This low power electrical switch is part of a reading lamp that I'm designing.

My design goals are:

• no vitamins (i.e. completely printable except cables/electrics/electronics)
• easy printing (avoiding excessive overhangs, etc.)
• easy assembly

I wanted to make an electrical switch with push push mechanism, similar to the ones that are known from ball pens, but completely printable. This is the result of several weeks of design, trial, error and redesign.

The main idea is to have two cable ends connected and separated inside the mechanism, so it will propably only be save for real low power applications (like powering a LED).

The mechanism is complete except the part that connects the cables.

Update 2013-05-02:
Yesterday, I tested if the switch will still work after longer activation time. I set it to "on" (springs in compressed state) and let it in this position over night. Unfortunately, the big spring seems to have permanently deformed over this time and can't get back to full decompression, so the switch is stuck :(

Seems I will have another try at this one... propably more space and a longer spring will do, but I want to check other options first.

Print each of the STLs once. I printed PLA with 0.2mm layer height and 0.55 mm extrusion width on a 0.5mm nozzle.
Maybe you will have to make the two springs in separate prints, because they tend to come of the bed when the nozzle moves over to another part.

Check the video for a general idea how to assemble.

Clean up the pin and the tracks on the labyrinth part so that the pin can move easily like shown in the video.

Turn the pin by 90 degrees, stick it through the bottom of the spring box and turn it back so it is aligned to its track in the labyrint part.

Attach the spring box onto the labyrinth but keep sure that the pin is not jammed.

Put the small spring into the bigger tray of the spring box, right beneath the bar that separates the two trays. Put the separator over the small spring and the bar, so they are pushed against each other.

Put the big spring between the separator and the pin.

Attach the top lid.

Enjoy :)