The world is becoming excited with the new possibilities of 3D printers. Up until now, yo-yos were only made through machining or injection molds, so 3D printers are naturally making waves in the yo-yo community. At last month’s 2014 Japan National Yo-Yo Contest, Mods Division, there was a challenge division exclusively for 3D printer made yo-yos. Yo-Yo player “East” won the Special Award in that division with his “Loop Ying-Yan.” Now he’s here with his newest model, the Hatch.
Of course these were also made with a 3D printer. The name Hatch appears to be inspired by the Japanese word for bee “hachi” and its nest. Doesn’t it look just like a honeycomb? You can read a bit about the manufacturing process at East’s blog (sorry, Japanese only).
The construction itself is extremely simple, and there are very few parts to deal with so this yo-yo could be ideal even for beginners. Recently, wood and nylon axles have become increasingly rare due to their general lack of spin power, but the Hatch actually spins quite well.
For even more detailed information on Hatch, see here (sorry, Japanese only).
http://eastmusicworks.hatenablog.com/entry/2014/06/04/191729
East Music Works 3Dデータいくつ作りました？そして新たなヨーヨーのお知らせ！
East has also written an article on how to make yo-yos with a 3D printer, which you can see here, but it will be taken down once he finishes his e-book on the subject so hurry and check it out while you still can!
http://eastmusicworks.hatenablog.com/archive/category/%E3%81%BC%E3%81%8F%E3%83%A8%E3%83%BC%E3%83%97%E3%83%AD%E3%82%B8%E3%82%A7%E3%82%AF%E3%83%88
East Music Works ぼくヨープロジェクト（3Dプリンターでのヨーヨー製作方法）
