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Fab Academy Assignment:
1. Identify a project from any of the FabAcademy links and summarize what the student has set out to accomplish. What did they eventually complete and were they close to their original idea? Looking through their documentation (website) what did they explain as the most challenging part of the project? Include a link to the project documentation page in your answer. Embed an image of the selected project within your blog post. Not as an attachment.
I chose the project made by Andres Moreno of Chile. His project was to create a robot that could move autonomously throughout the lab to carry supplies and materials. His idea and what he ended up with were almost the same, and he completed most of what he wanted to do. The most challenging part for Moreno was the sensors and the control PCB, the circuits that helped control the root.
http://archive.fabacademy.org/archives/2016/fablabyachay/students/438/final.html
2. Why did you pick this project? What got your attention?
I chose this project because I was really curious to learn about how he got the robot to move on its own. It got my attention that not only it could do this, but that it could move up to 10 pounds of material. The overall functionality and technology the machine utilized got my attention.
3. What FabLab ideas are rattling in your head about what you would like to make or explore?
I’m really interested in what I’m working on right now, my air hockey table. I’m getting new ideas about goals, the siding, and new ways to do it every time I come to class. I really look forward to having more ideas in the future and eventually making them come to life.
4. What are some of your interests that you would like to connect to projects in the FabLab? (i.e. environment, sustainability, fashion, fabrics, jeweler, robotics, programming, woodworking, furniture design, product design, engineering, CAD software, medicine, etc.)
I would be really interesting on integrating product design with the Fab Lab. Making something that has a function and that others can use really intrigues me. Getting an opportunity the future to make these items is an aspect of the Fab Lab that excites me.
Diploma / Individual Fab Academy Certificates
1. digital fabrication principles and practices – 1 week
The basics of fabrication and learning to use the machines.
2. computer-aided design, manufacturing, and modeling – 1 week
Modeling and creating ideas on the computer.
3. computer-controlled cutting – 1 week
Using the computer to put plans to cut into action on a machine.
4. electronics design and production – 2 weeks
The use of circuits and other electronics to enhance projects.
5. computer-controlled machining – 1 week
Using the CNC milling machine.
6. embedded programming – 1 week
Using programming and code to enhance plans and projects.
7. 3D molding and casting – 1 week
Learning how to mold materials in 3 dimensions.
8. collaborative technical development and project management – 1 week
n/a
9. 3D scanning and printing – 1 week
Using the 3D printers and learning how to scan for them.
10. sensors, actuators, and displays – 2 weeks
Using these items to enhance a project through displays and lights.
11. interface and application programming – 1 week
Programming the project so that it the user can use it through its interface.
12. embedded networking and communications – 1 week
Connecting project to the network and learning how to use it to communicate.
13. machine design – 2 weeks
Going through the process of actually designing the machine.
14. digital fabrication applications and implications – 1 week
Printing out the project and learning what works and what doesn’t.
15. invention, intellectual property, and business models – 1 week
Copyrighting/protecting the work so that others cannot steal or profit from it.
16. digital fabrication project development – 2 weeks
Developing the project and taking the final steps to complete it.
Air Hockey Table:
Sketches of Table:
Video used for ideas/inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLLklvAQ8uk
Link to look into pucks and pushers:
Sketch 2:
This sketch shows the plans of adding blocks for support. It would total 5x11 blocks around, a total of 55. One thing that wouldn't hold true from this design is the size. It says 24x48 inches, but as I went further I reazlied that 24x12 is much more plausible.
Next I began to plan out the depth/horizontal aspect of the table. I needed to figure out how much room I would leave for the air flow and at the top to play on. this is what I initially decided on:
After considering the amount of materials and extra effort my current plan would take, I decided that resizing my table would be a good decision. This sketch began my newest and most current plan:
Inkscape Designs:
After these sketches, I started working in Inkscape. First I went to Makercase and downloaded plans for a box, and then I edited them to make them more like an air hockey table. I moved the holes on the top down so that I could make the top lower, flattened the top latches so the table would be smooth, and added rectangular holes for the goal. My Inkscape plans ended up looking like this:
However, I couldn't start by printing out the final project. I had to start with smaller models to correct the mistakes there. I started with a wooden model that was scaled down 4x times the size of the actual table. The Inkscape plans looked like this:
When I printed these plans out on wood, this was the final result:
After this, I realized I had left out the holes for the goal in this model. I made a quick edit and came up with new laser cutting plans that included them:
After making these plans, I made my full size cardboard model next.
This model was mainly successful. Aside from a few errors on gluing things together, it was sound. The air flow was pretty good and it's showing that I'm close to my final air hockey table.
Here are a couple videos of me testing it out:
What I did in the FabLab this week:
This week in the FabLab I spent most of my time working on my air hockey table. First, I finished up my laser cutter plans and made sure everything worked. After that, I spent the next two classes cutting it out and putting it together as a cardboard model. The result can be seen just above this paragraph. I found that the air worked pretty well, but there are corrections I can make in how I route it. Lastly, I spent a lot of time updating this blog. There had been a lot of work, sketches, and models I had done that I had forgotten to post, so I made sure to spend part of a class making sure it was all on here. Overall, I had very productive week, making a cardboard model and keeping up with this page.
What I did next:
I had now completed all of my cardboard prototyping, and then I figured out what I had to correct for the wooden model. I learned two things: the goal could have been made more effectively and there was a way I could make the floor of the table removable and easier to fix. After learning this, I corrected my Inkscape model, and it turned out like this:
Once I had done this, it was time to print my design. However, there weren't any 1/4" wooden boards to use, so I had to go into the wood shop and cut some new ones. I made a whole lot of them.
The next class after this, I spent the entire time on the laser cutter to print my entire table out. This is what all of the pieces stacked together looked like:
When I had finished doing this, it was time to start putting the table together. However, only the outer part of it was able to fit at first.
After this, I had realized the top pieces with the holes was a little too big. This was because of an error I made when resizing it for the new table design with less tabs. Instead of pulling the tabs in, I pulled them out, and it no longer fit in the table. To fix this, I went into the wood shop and use the saw to trim the sides down. Here are the lines I drew on the piece:
When I had completed this, I realized that the wooden pieces on the inside to hold the sheet up didn't fit correctly. So after that, I cut them down and glued them inside so it would work more efficiently. It looked like this:
Once I had done all of these steps, I was finally able to put in the top sheet with the holes:
Now that I had done this, the only things I had left to do was to experiment in rerouting the air so it spread more efficiently, and trimming down the goals so that they would fit into the upper sheet.
After doing this, I learned that the air was leaking from the table. To combat this, added more siding over the side where the air is inputted into the table. I also double layered the side opposite of that. This would make the siding longer so that the top sheet would fully cover the top, and this would mean that less air would leak from the sides. The result was this:
When I finished adding this siding, I looked to see how the table was fitting together.
It seemed to look good, but I quickly found out that there were a couple issues. The first of them was that the goals wouldn't really stay in. This was because the dimensions were slightly off. The second of these was that the top sheet with the holes was curved, so the progress I had made on the sides didn't do much because the air still got through the curved part of the board. Because of this, it was time to fine tune my project.
The three things I did to correct my project were:
1. Although I don't have an image or media of me doing this, I placed the top board under some heavy pieces of wood to help flatten it. I kept it under here during the time I was in class for a couple of classes. It didn't make the board perfectly flat, but it made a lot of progress in making it smoother and flattened out.
2. The second of these was to add more siding. I learned that the siding I put on wasn't enough; even when the board was flat there was still the potential for air to leak out and make it so that the puck couldn't float and the table wouldn't work. To fix this, I cut a couple strips of wood and glued them to the inside, creating another layer. After a little of time drying, I figured out my problem of the siding.
3. The last of these steps was to fix the goals. In the process of resizing the project slightly so it would fit on my wooden pieces, the goals and their slots became disproportionate. The slots were too large, and slightly off, so the goal wouldn't fit in the slots or within in the siding of the table. This took some work to overcome. The first thing I did was trim the goals on the sides to that they would fit within the sides. After I did this, I learned what I could to do to fix the slots. I sanded them down on the sides. This helped but it wasn't perfect; they still had a tendency to pop up and fall over. After this, I decided gluing them down was best option. This way they would be sturdy on the sheet and provide a goal that would stay up. Below is a picture of the goals being glued down into the top sheet:
After I had done this, my project was pretty much complete. Aside from the air system not being ideal (which I would have corrected more if the semester was longer), I had finally put all of the pieces the together and tweaked the issues of my project. It took a lot of drafts and sketches, but I was able to put them together into something I was proud of. Below is the last three pictures of my project, ones of my final prototype:
Slide for Air Hockey Table:
Project Final Description:
This air hockey table is a mini take on the regular air hockey table. Instead of 2' by 4', it's a quarter of the size at 1' by 2'. This small size makes the pushers for the puck unnecessary, leaving users to flick the puck with their fingers. The goals are also very small, at only about 6" wide. This makes its a small target for the users, making the games low scoring and very exciting.
The design of the table makes it very functional and practical. This starts with the air system. The intake hole is the size of the regulation vacuum at 1.75". This makes it so that almost any vacuum will work with the table. The air chamber inside is also very effective. There is extra siding on the inside that minimizes air leakage and allows the puck to float very effectively. The puck floats on a sheet with over 200 holes, each of which made at the same exact size. This table is a mini, but just as fun take on the regulation air hockey table, and it is a new and interesting way to play the game.
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