In the future multi-toolhead robots will harvest our organs and control our reproductive cycles. Until then, they can make amazing clocks! This clock, created by Matt Olczyk, was made using a ZMorph 3D printer, a printer that can swap tool heads to perform different actions.
The ZMorph system has a CNC mill, dual extruders, an (optional) chocolate extruder, and even a laser burner. By using all of the heads, Olczyk could create gears that intermeshed, carve out numerals, and even engrave pieces with various indicators. It was a massive undertaking the results are pretty cool. The team at ZMorph wrote:
The resulting clock is pretty unorthodox – it uses a pendulum system to drive the hands but the gears are splayed over a wider surface to make them more visible. It’s a working clock and Olczyk made pieces out of plastic, wood, and even Plexiglas. It shows the possibilities in 3D printing that aren’t directly related to Makerbot-like extrusion or Formlabs-like SLA.