Tippy Top Redux

thingiverse

A fellow RepRap enthusiast suggested printing the original Tippy Top 1.0 by peterkernan the other day, and things took off from there. The two of us, Spec in irc/firebovine here, started hashing out what was working for each of our prints, and what didn't. We began experimenting with the models and decided to make a few adjustments. Here are those adjustments so far. Edit: 10 Dec 2014: Shortened the shaft by 2 mm. By doing this, the Tippy Top now turns on its top every time. Also printed one out in Nylon Bridge, shown above. This was printed at 245°C | 40 mm/s | 0.200 mm layer height. Color was added by using sharpies at the extruder feed point. The Red sharpie appears the best. The Nylon Bridge sanded better than expected. Instructions Upon researching this top, several modifications were found. Making the Tippy Top out of wood: Outline: http://www.goldentrianglewoodturners.org/GTW/Welcome_files/Making%20a%20Tippe%20Top.pdf Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnqUdxyWGj4 For the specific portion of the video that discusses requirements, this starts at 10 minutes. With these suggestions, the models in this remix were derived. Print suggestions: Base/Sphere: Layer height: 0.200 mm Material: PLA or ABS (Nylon is still being looked at) Infill: At least 30% or greater. This is important as the base gives the main rotational propulsion of the top. The infill should be the same as what is used for the Spindle, however at least 30% has been found to work reliably regardless of the Spindle infill. Shells: At least three shells! DO NOT WORRY ABOUT DROOPS FROM THE BRIDGING ON THE SPHERE. Once the putty, nickel, and Spindle are inserted into the sphere, the drooping will not be noticeable. It also acts as a catch for the putty. Spindle/Shaft: Layer height: 0.200 mm Material: PLA or ABS (Nylon is still being looked at) Infill: At least 30-50% for the Spindle. If printing in PLA or ABS, 30% should suffice as these materials have good strength to rotational forces. The higher the infill, the more strength the print will have when it falls off a table onto a hard surface. Shells: At least three shells! Once printed, remove any stringers and then lightly sand the outside of the Spindle print and the inside of the Sphere print. As per the original Tippy Top, take a nickel and some form of putty (Sculpty works well) and force it into the center of the sphere. After inserting the nickel check that the sphere sits pretty level when left alone. If it is level, insert the Spindle print into the sphere. If it is too hard, sand the Spindle some more until it is just a bit tight but not enough to require so much force that it breaks. That should do it and you can spin your top!