Origami Press #2: Yoshizawa Butterfly

In our last post we discussed a 3D Printed Origami Press for pre-creasing Miura folds. Our second origami press is a helper for folding a beautiful and elegant butterfly model designed by Akira Yoshizawa:

Even with simple origami models it can be difficult to fold through many layers of paper accurately, and sometimes the mountains and valleys in the crease pattern alternate in such way that they must first be creased in the wrong direction when folding. Our press allows us to pre-crease the folds so that they can be folded the rest of the way individually, in the correct direction.

In particular, one of the final folds of this butterfly model pulls the paper together past its natural fold line, which is what creates the organic, curvy shape of the finished model. This press enables the folder to make this crucial fold very cleanly and thus produces a more reliable butterfly model.

To fold up the model, follow the instructions at goorigami, and see the video below. Note that we are careful to avoid folding near the interior corners, since that’s where the model will curve organically.

Remixing the Model

Your 3D printer and/or your choice of origami paper might want deeper or shallower creases, or maybe a different size press. Or maybe you want to create a press for a different model? Our Tinkercad file is public so that you can modify it how you like and make your own presses:

Downloading the Model

If you want to 3D print the model as-is, just download it from our Thingiverse page:

Or, head over to the new repository in town, PrusaPrinters:

Ordering Printed Models

If you don’t have a 3D printer, or if you just want to order something with no muss and no fuss, you can order this butterfly press from our Shapeways Shop, and they’ll mail you a printed copy:

Our next press will hopefully be a model of a simple crane, since a number of people have already requested that. If you have an idea for a model that would benefit from pre-creasing with a press, let me know and I’ll add it to the to-do list…

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