How to Build a Motorized 3D Scanning Turntable for Your Phone

In this project, I’ll show you how to build a motorized rotary table for 3D scanning. This DIY project consists of three main parts: the top plate, the central gear-driven plate, and the base. The top plate remains stationary and serves as the platform where the object to be scanned is placed.

At the core of the design, the middle plate features an internal gear mechanism, hidden from view, which is driven by a stepper motor. This gear plate rotates 360 degrees and includes a mounting point for attaching an external 3D-printed phone holder. This allows a smartphone to rotate smoothly around the object while maintaining a fixed distance.

The base plate provides structural support, housing all necessary components. The top and base plates are fixed together, while the middle gear plate rotates independently. To ensure smooth motion, the system is reinforced with four ball bearings.

For scanning, I used an iOS-based app, but users can choose any software that fits their needs. The main goal of this project is to demonstrate the step-by-step process of building a motorized turntable for 3D scanning. Let’s get started!

This project consists of three main 3D-printed parts. The first part is the base, which includes three bearing slots, a stepper motor mount, three mounting leg slots on the sides, and a slot for a power switch.

The second part is the gear plate. It has a bearing slot in the center and is the only moving part responsible for rotation. On its side, there is a mounting point for attaching a phone holder.

The third part is the top plate, where the object to be scanned is placed. This piece is fixed directly from its center to the base plate, ensuring that both remain completely stationary.

Additionally, the project includes a small gear that attaches to the stepper motor, three pins to secure the bearings, and three mounting legs. There are also extension arms and a holder plate for the phone.

If you don’t have a 3D printer, you can use PCBWay’s 3D printing service to get these parts. The STL files are available for free.

On the hardware side, four 608 ZZ bearings are needed to ensure smoother rotation. A few bolts and nuts are required to secure the stepper motor and phone holder. Lastly, a popular 28BYJ-48 hobby stepper motor will be used.

We will cover the electronic components in the next steps. Now, let’s start building by securing the bearings to the base.

1. Insert the pin pieces into the pin slots in the base piece, but not completely.
2. Then insert the bearings into the bearing housing and press the pins fully into the slots.
3. Then insert the 3 foot pieces into the foot slots in the base. It is tight enough, but you can fix it using M3 bolts if you wish.
4. Take the gear part and press one bearing into the bearing slot in the centre of the gear part.
5. Place the gear part on top of the base part.
6. Place the top plate so that the female slot in the top plate part matches the male slot in the centre of the base part.
7. Finally, insert the phone holder arms and stand and secure with M5 bolts and nuts.

The assembly of all 3D parts was completed. Manually rotate the gear part in the middle layer a few turns, if it rotates smoothly, remove the top plate and gear part, place the stepper motor in the slot and fix it with M3 bolts. Then insert the stepper motor gear. that's all! Now let's move on to the electronic step.

Looking at the electronics, this project uses an ESP8266 development board, allowing the rotating table to be controlled wirelessly if needed. For the stepper motor driver, the popular ULN2003 is used. A breadboard and a few jumper wires are needed to set up the circuit.

To power the system, a 9-Volts adapter will be used, along with a few capacitors and a voltage regulator to provide 5-Volts to the development board. A circuit diagram has been shared to help you build the breadboard setup. However, placing the breadboard inside the base may interfere with the rotating gear, and loose wires could cause disconnections or short circuits.

For this reason, a custom PCB will be used instead. A previously designed PCB is a perfect fit for this project. The power connector on the PCB has been updated, and the latest version is now available on the PCBWay project page.

Now, gather the necessary components and soldering tools—let’s start soldering!

If the soldering process for the PCB is complete, take the stepper motor driver chip and insert it into the board. Make sure to align it correctly—the notch on the chip should match the notch on the PCB.

Next, place the PCB onto the base plate and connect the stepper motor. Now, it’s time to set up the power connection. A 2-pin switch is used to turn the circuit on and off, but this is optional—you can also connect the power adapter directly.

Since this project uses an older PCB version, a barrel jack connection will be used. However, the updated PCB version includes a 2-pin terminal block for easier wiring. Cut the power cable to the appropriate length, connect it to the switch, and secure it by soldering. To prevent short circuits, I used electrical tape, but heat shrink tubing is recommended for a more secure connection.

Once the circuit is set up, we can move on to programming. Open the provided source code and update the pin numbers according to your motor connections. This is a simple code that makes the stepper motor rotate in one direction. After uploading the code to the board, insert it into the PCB and power it up.

On the first test, the motor stalled and made some noise. If this happens, try reversing the motor connections. You can either change the pin sequence in the code or simply flip the motor connector.

Now it works! The motor is running smoothly. Next, place the gear plate in the center. If the rotation is still smooth, attach the top plate as well.

As you can see, the rotating table is now fully functional and spins effortlessly. In the next step, we will explore the application side.

While researching 3D scanning apps for iPhone, I came across a great video on the Through Iris YouTube channel. This video reviews multiple apps, and for this project, I chose Polycam. Since the main focus of this project is the motorized rotating table, I will cover only the basic use of the app. If you also want to use Polycam, I recommend watching a step-by-step guide by Andrew Sink on YouTube.

After downloading the app, you can close the subscription page to continue testing it for free. In the scanning interface, you will find two capture modes. In Manual Mode, you need to press the shutter button for each capture, while in Auto Mode, you only need to press the Record button at the start and end of the scan.

Now, place the object you want to scan at the exact center of the rotating table. Then, mount your phone onto the holder, press the Record button, and start the rotating table. The app will automatically capture and save images at regular intervals as the table rotates. You can also reduce the motor step speed if needed—this can improve the scan quality. Based on the current step speed in the source code, a full rotation captures about 60 images.

Once the scan is complete, stop the recording and press Upload & Process in the app to finalize the scan. Now, your 3D mesh is ready! Looking at the results, I’m actually surprised by how well it turned out, even with a quick test scan. With more precise settings, I’m sure the details can be even better.

Finally, the scanned object can be exported in multiple file formats.

And that’s it! Another project completed. If you have any ideas or feedback, feel free to share them in the comments. Thanks for reading!