Water Feature #1, Flower Watering Fountain.

myminifactory

My wonderful wife loves fountains and flowers, so when I built her this one, do I have to send her flowers anymore? This is one of the 3D printed fountains I designed and constructed using Sketchup 8 (free version), ReplicatorG and a Replicator 2 out of PLA - did I mention my wife loves fountains? The fountain cycles on and off at around a 30% duty cycle, simulating watering a flower causing it to grow. A video of the prototype is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn2RyhlZhEE, and is included in the download, although I'm not exactly a videographer so please pardon the poor quality. Builder Beware: This hydraulic/electrical/mechanical system was printed with PLA, so it will be finicky. Some parts require as little friction as possible (e.g. the cup, cork and magnet frame), while others must not move at all (e.g. the latch strip, motor mount). Once tuned in, parts that should remain stationary may benefit from a small amount of cyanoacrylate and/or silicon glue if necessary. This project is definitely not for the faint of heart - there are small parts that may require sanding, drilling and/or honing, as well as careful alignment and tuning. We've found that parts printed in certain colors fit perfectly, yet identical parts printed in different colors can be too tight or loose. Be patient with these parts, and be ready to sand/drill/hone them as needed to make them fit. Also, this project was built using PLA, which means we have no means of printing an ABS version - adjustments will undoubtedly need to be made for that. Study the "Fountain_Assembly.skp" file (hereinafter referred to as the Fountain Assembly) included in the download before and during construction. However, I'm pleased to report that the prototype has run continuously for over 200 hours now using a bench top power supply - so if you're ready with your tools and supplies, purchase the fountain specific parts, and build your own Water Feature #1, Flower Watering Fountain. If you need me to upload the .skp files, just let me know and I'll send them right over.