Keep Your Sunny-side Up

2025

Category | 3D Printing · CAD · Fabrication

Tools | Fusion 360, MAYA, Zbrush, Subtance Painter

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Overview

This hand-cranked automaton is inspired by a personal moment. When my mother visited me in New York from China, she cooked me breakfast — as I hadn’t cooked myself breakfast for years.

I made this piece to preserve that memory. By turning the crank, the breakfast scene comes to life through gentle, rhythmic motion, expressing warmth and joy. As its title, Keep the Sunny Side Up, suggests, the piece carries a simple reminder to stay optimistic : )

Technical Details

The automaton is entirely mechanically driven, using a combination of gears, cranks, shafts, and cam-follower mechanisms to convert rotational input into coordinated vertical and rotational motion.

• Mechanism design:
  The hand crank drives a gear train connected to a horizontal shaft. Custom followers translate the shaft’s rotation into vertical movement for the animated elements on the tabletop, creating a rhythmic, looping motion.

• Fabrication & materials:

  • Structural and internal mechanical components (white parts) were 3D printed from Bambu White PLA, optimized for strength and tolerance.

  • The visible upper elements were 3D printed from HP 580 Nylon Powder , allowing for multi-color material (color texture) and light weight.

• Workflow:
  I was responsible for the project end-to-end:

  • Concept development and narrative framing

  • Mechanical layout and CAD design

  • 3D modeling in Fusion 360 / Maya / ZBrush

  • Print preparation, post-processing, and final assembly