Geographic map clocks

I wanted to make time zone clocks for my office so I can figure out what time meetings are, what time my hometown is, and to make unique one of a kind gifts for others. I have made a couple sample designs to choose from but feel free to replicate the process for a location that you or others may find meaningful. 

Step 1. Generate terrain: Use any map to 3d model generator online to create the clock face. I used https://map2model.com/ which uses OpenStreetMap or Overture data and is free to use.

Just be sure to not make the data too large (ex. too many details or too big a map) as we will be manipulating it on a slicer program. I recommend a 200mm model width so it fits in most printers, choosing the lowest map details for urban locations as it is a lot of data and will take time to generate, and keeping the map circle scale to 1:20,000 to make it manageable. You can save it as a 3mf file if you have a multi-material printer available. I have included some random locations as samples.

Step 2. Once your map is generated, open it up on your preferred slicer program. Here you will familiarize yourself with the handy "Add negative volume" feature to add a cylinder that can be used to create a hole in the center to fit your clock hardware. Mine was 7.7 mm in diameter but your clock hardware may vary. The clock hands for the hour and minute designs may also differ depending on the hardware you get.

Step 3 (optional). You may also create dials on the clock face using by loading a model instead (I have added a Swiss train clock inspired design in the project files) or adding text. Center/align the features to the clock face and slice the design. If you have a printer that is capable of different colors/materials, you do not need to use this option but can just use the color function.

Step 4. Print the sliced file and assemble the watch hardware. Feel free to experiment with different filaments or watch hand designs (ex. maybe a taxi cab minute hand for London). I recommend getting a high torque clock mechanism so your watch hands can be a bit heavier with added designs. I have added some sample watch hand designs to give you an idea of what sizing is required. Feel free to change the filament to give a contrast, use flexible materials for weird hands, or even add glow in the dark effects.

Tip: For the second hand, I recommend you print slowly with max cooling or just print multiple spaced out so the layers have time to cool.

Step 5 (optional). Call your parents.