3D Printed Pendulum Clock

thingiverse

This is a 3D printed pendulum clock with an 8-day runtime and an accuracy of around 1-2 minutes per week. The primary goal while designing this clock was to make it functional as an accurate time keeper. It has a deadbeat escapement which remains accurate with variations in weight or power train friction. I wanted it to have a long runtime so it would still be keeping time if I was away for a few days. It took a few refinements and a few internal metal components to reduce friction enough to allow an 8-day runtime. The gear outlines and escapement were designed using Gearotic with final cleanup in TurboCAD. All the parts were printed on a Prusa MK3 in PLA with a standard single color print head. Layer changes were used to print highlights on the dial. The total print time is just under 90 hours. The design was made to look as much like a traditional brass clock as possible. The gears were printed in gold and made as symetrical as possible. I wanted a traditional Roman numeral dial including the use of "IIII" instead of "IV" at 4 oclock. This design has evolved for about 6-8 months until it has reached the current form. I am quite pleased with how it looks. It won a prize in the Hackaday.io 3D Printed Gears, Cams, and Pulleys contest at https://hackaday.io/project/163814-3d-printed-pendulum-clock. It also has a really bad YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imYTm0Vh5TA (Mostly, just proof that it works) Steve 22-Apr-19 Update: Added keyhole_hanger.stl that can be used if you have trouble finding metal keyhole hangers. Print with at least 50% density. Also added split versions of front and back frames to be used on printers with small print plates. The front/back_frame_split_top.stl and front/back_frame_split_bottom.stl files replace the one-piece frame components. Epoxy the parts together with 2" pieces of 6-32 threaded rod for strength. 04-Sep-19 Update: Added split version of weight hanger to allow printing on smaller printers. The maximum height of either half is under 100mm. Print weight_shell_split_top and weight_shell_split_bottom. The two components join together using four 6x1-5/8" drywall screws. As an added benefit, the lower portion of the weight shell is stackable to create any height weight shell. This might be useful to create a taller weight shell that can be filled with lower density material such as copper or steel. 07-Oct-19 Update: Re-uploaded identical copies of the split weight shell to let them be processed again. It looks like they are now able to be seen in Thingview mode. Also added weight_shell_split_bottom_quarter which is a 1/4 height weight shell adder if you need a slight weight increase. 19-Feb-20 Update: Added Pendeluhr_Bauanleitung_Deutsch_.pdf German translated instructions that were graciously provided by Henri Huber. 30-Apr-20 Update: Added shaft17_3piece.stl which is a 3 piece pendulum shaft for small delta printers that could not fit the two piece shaft.