Jun 7, 2015 | By Alec
3D printing technology has already proven itself as a fantastic tool for making all sorts of miniatures for tabletop gamers, collectors and even for fans of video games. But designer Daniel Fox proves once again that these miniatures don’t have to be single-piece blobs of plastic. They can have a purpose. So instead, he has created an intricate automaton miniature of a man doing pushups. And what’s more, it actually works. Just turn the crank to set the pushup movement in motion.
As Daniel explains to 3ders.org, he began on this very impressive project to test the limits and possibilities of 3D printing technology. ‘I realized that [3D printing] will have a great impact on many different industries, so I decided to buy a printer and start learning more about the process,’ he tells us. ‘I wanted to make things that have a purpose, rather than using it for various trinkets and statues, so I began looking into simple mechanics. I found many wooden automatons online that people had made. I thought they were an interesting way to put simple machines to practical use so I went from there.’ And with a background in 3D Imaging and Animation, it was a challenge he gladly accepted.
But as you can see in the clip below, his pushup automaton is everything but simply. It’s intricate, but remains very repetitive enabling the machine to ‘reset’ itself every turn. And as Daniel does a lot of pushups himself, it was an obvious choice to make. ‘In my research on other automatons that people had made, I found that many of them left the mechanism visibly attached to the exterior of the figure. I challenged myself to instead hide the mechanics within, or make them less visible at least,’ he says.
And as you can see in the clip, he has definitely succeeded in doing that. The entire automaton works rather simply as well with a single crank that rotates the main axle. This, in turn, will set a series of arms into motion, all the way up to the man’s forarms. ‘The back and forth motion acts on the figure's elbow hinge to lower and raise the torso. There is an independently moving axle inside the shoulder area of the torso, which allows for forward and backward motion. Since the shoulders are on a single-plane hinge, the body needs to move forward and backward in order to be raised and lowered while still being secured to the platform,’ Daniel explains. He has also added a pair of hinges to the ankles to support this movement.
As you might expect, the design process for this impressive automaton was extensive. Using 3D Studio Max software, Daniel spent most of the time perfecting the animated parts. ‘It was designed by virtual trial and error as I made adjustments to the sizes of different objects,’ Daniel says. As such, it is quite difficult to say exactly how much time went into the design process. ‘I tend to visualize an idea for a while before even sketching it out on paper or in 3D. I thought about the mechanics and the motion for a few days and had the concept down in my head before even bringing it into the computer to virtually sketch it out. By then it was just figuring out the specific lengths and sizes.’
After that lengthy design process was completed, Daniel 3D printed everything on his XYZ DaVinci 2.0 3D Printer. Relying on ABS filament, it took about four standard spools of filament to complete, though Daniel did need to reprint a couple of parts a few times to ensure that the designs were as efficient and sturdy as possible. All in all, it took about 290 hours of 3D printing to complete! Really the only thing about the finished model that haven’t been 3D printed are a couple of nuts and bolts and some wooden pins.
But the results are, as you can see for yourself, definitely worth it. While the rest of us are usually just 3D printing small toys and accessories, a gorgeous and intricate automaton like this truly captures the potential of 3D printing technology. As for Daniel, he has definitely caught the 3D printing bug and is already brainstorming about follow-up ideas. We will doubtlessly hear more from him in the future.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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