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Introduction to Resistant Materials
Introduction to Resistant Materials
This project is an extension of the principles of resistant materials introduced in Year 7 with a focus upon the responsible use of plastics, how they can be produced and shaped and finished using hand, CAD-CAM and thermoforming techniques for example line-bending using a strip heater.
Problem solving and numeracy skills are encouraged with the introduction of traditional 'plane geometry' via the use of compass and protractor.
Google Classroom
Google Classroom
All online tasks will be set via the Google Classroom for this topic. Click the image to go to the classroom. Use the class code p43kwzb to join.
Project Booklet
Project Booklet
Yr8 - Design Folio (Mobile Phone Holder).pdfGeometric Constructions
Geometric Constructions
Using a compass to create wonderful, accurately drawn shapes and learning through www.mathsisfun.com Scroll down on the embedded section to see the full list.
Laser Cutting
Laser Cutting
Laser cutters are used to cut or engrave thin sheets of material. It is usually used on flat, two-dimensional surfaces however can also be used to cut or engrave cylindrical shapes too.
Essentially, the laser produces extremely high, but controlled, localised amounts of heat. This heat is used to vaporize a specific depth of material, removing it from the parent object. This way we can either engrave (removing some of the material) or cut (removing the full thickness of material).
This process can only generally be done on surfaces which do not have surface deviations (that is they are not rough or 'hilly'). The reason for this is that the distance between the laser lens and the surface of the material (called the focal distance) must remain constant to avoid a reduction in power transmission.
In plain speak, if you've ever tried to burn something with the sun and a magnifying glass, you'll know that if you lose the beam focus, the object won't burn as well!
What does LASER stand for?
Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, basically creating a tiny columnated (narrow) beam of high intensity light which carries a very high energy wave capable of producing intense heat. It is this heat that does the 'work' in a laser cutter.
Disadvantages of laser cutting
Disadvantages of laser cutting
Generally only possible on thin flat sheets.
Cannot be done on rough surfaces.
Thickness limited by machine power.
Cannot produce undercuts or out-of-plane profiles (think rounded edges).
Laser cutting is sometimes confused with plasma cutting (like above). Plasma cutting is achieved by igniting flammable gases to create a superheated gas called 'plasma'. If we did this to plastic there'd be nothing left over!
Fun Fact! Plasma is what is found around the outside of black holes when stars are pulled apart by the massive gravitational forces.
Line Bending
Line Bending
Line bending (or strip heating) is a process used to make straight bends across thin sheet thermoplastic. It is usually applied to acrylic which lends itself very well to line bending because it is very 'forgiving' of mistakes. It is easy to re-heat and re-bend as necessary.
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