Clock (all plastic, with balance wheel)

thingiverse

This is a working, fully 3D printable clock designed completely in Tinkercad. It is all plastic, with no need for metal pins, fasteners or glue. With a bit of tinkering, I've managed to get accuracy to a few seconds in an hour, but you need to have a reasonable understanding of clocks to make it run smoothly (needs a little sanding where the anchor pallets contact the escapement wheel). The plastic mainspring can be printed in PLA, but tougher plastic will work better. A metal mainspring will last much longer, as the plastic loses its elasticity pretty quickly. Why did I make life so hard for myself by insisting it was completely plastic? Because that's the best way to understand the intricacies of how something works, and what design elements are important in making it as efficient as possible. With metal you can get away with a lot more variation. Haven't got time at the moment to share construction details. Will try to find the time later.