Marblevator Air

myminifactory

"Marblevator Air" is the latest creation in my "Marblevator Series," a series of marble machines that continue to amaze fans worldwide. Fans of the Marblevators Series have shared incredible videos of marble machines that feature drums, where marbles bounce off a drum surface and land in a catch bin. Some fans took it even further by challenging me to design a 3D printed Marblevator with drums, which I initially hesitated to do. However, after visiting the "Paul Boyer Museum of Animated Carvings," I was convinced that I should take on the challenge. Mr. Boyer's incredible automata inspired me, particularly his stunning marble machine featuring six drum heads! Our visit to the museum was an unforgettable experience, and we highly recommend taking a short detour north of I-70 in Kansas to see this remarkable craftsmanship. If you want to experiment with different drum head diameters (the included drum head is 50mm) and drum surface thicknesses (the included drum head is .4mm), I've included the file "Marblevator Air Drumhead v0.f3d," an Autodesk Fusion 360 export of the drum head design. Designing, assembling, and testing Marblevator Air was a challenging but rewarding experience. A marble machine with drums requires precise alignment, operation, and maintenance; this small model printed in PLA is even more demanding. For optimal performance, I recommend using a smooth, solid, level surface like granite or marble. Fortunately, suppliers were willing to provide me with scrap pieces at no cost after showing them the prototype Marblevator Air video. You can purchase small squares of granite and marble online if needed. Completing a Marblevator Air requires some non-3D printed items as described in the next step, and the 3D printed parts can be tricky to print (the drum head surface is only .4mm thick and requires a .1mm first layer thickness). Assembly is relatively easy, but alignment demands patience and time. As usual, I might have forgotten some files or details, so please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions. I make mistakes, and I appreciate your feedback. Designed using Autodesk Fusion 360, sliced with Cura 2.6.2, and printed in PLA on an Ultimaker 2+ Extended and an Ultimaker 3 Extended.