This week’s selection is the GalacTops series of air-powered spinning tops by Devon of YouTube channel Make Anything.
The spinning top works by blowing air through a straw at the top, where a series of vents shoots air conveniently sideways from the disk to provide propulsion for extreme rotation.
It’s a very simple design, and very effective too.
But the magic here is in the process Devon used to create the object. In the video he takes us through the process of iteratively designing a “perfect” spinning top by experimentation.
Devon started with this design and quickly moved to another.
And tried another.
And another. And many more. Designs were 3D printed on a Replicator and tested for speed, stability and ease of printing.
Eventually, the experiments led to the design above, which appears to be optimum, according to Devon.
But please watch the whole video, as the GalacTop is scaled up to large size and powered with:
Compressed air.
And a leaf blower!
You can print one of these yourself from a free Thingiverse download or if desired you can have Shapeways print one in metal or other materials for you.
Great design!
Via YouTube, Shapeways and Thingverse
