Snowball making machine

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❄️ Manual Snowball Machine - 100% Mechanical ❄️

Ready to be the king of the slopes this winter? This manual snowball maker is the ultimate ally for your battles. Forget freezing your hands and wasting time; with this design, you'll be able to generate ammunition in seconds efficiently and safely.

It's a 100% mechanical model, meaning it doesn't need batteries, power packs, or any kind of electronics. It can go everywhere with you! Pure and lasting fun!

🚀 Key Features

• 👨👩👧👦 Suitable for all ages: Its operation is so simple that anyone can use it.
• ⚙️ 100% Mechanical: Fully manual, no wires or electrical complications.
• 🏗️ 100% 3D Printable: All parts are printed, ensuring a complete DIY project.
• 🛡️ Safety Press: I have designed a press so that it's not necessary to put your hand inside when compacting the snow in the reservoir. Safety first!
• ⚪ 50mm diameter snowballs.
• 📦 Portable: Easily take it with you anywhere.

🛠️ Required Materials

To assemble this robust machine, you will only need:

• 🔩 Screws: 32 screws of 2.5 x 16 mm. (BT2.5x16 AA103)
• 🧵 Filament: Approximately 4 kg of material. It is a large and robust part designed to withstand compaction pressures.

🖨️ Printing Tips

To ensure the machine withstands intensive use and low temperatures, I recommend following these guidelines:

• 🌟 Print profile: I strongly recommend using the print profile I have uploaded by default, as it is optimized for the necessary structural strength. I have made over 500 snowballs and the result is optimal. A 0.8mm nozzle was used because the parts are large and 0.8 significantly reduces print time.
• 🧪 Recommended material: Ideally, it should be printed in PETG, due to its durability and better performance against pressure and cold.

📖 Usage Instructions.

1. Fill the reservoir with fresh snow.
2. Safely compact the snow. (It is recommended to use the separate press) It is important to compact the snow a little before turning the crank to form a sturdy snowball, otherwise the snowball will break.
3. Activate the mechanism, turn the crank and... done! You now have your perfect snowball in seconds.
4. Generate up to 3 snowballs with a single turn.

🛠️ Assembly

Assembly is very simple, just follow the video assembly instructions, just place the parts as shown in the video and screw them.
There is only one thing to keep in mind, and that is the position of the gears. Each gear has a mark made with a small circle, which must align when meshing the teeth. This point is VERY IMPORTANT as it will ensure that the two rollers are synchronized with each other and the spheres that form the snowball coincide.

🧩Design Challenges.
 

When designing this snowball making machine, I encountered several challenges that I had to solve in practice. When building the first prototypes, I observed the following problems.
 

⚙️ Gears.

One problem I encountered and had to solve was with the gears. The gears cannot be exposed; they must be completely isolated from the snow, because when they turn, they compact the snow between them, forming real blocks of ice between the teeth that completely prevent the crank from turning.

To solve this, I had to design a system that completely isolated the teeth from the snow, creating a perfectly fitted dome that prevents any snow entry, achieving excellent results.

💪🏻Robustness.

It is VERY IMPORTANT that the machine is robust. You don't want it to break on the first snowball you make. That's why I designed the machine considering the strong pressure exerted to compact snowballs. If the snow is not compacted firmly, the snowball breaks, so a good shaft is needed, with a diameter that allows for the generated pressures, and a resistant crank that won't break. That's why the shafts are 30mm in diameter and the crank is robust, with a sliding grip that facilitates turning and perfectly withstands all exerted pressure.

Did you like the design?
If it helps you win your snow battles, don't forget to Like ❤️ and share your print photos. I'd love to see your machines in action! ☃️.