The Helix Tree

Please understand the number of this toy that you can purchase is limited to one until the end of February.

The Helix Tree is a marble run (science toy) designed by Yukari. This project began last year when she finally acquired a 3D printer, which she had long desired. The design resembles a Christmas tree, but as the process of designing and trial-and-error continued, Christmas passed, leading to its name, The Helix Tree.

When you rotate the handle on one of the snowflake-shaped gears clockwise, a spiral running through the center of the tree trunk lifts the balls. This mechanism, widely used in ball-lifting devices, is unique in The Helix Tree as it lifts balls simultaneously at three points. The lifted balls then roll along the green spirals, which represent the tree's leaves, and energetically fall onto the yellow dish, where they spin. Even if the balls temporarily jam on the dish, collisions among them help clear the jam, guiding them back onto the upward spiral. At the top of the tree, there is a decorative small stellated dodecahedron. The direction in which the balls roll down and the star rotates are opposite, creating a fascinating visual effect. To see how The Helix Tree operates, a short video uploaded on YouTube provides a clear demonstration.

The large green spiral part can be attached to the brown tree trunk in three different orientations. Depending on which part of the ball's journey you prefer to watch -- whether it's the balls falling onto the green spiral or rolling energetically towards the dish -- you can change the orientation accordingly. To prevent damage during transport, the large green spiral and the yellow star are packed separately, but they can be easily assembled without any tools.

The set includes 30 stainless steel bearing balls, each 10mm in diameter. If you wish to add more balls, please use stainless steel or iron balls of the same diameter. Although similar products use marble or glass balls, their inconsistent sizes and lesser mass compared to metal can impair the movement and rolling of the balls. Since the balls pose a choking hazard, adult supervision is necessary when children are playing with them. Like other PLA products, please avoid storing this toy in places where it is exposed to direct sunlight or high temperatures.

Unlike our regular products, we plan to add stock as needed for this item. It takes over 13 hours to print one set, so it will take some time before we can secure a substantial quantity. Please note that there may be minor design changes as we continue to improve the quality.

Material: PLA (Plastic), and Stainless balls and screws

Designer: Yukari

Origin: Made in Australia

Ages: 9+