 3D printer in PLA or ABS material. No support is needed and each one takes around 45-100 minutes to print. Alternatively, Nylon and POM can be used for ultra-strong results.

Some have scaled it down for work ID badges and some have scaled it up just to have an obnoxiously oversized carabiner. Me? I’m printing this to hang electrical cords and also a mountain lion skull… and some bags of beef jerky. Getting ideas, aren’t you? Here’s a breakdown of how the carabiner assembles and functions.

You can download the model on Thingiverse and see more of their designs on their site. (Bonus! Snag this Strong Flex door carabiner too!)

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