This design is a fun, hands-on way to explore torque and balance. It works well in both classroom settings and at home, and also serves as a great example of what’s possible with 3D printing and OpenSCAD.

The model is carefully designed for easy printing: no supports required, optimized print orientation, and designed for easy multi-color printing with single extruder printers. I used pennies for weights and those are to be added mid printing before they are closed off.

Students can start with the ladder and printed weights (print a variety of masses) to explore how distance from the pivot and mass placement affect balance. With a fixed rung spacing of 20 mm, students can measure the weights and calculate ideal placement using the torque equation (Force = Mass × Distance). This provides a clear, hands-on introduction to torque equilibrium.

Once the basics are understood, the ladder can be swapped out for a strategic balance game inspired by Rock Me Archimedes. Adding ladder weights to the lower hanging point lowers the center of gravity, making the game board more stable and allowing the difficulty to be adjusted.

Game overview (2 players):

• Each player starts with 12 marbles and chooses an end zone

• No marbles begin on the board

• On a turn, players either place a marble in the starting zone or roll the die to move marbles already on the board

• Marbles move along grid lines; jumping over opponent marbles is allowed

• Moves may be split among marbles

Winning conditions:

• Be the first to get 4 marbles into your end zone

• If the board tips during your turn and either end touches the table, you lose

Side height can be adjusted in OpenSCAD to fine-tune stability or accommodate the ladder attachment.

This was my first project in OpenSCAD my apologies if the code is confusing.