Collaborate Disseminate
Computing used to run on punch cards. Great stacks of cards would run middling programs, with data output onto more punched cards in turn. [Nii] has built a machine in …read more Continue reading Paper Punching Machine Looks Like Cute Piece of Computer History Past
Flexures are one of those innocent-looking mechanisms that one finds inside practically any kind of consumer device. Providing constrained movements with small displacements, complete with controlled tension, they can be …read more Continue reading An Open Source Modular Flexure Construction Set
[Fraens] has been designing a number of fantastic 3D printed machines and making great videos that demonstrate how they work. The last installment was an automatic cigarette stuffing machine, and …read more Continue reading See the Forbidden Cigarette Machine in Action
There’s seldom anything as joyful and relaxing to watch as a simple marble run. Of course, the thing about letting marbles fall under gravity is that you eventually need to …read more Continue reading A 3D Printed Marble Run Features Neat Elevator Linkage
3D printers are great at creating complex geometry out of plastic, and that geometry can often pull off some impressive tricks. [DaveMakesStuff] found a way to generate geometry that draws …read more Continue reading Hand-Cranked Doodler Made Using a 3D Printer
The internal mechanisms that are used in timepieces have always been fascinating to watch, and are often works of art in their own right. You don’t have to live in …read more Continue reading Cool Mechanism Day: Two-Way To One-Way
The geometric chuck was a device that stacked up multiple rotating wheels that could vary their speed and their offset to a central shaft, in order to machine ornate designs …read more Continue reading Light Painting With An 19th Century Inspired Plotter
Dual extrusion systems for 3D printers have been around for quite a few years, but the additional cost, complexity, and hassle of printing with them have kept them off the workbenches of most hackers. [Jón Schone] from Proper Printing has …read more
The fortunate among us may very well have a bit of time off from work coming up, and while most of that time will likely be filled with family obligations and festivities, there’s probably going to be some downtime. And if you should happen to find yourself with a half …read more
Continue reading For Your Holiday Relaxation: the Clickspring Sundial Build Megacut
One of the major advantages of 3D printing is the ability to quickly test and then iterate on mechanical designs. [gzumwalt] does a lot of this, and has recently been working on various versions of a rigid chain mechanism. (Video, embedded below.)
A rigid-chain mechanism is one way of fitting …read more