Brick Sorter
Stacking sieve trays for building bricks. Tip the pile in the top, shake, and every tray catches a smaller size. The tiny parts end up in the base.
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What it makes
A stack of trays with a grate in the bottom of each. The holes get smaller going down, and the bottom tray, the base, is solid.
Tip a mixed pile in the top tray and shake. Each part falls until it meets holes too small for it. Big plates stay at the top, the tiny parts end up in the base.
How the hole sizes work
Bricks are sized in studs, 8 mm apart. A part goes through a hole if its two smallest sizes fit, and a thin plate can tip through corner to corner. So a hole that keeps plates 2 studs wide is 13 mm, not 16.
Hexagon holes are rounder than square ones, so they keep closer to the size you pick. 40 mm keeps 6 studs wide and up, 26 keeps 4, 19 keeps 3, 13 keeps 2, and 7 keeps 1-wide parts while pins, axles and bars go through.
Which set of trays
- Quick split, 2 levels: big and small. Good for young children.
- Classic, 3 levels: big, 2-wide and 1-wide. The best start, and the same split as LEGO's own Sort & Store.
- Builder, 4 levels: plates and baseplates get their own tray.
- Collector, 5 levels: every common width on its own tray.
- Technic and minifigs: sorts the small parts further, so pins and bars end up in the base.
Printing it
- Print the fit test first: a small tray and base. The tray should drop on without rocking.
- Rocks: lower the stack fit by 0.1 mm. Binds: raise it.
- Print each tray grate down, the lid top down. No supports.
- 0.28 mm layers and no infill: it is all walls and grate, so it prints fast.
Questions
How do the trays fit together?
Each tray has a short foot that drops inside the tray below. A 45 degree step on the foot sits on a chamfer round the rim, so the tray centres itself and can't slide off. Any tray stacks on any other.
How do I get the best sort?
Fill the top tray no more than half full, put the lid on and shake side to side for a few seconds. Small batches sort better than one big one. Lift each tray off with the finger notches in the sides.
How much plastic does it use?
The medium Classic set, three levels and a lid, is about 220 g of PLA. The grates are mostly holes and the walls are 3 nozzle lines, so each tray is quick to print. The workbench shows the weight of every part.
Other generators
- Brick sorterStacking sieve trays. Shake a mixed box of bricks through and each tray catches a smaller size.
- Minifigure rackShelves that snap into a back plate, or grandstand steps. Every figure clicks onto its own pair. Hang it on the wall or stand it on a shelf.
- Brick removerA brick separator you can print. Studs and a socket at the back, an axle pusher, and a lever arm with a thin blade.
- Car wall holderHangs a brick-built car on the wall, nose up, roof out, from hooks under its front wheels. It rests back on its rear tyres and stays put.