Kinetic Sculpture for Prusa MK3S

thingiverse

Inspired by David Roy's kinetic sculptures, I created this rotation indicator for my Prusa MK3S, driven by a planetary gear system that lets spirals turn in various directions. I engineered everything to be held together by nine 8x3mm neodymium round magnets, requiring almost no glue at all. Assembly involves the following steps: - Place five planet gears into holes on the flat side of the base plate (the four rings fit snugly into screw holes on your extruder). - Fit three magnets with one end into the sun gear's inlet. - Secure them with five more magnets from the flat side of the gear, creating an axis where everything rests. - Insert the side with the three magnets through the flat side of the base plate; gears should now turn freely. - Glue the coupling to the outer gear ring's flat side, using magnets to center holes. - Press fit the inner spiral, spirals facing left, all the way into the coupling. - Fit the last magnet into the hole of the outer spiral, paying attention to magnet orientation. - Combine the outer spiral (facing right) with the rest of the magnets; everything should hold together except for the base plate with the five planet gears. You can put your old indicator on top if you like. - Carry the entire construction to your extruder and let go once the magnets snap onto the motor shaft; press the base plate into screw holes on the motor. Done! Check it out in motion: https://youtu.be/TISsHycrOuQ Note: If rotation gets stuck, don't worry – it won't affect your printer. It will wiggle free with the next retraction move.