Spinning Top with Articulated Arms

myminifactory

I was inspired by a 3D printed articulated butterfly to design a spinning top with articulated arms. The butterfly can be found at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2810756. I wanted the spinning top to be easy to print, so it prints in two pieces - the main body and arms and the handle. The main body is printed upside down to minimize support needed. I also made a comparison of how much it would cost to 3D print versus CNC machine the top, as a kind of "what if" we didn't have 3D printing. This comparison really highlights how amazing 3D printing is for home designers. The video can be seen at https://youtu.be/GG7DlSw-DoM. Please note that the best way to show appreciation and stay up-to-date on my latest 3D printing projects is to head over to my YouTube channel and subscribe! You can find me at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeQR9E-MPwBqEpuaIJiE4CQ. STL quantities to print: * Main Body and Arms, Articulated Top - QTY 1x * Handle, Articulated Top - QTY 1x Printing and Assembly: Print the main body upside down with arms pointing towards the ceiling to minimize support. The handle prints upright, so you will need to remove a little support from the overhanging section on the bottom of the handle. Once the main body is printed, be sure to "break loose" each arm and ensure that all the arms pivot and move smoothly. It helps to flush out any support material between the arms and the main body. Once support material is removed from the handle and main body, then the handle can be pressed into the top of the main body. You can use a little super glue or epoxy to fix the handle in place if you like. Note that when I scaled up the top by 2x, the handle was loose when pressed into the top. In this case, you will need to use super glue or epoxy.