Pill Dropper

It has been a bit of an ongoing thing for me, trying to find a way to quietly and easily get a Tylenol in the middle of the night. I think I finally have it figured out and here is my solution…

Essentially it is a one-handed single pill dispenser that I can grab in the dark and get a pill out without sitting up. I am sure it would be good for people with limited use of an arm too.

The dispensing mechanism is a one-piece compliant spring and gate that holds a single pill. The pill is then released to gravity when the spring is compressed. When the spring is allowed to return (by releasing it) it should pick up another pill and be ready for the next dispensement.

I have made a small door in the lid that allows pills to be added when rotated open. And, a compliant latch on the inside of the lid prevents that door from accidentally opening. To open the door you must first press the button on the side of the lid and then rotate the door open.

Print Settings

As always with compliant mechanisms it is prudent to use PETG for the spring. I have not tried the spring in PLA; I am sure it will work but not be as good or durable. All the other parts I did in PLA.

This product was designed for a 0.4mm nozzle, a 0.2mm layer height. For best results I suggest the following:

• Material
  • PETG for the spring mechanism
  • PLA for all other parts
• Nozzle = 0.4mm
• Layer Height = 0.2mm
• Line Width = 0.4mm
• Wall Count = 4 (1.6mm)
• Top and Bottom Layer Count = 5
• Detect Thin Walls = ON
• Wall Generator = Arachne
• Infill = 40% (Cubic)
• Support = None required but see the note below about cleaning up the bridge.
• Print orientation = As per the STL/3MF files and the included image

Post Printing and Assembly Notes

The opening in the Spring Mechanism controls the delivery of a single pill. In order to prevent 2 pills from jamming the mechanism I designed it to fit a pill bby having a bridge over the top. Depending on how well your printer is bridging you may need to clean that up as shown below using a knife to ensure that the pills flow through that “tube” easily.

On the

On the inside of the Lid, there is a compliant latch that prints into the lid. As such, you will need to gently separate the moving part of that latch after printing. The illustration below shows the area that needs to be separated (highlighted in red).

After that, the parts nest and snap together as shown in the exploded diagram.