Miniature Toy Model

Miniature 3D printed mechanism

Material: PLA

Software: Autodesk Fusion 360, Bambu Studio

Hardware: Bambu 3D Printer

I began by constructing the box using the given components. I copied the provided assets into my personal folder and modified them as needed. This step became important when it was time to adjust the tolerances and personalize the design.

Prior to printing the entire model, I ran a series of 5 tests, during which I printed the full shaft and a sliced version of each connection point. Depending on how well each piece fit on the shaft, I continued to rescale.

Generally, I scaled all insertion points up by 0.5 mm. For instance, if a rod is 4 mm then the hole it goes in is 4.5 mm.

To top off the mechanism, I wanted to simulate a couple of people riding a seesaw. With this idea, a person would sit at the top of the "follower" and be attached to a block at the center (as pictured). The two people would then alternate heights by placing the CAM pieces at different starting points.

• I originally designed the "handle" and corresponding components using curved objects. However, I soon realized that this type of design would require supports, which I try to avoid whenever possible. Therefore, I redesigned the pieces so that they were rectangular with easy-to-cut square holes.
• Note: Every "round" design I've made in this class has caused me an extra headache. It seems many digital fabrication tools prefer perfectly straight lines. This makes sense, but the bias is a little frustrating for me ( a person who gravitates toward circular shapes.)
• The bottom insert on the person includes a bit of an overhang, so it needed a single support (tree) to print. But, because I fixed the other issues, it was the only component that required this. The printed support was easy to remove and left no artifact.

It was a bit tricky to put together, but overall it worked out well.

The CAMs were a hair too large and moved on the shaft. To fix this, it was suggested that I add a small piece of tape on either side so that it would not move out of place rather than reprint the pieces.