BILOfix / Monte-Bras Inspired Construction System (3D Printable)

BILOfix / Monte-Bras — 3D Printed Recreation BILOfix was a construction toy system made of wood and plastic parts. Originally from Denmark, it was a branch of the LEGO company. In Brazil, it was manufactured under license by Estrela and marketed as Monte-Bras. Although quite popular in its time, it had a relatively short production span (from the late 1950s to the late 1960s). Today it is considered a cult item, often reaching high prices on auction sites. It was my favorite childhood toy and, since I was not willing to pay a small fortune for an original set, I decided to recreate it using 3D printing as a gift for my grandson (although my wife believes I will end up making one for myself as well...). The project remained on hold for two years while I struggled with a dilemma: the proper wood for the original parts is difficult to obtain, which could make the project unfeasible. I ultimately decided to produce ALL parts using 3D printing. While this may reduce the “wooden toy” charm, it enables what children enjoy the most: PLAYING!!! To stay as faithful as possible to the original spirit, I used the classic color scheme: blue for bolts, red for nuts, and a beige filament for the parts originally made of wood. Of course, other color choices are entirely possible. Works great with any color combination — including playful variants. All dimensions have been carefully calibrated and tested. Printed bolts and nuts are fully compatible with original parts. Beams and blocks can also be mixed with original wooden parts with full compatibility. An important note regarding the threaded rods (part G): originally made of wood, despite being fastening elements. Printing them vertically (Z-axis) would be impractical, as they would not remain stable. Therefore, two small chamfers were added to allow proper bed adhesion without supports, which would otherwise damage the threads. Despite these chamfers, the threads work perfectly and retain full functionality. I also created three additional parts that were not included in the original set: a wheel (H95), and two connectors named X and Y according to their shapes. All STL files are already oriented correctly for printing. With the exception of the NL combination wrench, which requires bed support, all other parts can be printed without supports. Note about the H95 wheel: The central hole is larger than on the other wheels, as it is intended to fit between two M nuts. The hole matches the nut neck, which then acts as the axle. Note about long beams (L11): Depending on your printer’s build volume, L11 parts may not fit on standard beds (e.g., 220×220 mm). In such cases, you may either print them on larger machines or substitute them with shorter beams combined using connectors, which is fully consistent with the original system philosophy. Recommended print settings : Material: PETG Perimeters: 2 Top layers: 2 Bottom layers: 2 Infill: 23% Tests were also performed with 18% infill with good results. Below is a reference table with the number of parts included in each Monte-Bras kit. Of course, these quantities can be adjusted as desired. Part Kit #1 Kit #2 Kit #3 Kit #4 Kit #5 L2 4 4 4 4 5 L3 4 4 4 4 5 L4 2 2 2 4 5 L5 2 2 4 15 L6 2 4 2 4 10 L7 2 4 4 4 15 L9 - 6 4 4 10 L11 - - 2 6 30 K1 1 2 3 4 15 K2 2 2 2 4 5 K3 1 2 2 2 5 G4 1 4 4 4 5 G6 1 4 4 4 5 G9 1 2 3 2 2 G12 1 2 - 4 5 G15 1 5 G18 1 1 1 1 5 G21 - - - 1 - H35 - 2 2 2 2 H55 2 2 4 4 5 S14 9 8 8 10 15 S18 4 4 10 12 110 S38 3 4 6 14 25 M 16 22 32 55 130 NL 1 1 1 2 2 New Parts and Reinterpretations In the original Brazilian Monte-Brás system, the wooden pulleys H35 and H55 were also used as wheels for carts and similar builds. In the European BILOFix system, as an evolution of the concept, dedicated plastic H55 wheels with rubber tires were introduced. There are also references to an H95 wheel, but I was unable to find any photographic records — so I decided to create my own interpretation. The original plastic H55 wheels were red, and I kept that standard. The H95 wheels were recreated based on indirect references, as well as memories of a Barkas Famulus tractor that existed on my father’s farm during my childhood. To complement these wheels, I designed tires for TPU printing, aiming for a more realistic behavior. TPU tires need to be print with 2 perimeters, 4 upper layers, 4 lower layers, 4% gyroid infill. Additional Parts (X and Y) I also designed two additional parts that were not present in any original kit: Part X : cross-shaped piece with 9 holes Part Y : three arms spaced at 120°, with 7 holes Both parts maintain full compatibility with the original system, preserving: width thickness rounded ends hole spacing of the L-type parts These additions significantly expand the building possibilities, especially for cross connections and more complex structures.