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If you have ever picked up an Infinity Cube and started folding it without realising what you were doing, you already understand the appeal. They are one of those rare objects where the design is the entire pitch. You pick it up, you fold it, you keep folding it, and you put it down without quite knowing how much time has passed.

We have been 3D printing Infinity Cubes at The 3D Print Smiths for years now. In that time we have refined the design, broken plenty of prototypes, tested every filament we could get our hands on and shipped them to customers across Australia. This guide is everything we have learned, plus the answers to the questions we get asked most often.

What Is an Infinity Cube?

An Infinity Cube is a folding fidget toy made up of eight smaller cubes connected by hinges. The hinges are arranged so that the cube can be folded in any direction continuously, with no start point and no end point. You can fold it forwards, backwards, sideways and diagonally, and the loop just keeps going.

The whole thing fits in the palm of your hand. Compact, quiet, satisfying. Once you start folding, it is hard to stop.

How Does the Mechanism Work?

The geometry is the clever part. Each of the eight cubes is connected to its neighbours via offset hinges, which means each cube can rotate independently of the others. When you fold one cube over, the next one is free to follow, and the next one after that, and so on around the loop.

If you have ever played with a Jacob's Ladder toy or a folding photo frame, the principle is similar. The Infinity Cube takes that hinged-flap idea and extends it into three dimensions, which is why it folds in directions a flat toy cannot.

Infinity Cube vs Fidget Cube: They Are Not the Same Thing

This causes more confusion than anything else we encounter. The two products share the word "cube" and the category "fidget toy" but they are physically and mechanically completely different.

If you arrived here searching for "fidget cube" expecting the six-sided button-and-dial cube, that is a different product. We do not currently make those. If you arrived searching for the folding cube that loops endlessly, you are in the right place.

Why Materials and Construction Matter More Than People Realise

You can buy an infinity cube for under five dollars from Kmart, Amazon or any cheap import retailer. So why does ours cost more, and why does it matter?

The honest answer comes from years of printing these. The cheap imports are mass-produced from low-grade ABS plastic, typically with the eight cubes printed separately and then assembled with metal hinges glued or pressed into place. They work fine out of the box. The problem is everything that happens after.

• Glued hinges break loose over time. Daily folding stresses the glue. After a few months of regular use, you will have one or two cubes wobbling free of their hinges.
• Cheap ABS yellows in sunlight. Leave a cheap import on a windowsill or in a car and it will go from white to a sickly cream colour within months. PLA is far more UV-stable.
• Sharp edges from poor finishing. Mass-produced cubes often have visible mould seams and rough edges. We round and sand every model before dispatch.
• Limited colour options. Chain stores stock three or four colours. We can print yours in any colour we have filament for, including silk metallics and rainbow gradients.

Our approach is single-piece printing. The entire cube including all eight sub-cubes and the hinges is printed as one continuous part, with the hinges built into the model rather than attached afterwards. Nothing glued, nothing assembled, nothing that can come apart with use. We have customers still folding cubes they bought from us two years ago.

A Word on Safety

In August 2025 the ACCC and Product Safety Australia issued a recall (PRA number 2025/20603) on a range of 3D printed mini animal toys sold by Kmart and Target nationally between June and August that year. The problem was layer separation. Small printed parts could break off the toys and become a choking hazard for children, posing a "risk of serious injury or death" according to the recall notice.

That recall is the visible tip of a quality problem the 3D printing community had been warning about for some time. Mass-produced 3D prints made at maximum speed with minimum filament cost often have weak layer adhesion. The model looks fine when it leaves the factory. It starts shedding pieces a few weeks later. For an adult fidget toy on a desk, that means an item that breaks. For a children's toy in small hands, it means a recall.

This is one of the reasons we print single-piece. There are no glued pieces to come loose, no assembled hinges to fail, no layers printed at a hundred millimetres per second to save factory time. Each cube is printed slowly, in one continuous part, with print settings tuned for strength rather than throughput. It costs more. That is the trade-off.

You can read the recall details on the Product Safety Australia website.

DIY Alternatives (Yes, You Can Make One)

If you are the kind of person who would rather make something than buy it, Infinity Cubes are a fun project. Here are the main approaches:

Paper Origami Infinity Cube

Surprisingly satisfying for something made of paper. You need eight identical paper cubes folded from a single square each, then taped together along the right edges to create the folding pattern. There are good tutorials on YouTube. Search "origami infinity cube" and pick a video with clear hinge placement instructions, because that is where most attempts go wrong.

Limitations: paper does not hold up. A paper infinity cube will last a day or two of folding before the hinges tear. Fine as a project, not a long-term fidget toy.

LEGO Infinity Cube

The LEGO version uses standard 2x2 bricks with hinge plates connecting them. The challenge is sourcing the right number of hinge plates in the same colour. If you have a generous LEGO collection it is achievable in an afternoon. Search "LEGO infinity cube instructions" for parts lists and assembly guides.

Limitations: heavier than a printed cube, harder to fold smoothly because LEGO hinges are designed for furniture-style movement rather than continuous rotation. Fun to build, less satisfying to fidget with.

3D Printed Infinity Cube

If you have a 3D printer at home, there are free Infinity Cube STL files on sites like Printables and Thingiverse. The catch is the print settings. Get the hinge tolerances wrong by even half a millimetre and the cube either fuses together (too tight) or falls apart (too loose). We dialled this in over dozens of failed prototypes before we were happy with the result.

Limitations: requires a 3D printer, materials and the time to learn print tuning. Worth it if you already have the kit. Otherwise the maths probably favours buying one.

What to Look For When Buying

If you are going to buy rather than make, here is what we would tell our own family to look for:

1. Single-piece construction. Ask whether the hinges are assembled or printed as part of the model. Assembled hinges will fail eventually.
2. PLA over ABS. PLA is more UV-stable, biodegradable and non-toxic. ABS warps with heat and yellows over time.
3. A real return policy. Cheap imports often have no returns. Make sure you can send it back if it arrives broken.
4. Australian made if it matters to you. Local sellers can usually replace damaged items faster, customise colours and answer questions about the product because they actually made it.
5. Size and weight. The standard size is around 80mm x 40mm x 20mm folded. Bigger feels novel but does not fit a pocket. Smaller is hard to grip.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do Infinity Cubes last?

That depends entirely on the construction. A cheap assembled import might last a few months of regular use. A well-made single-piece print should last years. We have customers using cubes they bought from us in 2023 with no signs of wear.

Are they noisy?

No. The folding motion is essentially silent. Suitable for offices, classrooms, meetings, libraries and anywhere else you would want a discreet fidget. This is one of the main reasons people choose them over clicker-style fidget toys.

Can kids use them?

Most Infinity Cubes are suitable for ages 3 and up. They are not appropriate for children under 3 due to small parts and choking risk. Single-piece printed cubes are safer than assembled cubes because there are no detachable hinges or pieces that can be swallowed.

Why does ours cost more than a Kmart cube?

Single-piece printing takes longer and uses more filament than mass-produced assembled cubes. We pay Australian wages and ship from Australia. We can customise the colour, which mass production cannot. The trade-off is real and we acknowledge it: none of that beats a five dollar import on price.

It beats it on durability and on safety. Kmart had a formal ACCC recall on their own 3D printed children's toys in August 2025 due to layer separation creating a choking hazard. When we make something here, we can stand behind it, replace it if it breaks and answer the phone if you have a question. That has a cost.

Can I get a custom colour?

Yes. Every Infinity Cube we sell is printed to order. Specify your colour at checkout and we will print it specifically for you. Available finishes include solid colours, dual-tone designs, silk metallics with a soft pearl sheen, and rainbow gradients that shift across the cube.

What is the difference between PLA and PLA+?

PLA+ is a marketing term for PLA with additives that improve impact resistance and reduce brittleness. Different manufacturers add different things. We use a premium PLA blend tuned specifically for parts that need to flex, which gives our hinges the right balance of strength and movement.

The Short Version

An Infinity Cube is a folding fidget toy made of eight connected cubes that fold in a continuous loop. They are not the same product as a Fidget Cube. The cheap imports work fine until the hinges break. The better ones are printed as a single piece. You can make one from paper or LEGO if you have the time, but if you want one that lasts, buy one from someone who has actually printed thousands of them.

If you want one of ours, browse the Infinity Cube product page. If you want to see the full range of fidget toys we make, our Fidget Toys collection has gear wheels, spinners, infinity cubes and more.

Either way, happy fidgeting!