This was my first build with my first 3d printer (Prusa). It was a fun enjoyable project. Its been running for 2 days with 1 1/4 bottles of BBs. Thanks for the design, detailed instructions and videos. I am curious as to how and what programs you use design your clocks. Thanks
ian since you did this Clock, could you take a picture of the bottom half of page 9 and send it to me. mine is missing and every time I download the assembly instructions the bottome half of page nine is missing. I appreciate any help.
It is good to hear your first big print came out successfully. Thanks for posting.
I use TurboCAD to design things. This is mostly from familiarity. I see YouTube videos for Fusion 360 and think it may be much more powerful. Ultimately, I think all CAD programs can produce the same end result, so I see no reason to switch.
Each clock design starts as a simple 2D sketch to make sure the overall look is balanced and there is room for support posts to hold the front frame. I try various gear ratios and pendulum lengths to get it to look the way I want.
The next step is a 2D side profile to work out various thicknesses. Then I can finally produce the parts in 3D and put them into a complete 3D model of the clock. This allows me to check every gear pair for interferences that may not have been visible in the 2D models.
The final step is 3D printing to check again for things to work as expected. Most clocks average 2-3 rounds of prints before the design can be considered fully functional.