Marblevator, Magnetic Tracks

myminifactory

I must admit my original reason for purchasing a 3D printer was to create marble machines. My first marble machine, the Marblevator, was published over six years ago. Since then, I've designed, 3D printed and assembled a number of marble machines using Autodesk Fusion360. It's time to update the original Marblevator using Fusion360 with a wider staircase, base and tracks to allow actual glass marbles (12mm) and neodymium magnets at each track section end for easier snap-together track assembly. To accommodate differing track lengths, I created and included the Autodesk Fusion360 file "Marblevator Tracks.f3d", which is a parametric track section generator. By adjusting two parameters - radius for curved track sections (right and left) and length for straight track sections - the track sections are immediately updated by Fusion360 and ready for 3D printing. In this tutorial, I'll detail how to assemble the Marblevator and a simple track. Using the "Marblevator Tracks.f3d" model, the track design options are endless. As usual, I probably forgot a file or two or made other mistakes, so feel free to ask questions. Designed using Autodesk Fusion 360, sliced with Cura 4.2.0, and printed in Ultimaker Tough PLA on an Ultimaker 2+ Extended, an Ultimaker 3 Extended, and an Ultimaker S5.