Rubber Band Rocket Push-Button Launch Pad

A refactored launch pad for the Rubber Band Rocket Mk ii that prints as a single job and launches with a spring-loaded push button.

Back Story

I originally printed the Rubber Band Rocket Mk ii about a year and a half ago and, after some initial play, put it on the shelf...until...this year my 5th grader's class started studying 3-D printing is science.

I lent it to her and she took it in to class where they had so much fun with it that they broke the launch pad.

Instead of just re-printing the original, I went ahead and made some modifications.

Print instructions

Supports: Yes

• Supports are only needed for the pegs that lock into the rocket fins

Infill: 20%

• I always print with 3 perimeters with a 0.4 mm nozzle, so even though infill is 20%, most walls (including the armature and spring) are solid

Note: Launch pad prints upside-down

Post-Printing

The moving parts (springs and launch armature) need to be jiggled loose from the pad after printing. I found that pushing on the armature from the inside toward the external button worked well.

The hole is designed for pencils of 7 mm diameter or, if hexagonal, 7 mm across the flats (that's what I used).