Helios Works

3D Printed DIYbio Orbital Shaker V2.0

This is our second 3D printed orbital shaker design. It is significantly larger than the first, and includes a very useful rail system to hold containers on the platform during operation.

Orbital shakers are used in labs to agitate containers using a circular motion.

All the files for this project along with a video of the shaker in operation can be found on Thingiverse here.

3D Printed Centrifuge V2.0

This is our second 3D printed centrifuge design (designed in SketchUp). It uses a regular 12V DC motor, a toggle switch, a microswitch to automatically cut power when the lid is opened, and an acrylic panel to allow viewing of the centrifuge when in use.

All the files are available on Thingiverse here.

3D Printed Electric Screwdriver

This 3D printed electric screwdriver uses a 5v 9g servo converted for continuous rotation, an Arduino Nano, and a thumb joystick to actuate the servo forwards and backwards.

The design went through several iterations including a cordless version that turned out to be a bit too bulky.

A voltage regulator transforming 9v into 6v gives the servo just below maximum voltage, speeding it up.

A lot of work was put into stabilizing the bit. This included the most recent version which uses two instead of one 608zz ball bearings to straighten things out.

All the files are available on Thingiverse.

Industrial Design: Scale Model of Low-Speed Water Aerator

This is a scale model of low-speed water aerator used to prevent fresh water bodies from turning stagnant. The project's files are available on our Thingiverse account here. The rest of the story can be found here. The model features a working stepper motor and can be solar powered as well.

Industrial Design: USB Volume Knob

This USB volume knob is also available on our Thingiverse account here. A concrete infill gives it significant weight and stability. It has worked faithfully since it was built.

It was built to give easy, obvious control over computer volume levels, since speakers are placed behind monitors and keyboard shortcuts can be cumbersome. Concept renders are done with SketchUp and Vray.

DIYbio Projects: Lab Tube Blocks

These were laboratory tube blocks we custom designed and 3D printed for a local university as a gift for inviting us into their biotech lab and allowing us to take a look at their work. The 2nd image is a Vray render. The final image is the actual blocks printed out on a Ultimaker clone.