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Depending on your 3D printing preferences, you may think that functional 3D prints are the most frequent way you use your 3D printer. If there is a way to combine the functionality of something you need around the house with an artistic touch, then you can get yourself a really cool conversational piece to hang on your wall, and you will be the envy of your friends. There is no doubt that this 3D printed wall clock fits that description. As a result of the open design of the clock, you are able to see the gears and various aspects of what went into creating this unique piece of functional art. Due to the fact that this is a 3D print, you’ll be able to do thousands of different color combinations across the 38 parts that will need to be printed if you decide to make this yourself, since it’s a 3D print. JBV Creative is an engineer who spends his spare time being an artist, or an Artgineer as he puts it on his website, with his goal being to combine mechanical art that showcases motion.
JBV Creative’s 3D Printed Wall Clock
As for the 3D models itself, it is a fully functioning grandfather style clock that uses gravity and a traditional escapement to keep the time, and it is a fully functional clock. Depending on how high the clock is mounted, it can keep time for about six days after it has been wound fully. In spite of the fact that this clock has the look of a grandfather clock, it is quite different from your typical grandfather clock. This is because it has three separate faces on it for telling the hours, minutes, and seconds. A minute hand with a cam and follower for resetting the minute gear is one of my favorite hands on the watch. To complete the clock, some bearings and M4 screws will need to be purchased, although most of the parts can be 3D printed. Assembly is fairly easy and a very detailed video was made by JBV to help you get it together once everything is 3D printed.
Details on Making the 3D Printed Wall Clock
All of the work that was done the 3D printed wall clock was carried out on the Creality CR6SE 3D printer. It was my decision to use a single printer in order to ensure that the dimension tolerances would remain the same for all parts. This would not be affected by an additional external variable that could affect their dimensions. There was one power glitch while I was printing, and unfortunately I had to print it a second time as a result. It was decided to print as many prints as could fit on the build plate in colors that were similar to those of the rest of the prints. While I did, for the most part, follow JBV Creative’s suggested layouts for build plates, I did stray from them at times. This was primarily because of some of the colors I wanted to use, as well as my own preference for certain colors.
For this project, I used a variety of 3D printer filaments. To simulate the look of wood. I used Polyterra wood on the base and mainframe. For the gears it was Polymaker bronze filament, and for the pendulum, I used the Christmas edition filament from Polymaker. There were a number of metallic black pieces included in the project that were made from Hatchbox Metallic Shiny Black filament. I would recommend bumping the temperature up a few degrees for all silk prints in order to get better layer strength out of the parts in the end. It should also give the finished parts a shinier appearance, since this will also give them a shinier finish!
It should be noted that the 3D printed wall clock does require some additional parts that you won’t be able to print. In order to complete the kit, you will need 17 bearings, as well as several M4 bolts/nuts, to complete the project. The clock keeps time by using nylon string to support the weight, which is how the weight is supported. As a final step, you will need to obtain a weight. It is recommended that you use a dumbbell that weighs 5 pounds. There is a much cheaper alternative, however, and it will accomplish the same result as 5LB of rice. I would suggest that you make the clock with rocks from the garden or (really anything you can find) to elevate the weight of the clock so that gravity has the opportunity to do its job.
I am very impressed with the quality of this design for the most part. It was very easy to 3D print everything, and it was done without the use of any supports. The pendulum is the one part of the design that could use some improvement in terms of its design. The process of screwing together the sections without cracking the hollow tubes proved to be a very difficult one for me. I found that the most effective solution was to lightly sand the surface a bit. Then, I ran the retaining nut over the threads
Where Can I get the 3D Printed Wall Clock Model?
If you are interested in purchasing the 3D Printed Wall Clock model, head over to JBV Creative’s website and you can buy the files there for $20 CAD. If you don’t know how to print it yourself, then the option is on the page to purchase the fully printed clock for $400 CAD.
