Model for Balancing Bird

thingiverse

The balancing bird is always fascinating for students to contemplate the mysteries of gravity or mass. It's really demanding to design a 3D model that prints perfectly. So, I decided to concentrate on the main math or physical concepts by adding three bolts to both wings and the tail. This theoretical bird gets the ideas across; it's not meant to be precise, but rather to convey the principles involved. Without the bolts, the bird has a decent balance at the beak, which is quite impressive. For those who dislike using bolts, there's another design with no adjustments that balances itself well at 20% infill. If needed, one can add some small rubber bumpers to find a nice balance. Print Settings Printer: FlashForge Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: 0.1mm to 0.2mm Infill: 20% or more Notes: Depending on the type of filament used, it may be necessary to print the bolts and the "bird" at different infill rates. Heavier bolts make it easier to find the balance. Post-Printing It might be necessary to clean the thread holes to smooth things out a bit. The bolts are scaled down slightly already; they should move freely in most cases. If needed, one can apply a small amount of hand lotion for easier movement. The flat-bottom stand can be tricky to remove from the building plate. If so, try using the one with grooves on a non-heated bed. Model bird with adjustments Model bird without adjustment The one with grooves at the bottom is easier to remove from the building plate. How I Designed This I built the model using 123D Design.