Marblevator Air

youmagine

Marblevator Air is the latest addition to my Marblevator Series of marble machines. Many fans of the Marblevator Series have shared links to videos featuring incredible marble machines that showcase impressive designs. Some of these designs incorporate drums, where marbles bounce off a drum surface and land in a catch bin. A few enthusiastic fans even challenged me to create a 3D printed Marblevator with drums, but I was initially hesitant. However, after visiting the Paul Boyer Museum of Animated Carvings with my wife, I became convinced that I should accept this challenge. Mr. Boyer's creations at the museum left us in awe, particularly his stunning marble machine featuring six drum heads. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and highly recommend taking a short detour from I-70 to explore this small yet exceptional museum showcasing Mr. Boyer's remarkable craftsmanship. If you're interested in experimenting with different drum head diameters (the included drum head is 50mm) and surface thicknesses (the included drum head is .4mm), I've provided the file "Marblevator Air Drumhead v0.f3d," an Autodesk Fusion 360 export of the drum head design. Designing, assembling, and testing Marblevator Air has presented some unique challenges. Creating a marble machine with drums requires precise alignment, operation, and maintenance. On a small scale, like this one printed in PLA, these challenges become even more significant. For optimal performance, I recommend using Marblevator Air on a smooth, solid, level surface such as granite or marble. Many local granite and marble suppliers are willing to provide scrap pieces at no cost if you show them the prototype video. Marblevator Air's assembly process involves a few non-3D printed items, which are described in the next step. Printing the 3D parts can be tricky due to the drum head surface's thinness (.4mm) and the required .1mm first layer thickness. While assembly is relatively straightforward, aligning the machine requires patience and time. As with any project, I may have overlooked a file or two, so please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions. I'm always willing to admit when I make mistakes. Marblevator Air was designed using Autodesk Fusion 360, sliced using Cura 2.6.2, and printed in PLA on an Ultimaker 2+ Extended and an Ultimaker 3 Extended.