DVD Coaster

Design Intent

The coaster is meant to be a method to permanently preserve your nostalgic CDs, which may not have seen the light of day for quite some time, be it from the transition to streaming music or the CD itself becoming unreadable. The CD will covered in epoxy once placed in the coaster so as not to damage it from the temperatures caused by a drink.

Sketches

Digital Design

Fusion 360 Link

First Design

Manufactured Part

Final Design

Timeline

Week 1

As a class, we went through the design process of Fusion and modeled our coaster using fully constrained dimensions/sketches.

Week 2

As a class, we learned how to manufacture the model we created, as well as how to run the Shapeoko CNC Mill.

Week 3

After all of our Coaster prototypes were milled, we added epoxy to them with varying results. Using this, we reflected on designing an updated version of the manufacturing process (using ultra-strong glue, etc.). I worked on editing my design to add holes on the sides for a second prototype.

Week 4

My second prototype was milled successfully! Around this period, I also began work on our second project, the CNC Milled Clock.

Week 5

Core Competencies of Focus

Have confidence in what you create - Don't point out your mistakes.

Sometimes, the mistakes can be turned into unique features if you come in with a creative mind. As a project where I will undergo many firsts (CNC milling, Epoxy, Wood Spray), I have to go into this project knowing that I will make a few mistakes.

Figure it out!

With the amount of unknowns (as previously stated) I am dealing with in this project, the best I can do is solve these unknowns and control the variables that would determine the final product of the design.

Skills - Current Knowledge and New Skills

Current

I've had 2-years of Fusion experience in robotics, but because I was self-taught, there were specific useful tools within the software, which I am not an expert at.
I have used the Manufacturing part of Fusion beforehand via robotics. I manufactured a simple wood panel for our practice chassis, where I learned the limitations of CNC milling.

New

I will need to start using functions effectively to consider variables such as wood thickness. I will need to start sketching my sketches in Fusion differently so that functions can seamlessly change the dimensions.
Learning how to use the Shapoko CNC Mill is an opportunity that requires care and much more caution than devices such as a 3D printer.
As someone who has never used epoxy before, handling it and its material limitations will be a new frontier for me.

Pictures of Progress

Reflections

After the first CNC prototype

The whole job was perfect regarding the outcome of the part. The offsets provided a snug fit that I used for the final design. The wood cut-outs that supported the MDF when the outside was being contoured were challenging to remove, so I used a smaller height for the final design out of wood.

After the first epoxy job

Tape does not work to hold the CD onto the coaster. My overuse of the gas burner raised the CD and left unwanted space for the epoxy to enter. Such overuse also led to a slight yellow tint in the epoxy after solidifying. What was great to know was that the Sharpie I added to the CD did not come off, so I am confident that any print on my final CD will be clearly visible.

Tips for the Future

Although this was not much of a problem for me, I recommend that you consider the structural integrity of your wooden coaster if making tweaks that hollow out the base design. I took this into account when adding the holes in the coaster base. As well, do not rush any part of the design process! Toward the end of the project time, there were times when I favored speed rather than precision in terms of sanding or polyethylene coating. The risk of future mistakes will end up with you taking more time than expected processes, so in the end, a maintained fabrication is always the fastest.

Final Reflection

Design Intent - Reflect on your original design intent. Did you accomplish what you set out to achieve?

What I set out to achieve was to create a coaster to preserve some of my childhood CDs that do not work anymore, and in this respect, I think I have succeeded. I hope to bring it around wherever I may move; the piece seems to be a great conversation starter. Considering the changes I made to the final design based on my first prototype, I am glad did not wish to overachieve and kept much the same. Don't break something that works.

Core Competencies - When you started this project, you chose three core competencies to work on. Reflect on your progress towards growth in those three areas. In what ways did you demonstrate growth? Were there missed opportunities you'd like to do over? In what ways can your growth translate to other aspects of your life?

Being confident in what I do demonstrates to me that I was able to leap across the unknowns that I listed within my core competencies. The only lack of confidence that I clearly demonstrated (making a second prototype) was one that led to the longer timeline for this project, and I wish I could have instead dove straight into my final model after my first prototype. Although this is more minute, I believe that this project's emphasis on confidence will allow me to apply this in other situations as a newcomer, such as visiting a new country.

Skills—What new skills did you learn in terms of tools, materials, design, etc.? Which skills would you like to work on more in the future?

The new skills I learned mainly included polyethylene coating and epoxy jobs. Other aspects of the project were ones I had dabbled in the past, so skills such as Fusion CADing felt like another afternoon. Based on its material properties/uniqueness, I am likely to use epoxy in the future and hope to work on the skill more.

Timeline - Reflect on your time management throughout the project. Looking back, would changes would you make to your proposed timeline? How wisely did you use the time available for the project? What recommendations would you make for yourself in terms of time management for your next project?

As previously stated, I wished I had moved on to the final iteration of the coaster after my first prototype, as my doing the second prototype felt only justified by worries about design changes I had made. In terms of future time management, I would hope to set tighter deadlines for myself when it comes to completing specific tasks in my fabrication process.

Safety - What did you learn about safety in the shop during this project? Did you make any mistakes you learned from? Are you curious about any safety practices and why they are essential? What should you focus on going forward to keep yourself and others safe in the shop?

What I learned (and this goes beyond the class as well) is that to maximize your safety when using tools, you must minimize distractions and stay in the zone. This has been really hard for me, as I have tended to lose focus when I felt something was wrong with the tool I was using. Especially when it comes to CNC machining, I memorized the process immediately to lessen the safety risks that may be imposed on me, my classmates, and the tool itself.

Risk-taking - What risks did you take during this project? When did you step out of your comfort zone?

The major risk I took within this design was to tweak the original prototype to add new features. My reasoning for the change was to allow people to see the other side of the CD, otherwise covered up by the coaster. To ensure this risk was warranted, I decided to make a second prototype with the design. Although this added a major block of additional time within my project, what this prototype gave me was assurance that the risk I made would not negatively affect the coaster and its function.

Curiosity - Now that the project is done, what are you still curious about regarding the project itself, tools, the shop, or future projects you could try based on the skills you learned?

I am curious about more niche, specific, and complicated ways that you could use CNC to make wooded parts. For example, in the midst of this project, I was looking up tools on the manufacturing end that could carve out a scaled version of California for an upcoming clock project. I would also like to test the viability of making moving pieces using our CNC machine, such as gears, for whatever future project may lend to this idea. On my own, I will likely add a rubber bottom to the coaster in an attempt to provide the coaster with more static friction than provided using the wood itself.

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