Marblevator, Magnetic Tracks

thingiverse

I must admit that my original reason for purchasing a 3D printer was to create marble machines that would amaze and entertain. My first marble machine, the Marblevator, was published over six years ago and has been a benchmark for innovation in this field ever since. Since then, I've designed, 3D printed, and assembled numerous marble machines using Autodesk Fusion360, and it's about time to update the original Marblevator using Fusion360 to feature a wider staircase, base, and tracks that allow for the use of actual glass marbles (12mm) and neodymium magnets at each track section end for easier assembly. To cater to differing track lengths, I created (and included) the Autodesk Fusion360 File "Marblevator Tracks.f3d" which is a parametric track section generator. By simply altering 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 will detail how I assembled the Marblevator and a simple track. However, by using the "Marblevator Tracks.f3d" model, the track design options are endless. I probably forgot a file or two or who knows what else, so if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask as I make plenty of mistakes. Designed using Autodesk Fusion 360, sliced using Cura 4.2.0, and printed in Ultimaker Tough PLA on an Ultimaker 2+ Extended, an Ultimaker 3 Extended, and an Ultimaker S5.