Computer Integrated Manufacturing (2018-2019)

In the Inch Cubed project, we were tasked with modelling and printing some sort of aesthetic or functional design that was limited by an inch cubed volume constraint. Other constraints included the fact that any printed part must have been able to fit on the printing surface and the material of choice for printing was black PLA plastic. My brainstorming sketches in my engineering notebook included a sheet music clip placeholder, a flute or piccolo, an upright piano, and a full grand piano. With the given size and material constraints, I figured that it would be best and most practical to design an aesthetic piece. Though one of the more difficult design choices, I chose to model and print a fully detailed concert grand piano.

With the given class time as well as extra time during lunch and after school, I was able to fully design and model a concert grand piano with details including the base itself, legs and a lid with the lid holder, a full keyboard with all the keys, a designated section for what would hold the hammer mechanism, a soundboard that would be directly below the strings, and respective holes within the soundboard to amplify the output of the instrument. The final inventor model measured at exactly 1.000 inches cubed in volume following appropriate final model detail measurement adjustments. In order to efficiently print the part, however, we found that we had to print the body separately from the lid as to avoid the use of excessive support material. Additionally, I found that upon printing the base and submerging it in the bleach bath, there was still leftover support material stuck within the hollow parts of the design.

Although I would ultimately consider this initial print a success given the extreme precision required to detail the part, there could definitely be improvements made in the design and manufacturing process. Firstly, in a perfect world from an aesthetic design perspective, this part would be printed using multiple color plastics. Secondly, if this part were to be manufactured in order to be sold, I would be sure to print it larger in order to ensure the accuracy of details such as key length and soundboard hole rivets. Additionally, if printing to be sold, I would incorporate an aspect of personalization into the design in which the designing company logo or name would be engraved alongside the customer’s name in place of what would be the logo and name for the company that built the piano. In a large scale manufacturing process of the part, the choice to model the design as one or more parts would be a deliberate aspect of the design. Either the design would be printed as one part and soaked within a bleach bath for a longer period of time in order to ensure the removal of all support material, or the design would be printed in multiple parts that would be easily combined via chemical or mechanical fusing.

1. Project Description

   • In this project, we were tasked with creating a two dimensional design within the constraints of two inches squared of matboard material. The goal of this short project was to familiarize ourselves with the CorelDraw Program and the process by which one can design a model to be laser cut via this software suite.

2. Design Decision

   • In order to accomplish this task to the fullest extent, I chose to challenge myself with a more complex and intricate design: the Warner Brothers logo.

3. Design Process

   • As I was using CorelDraw to start my design, I found that the program wasn’t as accurate as I hoped it would be. Due to this inaccuracy, I chose to design my part in Autodesk Inventor where I would be able to fully dimension each component in relation to others. After this process, I imported the design into CorelDraw via an Inventor drawing file in order to define which areas of the design should be engraved or cut. Additionally, I had to replace the text since it did not follow the curve of the banner. With these aspects further defined, I was able to successfully position and import the CorelDraw file into the UCP Laser Cutting Operator Interface for printing.

4. Future Considerations

   • With the final print in hand, there are a few aspects of design for laser cutting I would take into account in the future. First, the importance of design accuracy versus the reduction in time spent working on a more approximated design. For the purpose of this assignment, I chose to model my part in Inventor before moving it to CorelDraw to specify additional instructions for the laser cutting machine itself. By using this process, I was able to achieve a high level of design accuracy within a longer active working time frame. It is necessary to consider the importance of design accuracy in future projects as to work in the most efficient manner possible. Second, thinking about any advance considerations regarding the process of laser cutting a design. For this design, these specifications may not have caused issues due to the relative simplicity of the design. In future designs, however, specifying areas to be cut versus engraved could mean the difference between a solid product and a part that falls apart.