Final Project Journal

Background Story

During my bachelor studies as a product designer, I gradually developed an interest in the concept of upcycling waste. Over time, my enthusiasm for business grew, along with the desire to turn ideas into profitable projects. When these two interests overlapped, I began to see the growing potential of transforming household waste into useful products for a specific target audience. From a market perspective, I view this as an untapped opportunity. On the design side, I believe there has been minimal effort in the area of organic waste upcycling. That’s why I see great potential in exploring this field further, transforming household organic waste into something genuinely valuable for a target group and creating products that are both useful and viable in the market from a strategic standpoint.

In addition to that, I’m very passionate about experimenting with materials and different production techniques, especially molding.

How the Idea is Relevant to the Maker Diploma Final Project

After being selected for the UFM scholarship, I wanted to make the most of the opportunity by capitalizing on my interest in upcycling. At first, the concept was complex: I initially wanted to transform organic household peels into a functional product, such as soap. I aimed to integrate the entire upcycling process into a single project. However, after multiple feedback rounds, I realized it wasn’t feasible, especially within the limited timeframe of the project.
I started simplifying the concept, gradually narrowing the focus until I settled on a core function: rolling. I decided to create paper pulp material where the organic waste becomes the hero of the material. Through a rolling technique, I’ll produce thick, upcycled paper intended for practical use.

Software:

As for the 3D printing fabrication, I have used Ultimaker Cura

Material: PLA

Duration: almost 10 hrs (overnight printing)

Process:

I started with the 3D printing part, printing 2 rollers attached to rods and gears separately. As a trial, I fabricated a scaled-down version to test the rolling mechanism.

I transferred the cura file to the lab's SD card, inserted the SD card in the machine, and chose the file.  (find attached)

After fabrication, the mechanism was the same as the 3d model which seemed to work fine. However, the roller itself had some issues with the finishing and this was mainly because I did not add support. Afterward, I was advised to add a chamfer to the ending to avoid any unpleasant texture or aesthetics. In addition to that, since I am fabricating a roller, I have learned that each circle end adds a point which creates a groove line at the end which I did not like either.

Later, when I was about to fabricate the actual-size rollers, the lab specialist and I realized that the size of the rollers was way big and it would require I guess more than 40+ hours for both rollers. In addition, the length of the roller exceeded the normal printer size. 

So, I tried to minimize the scale as much as possible without compromising the functional features since I am using actual motors and designing a to-scale prototype. It was a trial and error process where I minimized and sliced until the 2 rollers reached a total of almost 90 grams / 10 hours. I had to leave it overtime to finish. The next day I started removing the supports and sanded the surfaces for a better look and feel.

Software: Illustrator, RD works (at the lab)

Material: Plywood (3mm)

Type of cut: Cut only 

Duration: 8 mins.

Process: At the beginning of the diploma, I tried to download the dxf extension but failed. I assembled them in Illustrator and then in the lab using the nesting software (RDworks)  for the laser cutting.

I had only cut parts, so I adjusted the Speed to 40 and the Power to 45.

After the first trial, I realized that I forgot to add a slot for the toggle switch, so I did in the second and final trial. 

Input Component:

• Toggle Switch (3 modes)
  Function: Acts as the user interface to control the system. When toggled, it sends a digital signal (HIGH or LOW) to the Arduino, indicating whether the system should activate or stop the motor.

Action (Output) Components:

• Stepper Motor
  Function: The actuator that performs the mechanical movement required by the system. It rotates or moves precisely according to the signals received by the switch.

• Motor Driver 

Control/Processing Unit:

• Arduino UNO
  Function: It acts as the brain of the system, managing the interaction between input and output components.

Arduino:

• Pin 2  of the Arduino in connected to pin D of the motor driver

• Pin 3 of the Arduino is connected to pin S of the motor driver

• Pin 4 and 5 of the Arduino are connected to the toggle switch for forward and backward motion 

• The 5V pin of the Arduino is connected to the driver's 5V

• The GND pin of the Arduino is connected to the GND of the driver

• The other GND is conned to the toggle switch
  
  
  

Driver: 

• The GND pin is connected to the power supply 9v
  
  

• Power management
  9V adapter
  
  -ve driver GND
  +ve 9V motor driver - Vn Arduino
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

I used the  9V adapter because it provides sufficient power for both the Arduino and the stepper motor. The Arduino's voltage regulator can step it down to 5V for the board, while the 9V is suitable for driving the stepper motor and its driver efficiently. This voltage ensures proper operation without underpowering the system.

Description:

The core function of this smart device revolves around its rolling mechanism. A toggle switch acts as the input component, controlling the two modes of the stepper motor that create the rolling motion: forward and backward. The switch is connected to Arduino pins 4 and 5, while the stepper motor driver is connected to pin 2 for direction and pin 3 for steps.

This Arduino code constantly checks whether the left or right switch is pressed. If you press the left switch, the motor turns forward; press the right switch, and it spins in reverse. If neither switch is pressed, the motor stays still (off mode). Two pins control the motor: one sets the direction, and the other sends pulses to move it step by step. 

Yes, I always asked for feedback because I knew I couldn’t figure it out easily on my own especially when it came to coding and components integration.

Also, in the fabrication part when I tested the rollers in a scaled-down version. One ending of the rollers was not as expected as if the filament was still in its original condition and did not create a proper surface.  And this happened because I ignored to add support because I wanted a scaled-down 

Also, there was a thin groove horizontal line in both rollers that looked odd as they were not part of the design. So I asked for feedback from the lab specialist and I learned that each circle when fabricated has an endpoint, so when the endpoints are created above each other they create a slight groove line. So I can do this by trying out another grid shape and also there are other post-fabrication techniques.

It's important to mention that when I fabricated the real-size rollers, I made sure to add enough support. Also, I chose to fabricate in black color so if there are any imperfections, they won't be so clear.

Challenges:

> Laser cutting fabrication part

When I did the laser cutting for the first time, I noticed that I did not create a slot for the toggle switch. So I went back to Fusion 360 and edited the base part by creating multiple slots with slightly different dims to test. 

> 3d printing part

When I was about to fabricate the actual size rollers, I noticed that the fabrication would take way longer than I assumed. So I went back and forth between fusion and cura, trying to minimize the roller without affecting the overall project in a negative way then to cura to slice and see how long will it take to get fabricated.

> Wiring part 

I would have invested more time in designing an aesthetically pleasing product, rather than just creating a machine-like project that simply performs a function and nothing more.

Maybe by adding fillets to the edges of the faces

Also, if I had more time, I would have created the tray part which will act as a place to receive the material.