Spin N Scan, a Simple 3-D Modelling Machine

Ever wanted to make a replica of an object easily? Ever wanted to 3-D print an object, but you had no expertise in 3-D modelling? If these issues have every been encountered in your life, this is the project for you.

This project uses a small motor, a simple circuit, an old iPhone with a case, and some pieces of wood. Follow the instructions and you too can easily replicate any small object.

This project can easily be completed in less an hour and a half, if you have past expertise in this field (wiring and woodwork) As for pricing, it's hard for me to tell, as I completed this with object found around my house, but I can't imagine it costing more than 15$ for everything.

Step 1: Materials

Lots of wood, and a power sander + saw to get the pieces to the size I had them as.

A breadboard

Phone with a solid phone case

Small motor, small enough to fit in the case that is built.

A washer to rotate the plate as well as some screws for construct it

Wood glue and superglue

9 volt Battery and a battery case

A button, wires, and a resistor for the project, to connect the motor and control the power to it, like the picture provided.

Step 2: Base

Create a base, no specific size is required, but try to make it a bit larger than you plan the scanner to be. After you have obtained the base, make a protective house to hold the motor in, in the center of the base. You can use wood glue to glue it down.

Step 3: Arm

The arm should to be roughly 8-10 inches long and an inch wide and tall. First, before altering the size too much, drill a hole in the center just like in the picture. Drill a hole the same size in the phone case, in the lower right quadrant.

Step 4: Attaching the Phone

I highly recommend sanding the shape of the arm to the size I have, to minimize weight that the motor has to push, but it is not a requirement. Just screw the phone case into the arm, just like in the photo.

Step 5: Tray/Table

Next is the table to hold the scanned object. Construct a table with the same method you used for the phone, with drilling in the center of a rectangular piece of wood. Make the table as large as the cover underneath it, as doing so will make it large enough to pick up the object and not large enough to cause any jam with the arm.Unlike the arm, this part has a washer in between the bottom and top part, so it can rotate to mess with the arm if it gets messed up. Drill a hole on the other side of the bottom of this part after you finish as well as the base, to screw it into place, and make sure the plate covers the entire house for the motor.

Step 6: Arm to House

Drill a hole in the other end of the arm, like the one provided in the photo, and a hole in the house. The hole should have room for the rotating end of the motor, so the arm can then be superglued to the motor.

Step 7: Final Touches

Put the motor in, attach the breadboard with this wiring setup (again, with a motor instead of a LED and a different type of battery) and you have the entire machine done. Download the app, 123D Catch on the iPhone. This app lets you scan an object by walking around and talking photos of it, so you can easily use the device to simulate walking around the object. Just spin the arm roughly 5 degrees and take a photo every time (in the app) and your object will be modeled. If the object does not come out to your liking, I recommend the program MeshMixer to edit the STL file to something more pleasing.

Step 8: Conclusion

Thank you for reading my Instructable! I created this because a lot of my classmates required help with 3-D modelling, and I was overwhelmed with my own work. I also tried to make this as user-friendly as possible, so anyone could use it. The steps for printing this vary by printer, but to my knowledge every printing program accepts STL files, which this app will provide.

Any feedback would be appreciated!