Galaxy Z – Interlocking Puzzle by Osanori Yamamoto

Galaxy Z

Interlocking Puzzle by Osanori Yamamoto

Assemble the four pieces into the frame as shown in the first photo.

This is a great puzzle, and it’s beautiful once assembled. A total of 25 moves are necessary in order to get all four pieces in the frame! Definitely a challenge, then; but with some patience and persistence, not an insurmountable one.

Printing instructions

Print one copy each of yamamoto.galaxy-z.frame.stl and yamamoto.galaxy-z.pieces.stl. (For a nice contrasting effect, print them in different colors.)

This puzzle uses snap joints so that the frame can be printed without supports. After you print it, first assemble the frame before attempting to solve the puzzle. Snap all four joints firmly into place.

The joints are designed to be tight, and depending on the printer and filament used, you may need to hammer them into place. If they come out too loose, a drop of superglue will make them more solid (in most cases this shouldn’t be necessary, but unfortunately tolerances vary across printers and filaments). The snap joint concept is discussed further in this blog post: Adventures in 3D Puzzle Printing.

The puzzle is modeled using puzzlecad, and I have included the .scad file in case you want to remix it.

About the Designer

Osanori Yamamoto is widely admired for his clever and inventive puzzle designs. His puzzles often look simple, but conceal unexpected twists such as unusual rotations. Yamamoto’s work has featured prominently in puzzle design competitions, and his gem Identical Twins won the Puzzlers’ Award at the 2017 International Puzzle Party in Paris, one of the most prestigious puzzle awards in the world.

Happy puzzling!