Flying Tourbillon Model

thingiverse

This is a simple model of a Swiss lever flying tourbillon as found in many high-end watches. A tourbillon is a feature designed by Breguet to counter gravitational errors on the balance spring and improve watch accuracy. This tourbillon, however, was created by me as a method to demonstrate horological expertise to others. Vocabulary lesson: A tourbillon is a mechanism that counters the effects of gravity by rotating the escapement and balance wheel so all errors average out. "Flying" refers to a cantilevered design that uses only one pivot. It sounds more dramatic and sells more watches than "cantilevered." The Swiss lever is the most common mechanical watch escapement in the world, originally invented by Thomas Mudge. Its simplicity and ability to self-start account for its popularity despite less-than-ideal efficiency and sliding friction from the pallets. Originally, I wanted it to be powered by my ID tags, but it requires more weight or a bigger spocket. So now it runs off of six quarters taped to the end of my ID tag chain (standard #3 ball chain). It keeps fairly accurate time at 1 RPM, but I left holes in the balance wheel into which one can thread grub screws to adjust the speed. See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy9oI43SeyU&feature=youtu.be I designed it yesterday evening and printed it this morning, so I may not have caught all errors. It seems to work quite well, but please shoot me a comment should anyone discover any issues while attempting to make one. I attempted to keep the part count (printed and hardware) as low as possible. In addition to the printed pieces (less than four hours of print time and 32g plastic), this design requires the following: 3 x 20mm long 2mm shafts 1 x 30mm long 3mm shaft 2 x 6x2.5x3 RC helicopter bearings Here are links for the non-printed components I used. Anything comparable will do. Bearings: https://www.amazon.com/Sixteen-MR63-3x6x2mm-Precision-Bearings/dp/B01M0VV96I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1483062996&sr=8-2&keywords=3mm+id+ball+bearing 3mm rods: https://www.amazon.com/10Pcs-Stainless-Steel-Cylinder-Linear/dp/B00JR56KI0/ref=sr_1_1?rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1483063060&sr=8-1&keywords=3mm+shaft&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011 2mm rods: https://www.amazon.com/20Pcs-Stainless-Steel-Round-150mmx2mm/dp/B00KHUR5AQ/ref=sr_1_1?rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1483063100&sr=8-1&keywords=2mm+shaft&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011 Inspiration: https://www.bulleit.com/whiskeys/bulleit-rye/ UPDATE 04FEB17: Due to several requests for designs that do not require metal shafts and ball bearings (and also due to my temporary loss of access to my Dremel), I created a new version using filament shafts. This new version is just as reliable as the previous one, although operation is a little rougher. I doubt many of my other designs will be as forgiving of the filament shaft conversion, but who knows? Anyway, I would be interested in hearing about others' experiences with this update and whether it's something worth pursuing in future designs even after I am reunited with my Dremel. UPDATE JAN18: new PLA spring-powered variant https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2751917 Print Settings: Printer: Reach 3D printer Rafts: Doesn't Matter Supports: Yes Resolution: .2 Infill: 30% Notes: printed using hatchbox PLA at 195/60 at 40mm/s. Supports are required for the pallets, but nothing else needs them. Total print time: 3:41. Post-Printing: Aside from enlarging shaft holes with drill bits, it started ticking immediately after assembly. Some sanding of the gear teeth improved reliability.