Top Spinner

thingiverse

The high-tech top has caught my eye, especially after seeing the pricey ones online that cost upwards of $1,000. It's got me thinking about high-tech kid toys in a new light. I designed this top after creating some roller-nearing spinner toys for my daughter. This one is the next step. Tops that wobble and turn just 20 times before falling aren't much fun. I think stability is key to a long-spinning top. We're not talking about a $1,000 top made with a CNC lathe, but rather one 3D printed from plastic, which has hardly any weight. Stability comes with added weights, and the heavier they are, the more momentum it will have. This top was designed to hold six 6 3/8-inch nuts and a 1/4-inch ball bearing on the bottom. The key to this top is balancing the nuts to keep the weight as evenly distributed as possible. Each nut varies slightly in size and weight, so it's essential to weigh them individually. Using high precision will result in a nicer part. I recommend using standard PLA since pressing the nuts into the top may crack it. The previous top I printed was made with standard PLA and turned out great without cracking. Perhaps soaking the top in hot water before pressing might help soften the PLA, but when the plastic cools, it might crack under stress. I haven't tried this approach, just a suggestion. I printed my tops with three shells and 15% infill, but it doesn't make much of a difference.