Automaton generator Pro

Turn the crank and the figures on the box come alive.

Open Automaton in the app Pro generator: explore its settings in the app; cut files come with the Pro plan (coming soon).

A laser-cut automaton: a box with cams on a shaft and a bird, a fish and a digger arm on top

In short: A box with a crank: cams on a shaft lift follower rods, and figures on top nod or bob as you turn it. Up to three figures (bird, fish, digger arm, flower), each with its own cam and motion. The followers are worked out from the cam outlines and checked for collisions through a full turn.

A mechanical automaton: a box with a crank, cams on a shaft inside, and follower rods that lift the figures on top. Choose up to three figures (a bird, a fish, a digger arm or a flower), each with its own cam and motion: a bird pecks, a fish bobs, an arm nods. By default they take turns; switch that off and they move together.

Designing cams by hand is fiddly, because the shape of the cam decides the motion and the follower has to stay on it all the way round. Here the followers' motion is worked out from the cam outlines, and the whole box is checked for overlaps through a full turn of the crank, with each follower riding on its cam.

You can set the size of the figures and how far each cam lifts; the box grows to fit.

You need: plywood, dowel for the shaft and pins, and glue.

Settings

All of these can be changed in the app, and the 3D preview updates as you type. The name under each setting is its key in a share link, e.g. https://laserpuzzle.app/app/#/automaton?figures=…; a link only needs the settings that differ from the defaults.

Scene

Setting	Default	What it does
Figures `figures`	3	How many figures stand on the box, each driven by its own cam. From 1 to 3.
Figure size `figure_size`	60 mm	Length of a figure. The box grows with it. From 50 to 160 mm.
Lift `lift`	12 mm	How far each cam raises its rod. A nodding figure tips further the more it is lifted. From 4 to 30 mm.
Take turns `take_turns`	on	Turn the cams so the figures move one after another; off: all together.

Figure 1

Setting	Default	What it does
Figure `figure_1`	bird	Options: bird, fish, digger arm, flower.
Motion `motion_1`	nod	Nod: tips on a pin, its head or arm going up and down. Bob: rides up and down on its rod. Options: nod, bob.
Cam `cam_1`	double	Round: smooth, once per turn. Egg: a quick rise and fall, then a rest. Double / triple: two or three times per turn. Options: round, egg, double, triple.

Figure 2

Setting	Default	What it does
Figure `figure_2`	fish	Options: bird, fish, digger arm, flower.
Motion `motion_2`	bob	Nod: tips on a pin, its head or arm going up and down. Bob: rides up and down on its rod. Options: nod, bob.
Cam `cam_2`	round	Round: smooth, once per turn. Egg: a quick rise and fall, then a rest. Double / triple: two or three times per turn. Options: round, egg, double, triple.

Figure 3

Setting	Default	What it does
Figure `figure_3`	digger arm	Options: bird, fish, digger arm, flower.
Motion `motion_3`	nod	Nod: tips on a pin, its head or arm going up and down. Bob: rides up and down on its rod. Options: nod, bob.
Cam `cam_3`	egg	Round: smooth, once per turn. Egg: a quick rise and fall, then a rest. Double / triple: two or three times per turn. Options: round, egg, double, triple.

Box

Setting	Default	What it does
Cam thickness `cam_layers`	2 sheets	Sheets glued together per cam. Thicker cams wear less and keep the foot steady. From 1 to 4 sheets.
Windows `windows`	on	Openings in the front and back to watch the cams.

Pins

Setting	Default	What it does
Pin diameter `pin_diameter`	4 mm	Measured diameter of the dowel or rod used for the camshaft, follower rods and pins. From 2 to 8 mm.
Press-fit hole offset `press_fit`	-0.1 mm	Hole = pin + this, where a pin is fixed (and in the wheels). Find it with the fit-test hole strip. From -1 to 1 mm.
Axle hole offset `axle_fit`	0.2 mm	Hole = pin + this, where an axle or shaft turns, or a pin has to come out by hand. From -0.2 to 1 mm.

Plus the material and machine settings every generator has: material thickness, kerf, slot clearance, sheet width, sheet height, part spacing, engrave part labels, cut line colour, engrave line colour.

Related generators

Two large laser-cut gears and a small pinion in a frame with a crank

Pro