The Fantastical Gyroscopic Heart Gears Valentine!

thingiverse

When you combine the Amazing Gyroscopic Cube Gears and the Fantastical Heart Gears with some extra hearts for fun, what do you get? The ultimate 3D-printed mechanical Valentine of course. After creating the Fantastical Heart Gears for my wife last year's Valentine Day, I wanted to make something even wilder this time around. So I got inspiration from my earlier creations and thought it would be cool if the heart was suspended on an arrow and rotating smoothly. Well, everything fell into place quite nicely. Here's a video showing it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeIc8Mj0ykQ&feature=youtu.be My 8-year-old daughter helped with the video to demonstrate how easy it is to turn. She kept stopping and starting to try and stop it at a point where the heart was reforming in a different position than before. As I count the rotations, I believe that this Valentine goes through around 12 cycles at about 3 turns each time until the heart returns to its original position. Update - as per request, I modified the heart parts by thickening up areas where walls were too thin, adding "Thicker" at the beginning of their names. **Assembly Instructions** All pieces fit together using a snap-fit mechanism. No glue or screws are needed, just good fitting and lubrication to make sure everything turns freely. You should ensure each piece fits perfectly and turns without getting stuck. If you're lucky, it might not even require much cleanup for printing! I use CRC Heavy Duty Silicone lubricant on mine which works wonderfully even after a few years and requires only a moderate speed to work properly. **Print Settings** All pieces were printed at 0.2mm layer height with 10% infill using two shells each. For the heart, I had my slicer start from the inside out as that approach helps prevent overhangs on it. With other parts, the outside-in was more suitable to ensure exact dimensions for better fit. **Let's Assemble** The process is relatively simple: Start with the heart gears and arrow pins assembling in the same order they originally were designed (Three Heart Gears from Emmett). Next, lock both the tail pin and point pin into their respective places. Turn it on a drill to break in and add lubricant to every crevice until everything moves smoothly. Watch how this looks in this video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU0gSY0Jz88